Just how much the fashion industry is affected by the economic crisis is on show for all to see.

China Fashion Week, China International Clothing & Accessories Fair (CHIC), China Fashion Forum and various labels' Fall collections have united with one overwhelming theme: These are gray days, indeed.

Models present creations during the China Fashion Week in Beijing. The bi-annual fashion extravaganza showcases China's fashion houses and their latest collections to buyers all over the world. [China Daily]

Out went frills and fancy colors - most garments had straight lines, fewer hand-made designs and sober colors like black, grey, dark blue and brown.

Black and white dominated. Chinese model Mo Wandan, who has just finished 10 shows at Milan Fashion Week, shocked the audience at Liu Yong's parade with a black silk dress and silver decorations at the breast lines. Liu says black and white will forever be in vogue, yet named his show "Vigor" because he wanted to "bring hope to the economic crisis".

Style Hong Kong Pavilion at CHIC, had 62 companies involved last year, but only 59 this time. The models were nearly all dressed in short skirts and tight pants, some of which had no curves, just straight cuts and powerful striped and checked patterns.

Functionality seemed to be the order of the day - men's jackets and tops tended to be short at the waistline, delivering a message of "saving every inch", while firm-fitting boots were mostly ankle-high. Models sported clean wrists and necks as watches, necklaces and bracelets took a back seat. Handbags apart, the stages were virtually accessory-free.

Every crisis offers opportunity, however, and Zhou Shaoxiong, CEO of Septwolves, says companies should be using this time to rebuild. "Some Chinese brands expanded too quickly and can't stand the pressure. Now it's time for them to slow down," he says.

Matsui Tadamitsu, CEO of Ryohin Keikaku Cooperation, which is behind the world-famous Muji label, told the Fashion Forum that the Chinese market seemed to be the most stable in the world. "The US market was down 30 percent last year, Europe 7-10 percent and Japan 1-3.5 percent but the Chinese market was not affected," he says. Muji even plans to open seven to 10 stores in China this year.

Tough times are also forcing fashion parade organizers to get more creative. None and More at The Village, China Central Academy of Fine Arts Design School's fashion show for new graduates, started with a rock 'n' roll concert and the two girls' sexy voices added more pizzazz to the garments in the hall. "The performance attracted more attention than the show itself. The music and the performance deliver sexy, powerful, young and independent messages," says Yi Lingna, a senior fashion editor at Sohu.com.

Septwolves held its A/W 2009 show at the banquet hall in Beijing Hotel on Sunday night without a single professional model in sight. Male staff from the Ministries of Commerce and Foreign Affairs, plus French, Spanish and Italian embassies, strutted their stuff on the T-stage catwalk instead, delivering a message of confidence, business and male beauty. "Diplomats are trend-setters, which is exactly the same as Septwolves' spirit - setting the trend," says CEO Zhou.

The China Jeanswest Casual Wear Competition started with a show featuring Hollywood movies. Models cat-walked with clothes inspired by Sex and the City, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Amelie, while an 8-m-high screen simultaneously played those movies, making the event more of a film premiere. Cabbeen also drew applause by turning its T-stage into a field and having its models cycling around.

"Some local brands finally realize that the T-stage is not the only way to express the spirit of a fashion show," says Yi.

Ample evidence of what is known as the "lipstick effect", the fact that more lipstick is sold during hard times because people need to dress up and have more fun. Designers are compelled to develop more ideas to promote their products. Fashion, after all, will always be showbiz.

The fashion week ended yesterday.

(China Daily March 31, 2009)