Creating beauty

Wealth and Poverty | There's no shame in shopping but New York's fashion world can't run from recession either | Alisa Harris

Stephen Lovekin//Getty Images for Chris Benz

Some 7.2 percent of New Yorkers may be out of work, but New York City still feverishly celebrated Fashion Week this February—just as it does twice a year, every year. As usual, white tents filled Bryant Park with high-heeled fashionistas stalking haute couture. This year, they drank "McCafe"—a glammed-up version of McDonald's coffee—around a massive centerpiece of 5-foot-tall pink letters, inset with hundreds of Barbie dolls spelling the word BARBIE.

Some things, though, were different. It was in Chelsea—20 blocks from Bryant Park—that Loris Diran's designs were on display, as models sauntered down the runway to David Bowie's "Fashion." The materials were rich—a bolero of black mink and cashmere, a cream-colored satin organza blouse, a cashmere hoodie—with classic tailoring and clean edges. In one floor-length gown, silver shimmered from the sheer shoulders down to the floor.