Dolce and Gabbana's 'Recession' Collection

SPARE SOME CHANGE? Dolce and Gabbana (Photo: Getty Images) If fashion critic Suzy Menkes says something is the new black, well, it really is. At Thursday's Dolce and Gabbana show in Milan, which featured chunky '70s-inspired shearling coats and long-ish skirts, Menkes decided the duo were harbingers of a new, more serious era in fashion. "Dolce & Gabbana is the first label to have the courage to go unequivocally for ... for solid clothing and for a new, anti-party look. There was almost nothing of their slinky or trashy nightclub clothes." As she lamented that Lindsay Lohan wouldn't have anything to wear next season, which, ahem, doesn't really seem to be a problem, Menkes mused: "Since fashion often reads the tea leaves better than the analysts, perhaps the party really is over and the "R" word (recession) has given to these two powerful designers a new edge."

Of course, the designers' D&G show, inspired by Queen Elizabeth II, wasn't exactly Hyde-ready either. But if Menkes is right, and the era of trashy partying is indeed over, what the hell are all of our favorite train wrecks going to do with themselves. Dolce and Gabbana, come on, think of the children!