Designers are coping with the economic realities in different ways. Some have said they are designing each piece as if it would stand on its own. Others are tightly editing their collections or broadening their price points.

Zac Posen, known for his large-scale, celebrity-filled runway shows, decided to present his clothes in a smaller setting this season with just 400 invited guests. He said his aim is to focus on the clothes.

“We were in such a large brand-building model, doing these large shows with very little means and budgets, and creating that dream,” Posen said. “Now it’s really about focusing back to the craft and form and function.”

Posen said it’s still a challenging and scary time for designers, but noted there has been some activity at retail in the past few weeks that gives him hope. “We are seeing movement, and so from being at a time when there has not been movement, movement looks very exciting and tasty,” Posen said.

Kate Mulleavy, who designs the Rodarte label with her sister, Laura, agreed that while the economy is hard to get around, it is no reason to retreat and resort to overall misery. “You can’t disassociate yourself from the economic or social climate of the time,” she said. “That is part of the vernacular that you are working with. I always said that it’s the reason why Laura and I wanted to design clothes. We are independent designers, so it’s always a struggle. But because you are compelled to make things, you just move forward. This season is no different.”

Designers said they are working hard to edit their collections.

“I think retailers will come in, and they don’t want to see a lot of ‘stuff,’ so it’s our job as designers to edit really well,” said Jason Wu. “I’d rather have five racks of really great clothes versus 10 racks of things that haven’t been edited.

“People are buying, but they are still careful and cautious, and they are not buying things they already have,” he added. “If I am doing a jacket, I have to say, ‘How do I make a new jacket in a new silhouette? I am not making another black coat.’”

The pressure to offer lower price points is also making itself felt in showrooms. Many said they have broadened their price points to give retailers more options. Others, meanwhile, have launched secondary lines. Richard Chai, for instance, is launching the Richard Chai Love collection for spring, offering pieces at a contemporary price point. Doo.Ri’s secondary Under.Ligne line and Bryan Bradley’s eponymous contemporary line have been introduced at retail this fall.

“Price is an issue for a lot of retailers, and [commercialism] is an issue, but I have to contain that in a way,” said Thakoon Panichgul of Thakoon. “[Prices] have to be really sharp when European brands can offer better prices now. You have to pay attention to that as a small designer. We look at fabrics more. We will show novelty special fabrics, but have to pay attention to more basic, all-climate kind of fabrics as well, which helps the commerciality of the line.”

Vena Cava’s Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock said they approached this collection with a much more wearable and affordable concept in mind.

Vena Cava is expanding the opening retail price range of its offerings to around $250, where typically the collection was positioned between $400 and $700 at retail. “A lot of times, we have to lower our profit margin to get our quantities up and make sure pieces get to stores,” Buhai said. “Definitely there is pressure, but the reality is that our business will be better if more people can wear our clothes.”

Brian Reyes also sees this climate as an opportunity to try a few different things. He is launching special groups of gowns and knitwear and plans to include several gowns in his runway lineup. “Limitation helps you become more creative, and I think of more creative ways to do things,” said Reyes.

Joseph Altuzarra of Altuzarra said communication with stores will be key. “We communicate with our retailers quite frequently to see how their customers are reacting to the collection and how we can grow with them,” he said.