Hatchet Reporter Christian Ewing analyzes the styles showcased for this fall.

Diane von Furstenberg’s inspiration for her Fall 2010 collection, “A man living in a woman’s body,” encapsulates the spirit of New York Fashion Week, which took place in Bryant Park Feb. 11 through Feb. 18. The weak economy forced designers to become students of history, examining women’s adaptations to past disasters. Their collections paid homage to a modern woman in control who maintains her femininity.

Some Fight in the Frills

Fittingly, von Furstenberg’s presentation began with a delightfully flirtatious lavender bolero jacket overlaid with dozens of fabric rosettes worn over a very corporate ash gray pantsuit. Later in the week, Phillip Lim showcased an embellished violet sequined tee worn with a navy high-waisted skirt and suspenders.

Prairie Skirts and Big City Tops

Designers introduced the floor-length prairie skirt as day wear. Peter Som paired a green-and-yellow geometric print prairie skirt with an olive metallic turtleneck belted above the hips. In the Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti collection, an army green military trench coat was added to a floor length bejeweled skirt.

Designers like Som and Ferretti that feature the prairie skirt seem to understand hard economic times necessitate new pieces adjusted to a hardworking woman’s life. Some women of the past opted for this style of skirt when the time came for them to abandon their delicate bustles and work side-by-side with men. Modern women can alternate their old jeans and capris with edgy, ventilating floor length skirts that pay homage to a past generation of independent women.

Sweet Remembrance

Ralph Lauren’s Thursday presentation read like the screenplay of a grandmother, fondly remembering herself in her prime. The show opened with dresses in old-fashioned florals and classic three-piece suits that looked distressed by time. Midway through the show, viewers were taken back to the roaring twenties. Netted elbow-length gloves, flapper caps, and post-Victorian necklaces adorned models who were outfitted in scoop-neck black sequin tops and extravagant velvet gowns.

The nostalgic air of Lauren’s show was reminiscent of a time when an empowered woman stepped out in her flapper gear and took on the world with her feminine flair. The show will surely reinvigorate that spirit, offering buyers fall pieces like rich velvet riding pants and sparkly, tulle cocktail dresses.

Marc Jacobs joined in on Ralph Lauren’s distant dreams, substituting the funky music typically played at his runway shows for the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Jacobs, whose recent collections have been wildly experimental to the point of hilarity, went back to the basics for his fall collection. He showed simple shin-length dresses with heels and socks, not unlike Dorothy’s attire in the Wizard of Oz. His collection brings buyers to a safe, youthful place in which they should be happy to invest.

Review the collections described above and more at style.com. Fall looks will hit stores later this year.