>> Peter Som has had a tough past six months, between the fallout at Bill Blass and the pull out of his eponymous lines' investor.  Two weeks ago, he wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to pull anything together for Fashion Week, but he's succeeded in producing something for Fall 2009 — a capsule collection of 16 looks, which he will be showing at private appointments.

Peter's not alone in his misfortune this season — for various other labels, big and small, Fall 2009 isn't panning out so well either.  Some, like Peter, have had to cancel their runway show in favor of showroom appointments (Sari Gueron) or lookbooks (Francis by Christian Francis Roth, who just tried to stage a comeback last season).  Some are just plain nixing their shows (Benjamin Cho, Hanii Y, Sue Stemp, Rubin Singer).

Poor newcomer Mikhael Kale had to cancel his show because his samples were damaged during shipping; he's remaking the collection for press and buyer appointments in two weeks' time.  Italian knitwear label Malo, designed by Alessandro Dell'Acqua, is totally missing in action, even though it always draws Carine Roitfeld and Franca Sozzani front row.  And Patrick Robinson has postponed Gap's presentation until April.  Here's to hoping the news only gets better from here.
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>> Designers may be pulling their belt tighter this Fashion Week, but hardly any are pulling out of the rat race altogether — the attention is too valuable. "You kill a thousand birds with one stone, because you get that many people there in an hour and you're getting one message across to them," says Scott Sternberg of Boy and Band of Outsiders. "They're writers and photographers and culturally indulgent people with loud mouths."

Instead, designers are saving by hosting presentations instead of runway shows (Monique Lhuillier, Temperley London, and Carmen Marc Valvo), inviting fewer guests (Marc Jacobs and DKNY, who's slicing her usual 1,000 down to 400), sending email invites instead of by mail (nearly everyone), or showing fewer looks to save on fabric and sample-making costs.

Two models, 15 looks, and a free space to show it in »

>> INSIDER WIRE —It's not unusual for a designer or two to drop off the Fashion Week schedule — think Rogan last season — but in light of Fall 2009 being a "make or break season," it's a shame to see another designer follow Peter Som.  Sari Gueron was originally planning her usual runway show, but has decided to forego it all and will be taking showroom appointments instead; the decision is said to be recession-related. [Style File]
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>> THE MODELIZER —Sari Gueron says that she's had Lisa Cant open and close every one of her runway shows because: "We’re friends. We’ve shared a house at the beach together. I love that little tradition we have that she opens my show. It’s almost good luck." [The Cut]