We place a lot of expectations on fashion. On one hand we want to be swept away by fantasy, creativity and expression of the designer’s vision, taken to a new place where we can feel more than what is. On the other hand, we expect to have bang for our dollar. After all, we replenish our wardrobe to function within society, not to become a caricature. One mindset tends to win over the other depending on the economic standing we face. When times are robust we have more latitude to enjoy life and are more willing to experiment. We cam diversify our wardrobe because we can afford to. However, when there is a threat to our earning power we are more practical and make more carefully measured decisions in our attire purchases.

This was the case when the 90s emerged. The previous decade was extremely creative and embraced our desire to be expressive and individual within the confines of trend conformity. We looked for those who stood out and gave room for individual expression. Designs competed for having an individual voice and when the first cracks of economic stain appeared they responded with even more coveted creations were put out to seduce us into spending .The furious pace of changing silhouettes, cuts and embellishments kept us on our toes. Once the economic bubble burst and spread, however, we realized that, for many of us, this game we joyfully participated in did not carry as much importance as being employed and fed, and many of us shifted towards more practical purchases that could carry past a season and function in a practical austere environment which transformed form excess and conspicuous consumption to democratically demure uniformity. Designers that offered more pared-down items and simpler workable pieces survived and thrived. Designers lost in their creativity faded away.

While we have the capacity to amass a lot of information for examination, we as a species also have this failing of repeating our mistakes and as such we tend to repeat patterns of behaviour. And so the collections coming out of a country rocked by economic woes is reflecting this realization in their presentations for SS2012.

Some collections are combining showing men’s and women’s lines together, which is a very economical move as well. It doesn’t make business sense to have separate shows if one is minding the bottom line.

Designers lines such as Organic by John Patrick, Sachin + Babi, Cushine et Ochs, M. Partmos, Kimberly Ovitz, Luca Luca and TSE featured a lot of solids in their collection. Gone were the outlandish prints, which I suspect didn’t get as embraced by the public seeking more utilitarian practicality and dollar-per-wear in solid separates. The formula saved lines in the past in leaner times, and these designers are aware of that practicality.

So where is the excitement, you ask. It’s there, but more subtle. It comes in the creative layering (Gary Graham, Nicholas K., Kimberly Ovitz, Peter Som), architectural cuts (Cushine et Ochs, Kevork Kiledjian, TSE, Kimberley Ovitz) and optimistically bright colours (Richard Chai Love, 10 Crosby Derek Lam, Luca Luca, Sachin + Babi).

There was some pattern. A lot of it was reminiscent of the 90s in the way it seemed mechanized (Steve Allen, M. Patmos, Richard Chai Love, Peter Som), but some designers fell towards florals (Gary Graham, Sachin + Babi, ) and striping (!0 Crosby Derek Lam, TSE, Luca Luca). Nicholas K. had a more Miyake-inspired linear tie-dye effect in their gauzier pieces, while BCBG Max Azria incorporated African print in a few pieces.

With the bare midriff is sneaking back at Peter Som and the proliferation of white so far, it was like being transported to an alternate 90s universe where the fabrics were crisper and the colours cleaner but it was the 90s all over again, something that was expected and thoroughly conveyed in previous articles (I’ll let you do the hunting in the Fashion Observed archives). During leaner times, those who have a history of distilling concepts to well-executed pragmatic simplicity without losing us in utilitarian blandness tend to have our attention. For the maximization of our budget and continuation of our style sensibilities it makes for practical and economic sense. Only time will tell whether the entirety of the SS2012 collections agree.