“We’ve cut from 750 seats and a big, crazy scene, air-kissing that got in the way of the editors,” says Bud Konheim, C.E.O. of Nicole Miller, which is spending $500,000 on its show tonight at 6 p.m. in the Salon in Bryant Park. “Now we have 350 people at the show and it’s very controlled and they get a good look at Nicole’s clothes.”

The company is not actually saving money overall, he says. The smaller venue is less expensive, but production costs—hiring models, producing samples—keep rising. But Konheim believes the expense is worthwhile, part of a big advertising and market push to keep the brand on consumer’s minds during a slow economy.

“There is more competition right now and because of the [weak] economy we are all fighting for the same buyers and attention,” echoes Yildiz Blackstone, president of celebrity favorite Luca Luca. The company showed in Bryant Park for 20 consecutive seasons, but bowed out last season while searching for a buyer. Now that it’s got one, Miami-based Equitium Group, Blackstone must prove that Luca Luca was a good investment by attracting retail buyers and press attention, especially from growth markets such as Russia. Blackstone is betting a show on Monday in Bryant Park will help reestablish the Luca Luca brand.

Most fashion shows only last about 15 minutes, but the planning begins six months in advance. Given that lead time, Teng has been able to adapt her financial planning to the economic woes while studying the bold red follies in Paris’ futuristic Parc de la Villette, her source of inspiration for Spring 2009.

In the past, she has relied mainly on sumptuous European fabrics for her designs. This season, with the dollar at historic lows against the euro, Teng scanned the globe for more cost-effective sources. As labor costs rise overseas and the dollar remains depressed against other currencies, she is also increasingly eager to preserve the remants of manufacturing in New York, where she finds matte jersey and fabric-dying services. A board member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Teng is working to develop strategies to aid the remaining garment businesses.

She also took time out from designing to hedge against further weakening of the dollar. Rather than waiting until fabric or goods valued in euros arrived here and then translating the prices into dollars—and potentially getting stung by continuing declines in the currency’s value—Teng negotiated with her suppliers to clinch a price in dollars in advance. That allows her to plan her costs, but could prove a bad bet for Teng if the dollar rebounded strongly.

“It’s a risk on both sides, but I do have people I’ve worked with a long time who recognize business is a two-way street,” she says.