The past couple weeks were busy in the fashion world, starting with Fashion Week in Paris, then New York and London before ending in Milan. Fashion week is a huge business, as it gives all the fashion houses a chance to advertise their products, enticing both the general public and retailers alike.

Two weeks ago at the 2010 Fall Fashion Week in New York, white tents were erected on the lawn of Bryant Park for the last time. It’s the end of an era –- the show has run from the same location for 17 years but is now moving to a new setting in Lincoln Center.

It’s almost metaphorical for the change that fashion and fashion week itself are undergoing –- consumers are looking for something different, and designers are finding that they must go with the demands. According to Steven Fischer, a Kellogg professor specializing in fashion, “Fashion reflects what’s going on in society. After a decade or so of flamboyant fashion, we’re seeing a demonstrable lack of that.” And indeed, fashion editors are complaining bitterly about the new collections, calling them boring or uninspired.

Fischer maintains that this new trend toward more “safe” fashion is due to the downturn of the economy, as people are no longer willing to shell out money for clothes that will only be relevant for one season.

Hence, the new trends are practical and back-to-the-basics. Marc Jacobs took to this idea and implemented it not only in his clothing but also in his show, going as far as to ban celebrities and plaster the walls with cardboard boxes. His collection, as well as the majority of the other collections put out these past weeks, was made up of subdued, neutral colors. “The Sex in the City era is over,” said Fischer. “But consumers are not afraid to invest in pieces that will last them many seasons”

While the clothes are subdued, there are still accents that scream of luxury like the fur that graced pretty much every collection on the runway. Some used subtly while others, like Michael Kors, created elegantly colored full pieces.

Fischer mentioned that he has also noticed a theme of lingerie in collections, with corset-like pieces becoming more and more common. Materials that are stereotypically used for lingerie also found their way onto real clothing, something done elegantly by Dolce and Gabbana.

While fashion and fashion week are evolving, so too is the customer. Fischer believes that the things that people want and expect out of department stores will be radically different after the recession. But overall, the next season is subdued and full of neutral colors, floral prints, bohemian romanticism, texture, structure and fur. And as the lights dimmed in Milan, the fashion world turned another page, leaving the past behind in swirls of chiffon and structured tweed.