Economic theory anyone? It may sound a little on the dull side for a fashion blog, but when paired with the length of hemlines, it gets much more interesting... The classic "hemline index", invented by the Wharton economist, George Taylor, in 1926, suggested that the better the economic times, the higher the hemlines - and the reverse obviously being that a slumping economy sees longer looks as the trend-du-jour.
Is it any wonder then, that this summer's biggest trend was the maxi-dress, and the "floor sweeping styles" taken up by everyone from the fashion-set to Hollywood "it" girls, and ultimately to chain stores everywhere? Given that this trend was first seen in the summer collections shown last September/October (when the economy wasn't yet so bleak) it seems designers had the edge on Wall Street with this one. And, if we're to trust their supposed clairvoyance, fall fashion is singing the same long song. The New York Times Fashion Pulse recently posted that "though short skirts still live, a slew of forwardthinking designers, including Marc Jacobs, Marios Schwab and Junya Watanabe showed strikingly new long-and-lean looks for fall."

Photo from NYTimes.com

So, in these lean times, how to get consumers to spend becomes the question of the day - enter the "supers" -Linda, Naomi, Claudia and the rest of the one-name-wonders have returned to save the economy... well, the fashion economy at least. Apparently a recognizable face is reassuring and makes us want to spend? Really? (The Guardian this week, stated that since Evangelista appeared in ads for L'Oreal, sales have increased 20% over 18 months)

Naomi Campbell YSL Campaign, Photograph by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

Claudia Schiffer Chanel Campaign, Photograph by Karl Lagerfeld

Linda Evangelista Prada Campaign, Photograph by Steven Meisel

Current fall ad campaigns have Linda Evangelista for Prada, Naomi Campbell for YSL, Claudia Schiffer for Chanel, and the September Issue of Vanity Fair has paid homage to the original supermodels in a retrospective photographed by Mario Testino.

Photograph Michel Comte for Vanity Fair Magazine

I'm trying to get my head around this - so supermodels and hemlines are really related to mortgage crisis, credit woes, job crunch and shrinking global economy? Ok... sure. But, will the economy improve? Well, let's test the theory shall we? With the Spring/Summer '09 shows just about to begin, keep an eye out for short skirts and lots of leg... Oh yeah, and a super-model or two.

Posted by KEREN