Michael Ball debuts his “Recession Collection.”

Other luxury brands may be unable to adjust to the times, but one designer has a solution. Rock & Republic founder Michael Ball has launched the “Recession Collection,” which feature staples and classics like tees and jeans with no embellishments. Ball describes the line as “the opposite of disposable fashion.” There’s a meta-quality, of course, in a luxury collection ironically shaped around the economic climate – and that’s visible in the clothes. A muted brown high heel, for example, is emblazoned with large white letters: “STILETTO.” The line has been so popular that it’s expanding to a larger collection called Plain Wrap. But get it while it’s hot: like the breadline, "Recession Collection" is Limited Edition, and there’s a not enough to go around.