The retail industry is getting pretty desperate these days—how many more special events and functions will we see that scream “Oooo! Please, please come shop in our store!” According to the Wall Street Journal, the latest tactic in trying to woo the recessionary customer is to assuage shoppers’ guilt.

In some cases, this goes straight to the point instead of tip-toeing around the you shouldn’t be spending atmosphere. Take, perhaps, the best example out there, Gilt Groupe, a sample sale website (and admitted Frisky obsession) whose name is a play on the word “guilt.” The site’s co-founder, Alexis Maybank, explains that now retailers like her are placing emphasis on battling this new culture of consumer guilt: “It used to be about keeping up with the Joneses, and now it’s about outsaving the Joneses ... We need to encourage people to get excited about fashion.” Gilt’s short-timed sales have set off a wave of similar online initiatives, which rev up shoppers and distract them from negative feelings.

We’re still in a recession, people. This Halloween, costumes certainly don’t need to be purchased from those expensive pop-up stores. Besides, the most creative and innovative Halloween get-ups aren’t those that come from a box but rather from the imagination. And for everyone who’s not so skilled in thinking up their own DIYs, here are a few ideas ...

Kerry Coryell wanted a nice wedding, but she and fiancé Kurt VanDerLinde couldn’t afford the costly photographer, limo, DJ, and all the other expenses that are part of a fancy ceremony and reception. But it was her dream! So, Coryell put an ad on Craigslist offering to barter for goods and services she couldn’t afford. Since she had done this before (instead of paying money for $8,000 worth of dental work), she figured it was worth a try. Here’s an excerpt from her ad:

“I am not at all superficial and my clothes usually come from garage sales. I never ask for anything for myself … but this day … just this one day, I want it to be mine, without limits, without settling. I hope you can help me.”

This economy, it’s kind of like a bad boyfriend. It used to be sweet. It bought you dresses and took you out for cocktails, but then it changed. Now it isn’t returning your calls and maybe you are running out of shopping therapy cash. But don’t load up those credit cards! Here are 10 things you can do to find yourself and feel better without getting a haircut or buying new shoes.

The recession called, and it apparently took away your iPhone case along with your portfolio. Now you’ll have to settle for Shantytown-chic by housing your mobile in a recycled cardboard box. It even comes with some ghetto personalization from a classic Sharpie marker. Since you probably have a lot of questions about this complicated device, be sure to refer to Case-Mate.com’s thorough list of Q&As: “Q) Is it waterproof? A) No, so don’t put it in the dishwasher”; “Q) Is there a warranty? A) No, it is cardboard after all”; “Q) Will this case make me awesome? A) I think that goes without saying.”

Before you go all boo-hoo-ing about how the recession made you settle for such a sad outfit for your iPhone, remember this: There are far less fortunate people in the world ... those who have the iPod Touch. [$0.99, Case-Mate.com]

Chick lit just got a whole lot less expensive. No, the price of the sometimes throwaway-quality books hasn’t gone down, but many recently published and upcoming books in this genre take the recession into account. Storylines in recession chick-lit books include dealing with a husband being investigated for embezzlement, scrimping on extravagant expenses after going through a divorce, and wearing less expensive clothes. Dang! Is nothing sacred?

It used to be that the newest and youngest workers were the first to go when times got tough. But that’s not how it’s been in this recession. A lot of old white dudes are being shown the door, and joblessness rates for peeps age 55 and older are the highest they’ve been since the Great Depression. Conversely, Black women are totes fine, with joblessness rates almost eight percent lower than in 1983.

While the recession has wreaked havoc on relationships here, in Japan it’s given a better name to what used to be a naughty profession: hostessing. Hostess clubs are akin to gentlemen’s clubs, only they’re all about non-sexual attention—beautiful women are paid to tend to men’s drinks, light their cigarettes, and laugh at their lame jokes. Young Japanese women have a crazy hard time getting hired for other jobs, since companies tend to favor men of the same age. Meanwhile, hostessing can be crazy lucrative—top hostesses make between $100K and $300K a year—and thus professional hostesses have gone from being considered tarts to respectable career gals. High school girls ranked hostessing #12 out of the top 40 professions, above nursing or working for the government. And why wouldn’t they want to spend their nights in evening gowns, sipping champagne? It’s a helluva lot better than getting minimum wage to temp, right? [NYTimes]

Compared with the rest of the Western World, American relationships and marriages are suffering the most during the recession, according to a recent international poll. Almost 30 percent of Americans said the recession has caused stress and strain in their relationships—or completely ruined them. However, only 23 percent of Canadians, 24 percent of the French, and 12 percent of Germans have had similar experiences.

OK, already, I get it. The economic crisis has really sucked. More women are choosing to sell their bodies or their eggs to make ends meet. Dudes are living at home longer. And next year, the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala is going to be downsized. Can researchers stop conducting these polls and studies without offering any solutions? [Reuters]

According to a new study, a third of men ages 20 to 40 still live with their ‘rents. One in four of those who have moved out still keep a fully furnished bedroom at their parents’ house just in case they are forced to find their way back to the nest. As for women, only one in five are living with their moms and dads. So much for the assumption that men are more independent than women…

Christian Lacroix has been so badly in the red as of late that he was given until the end of this month to find an investor to save his company or else he’d face liquidation. With a few days to go until August, it looks like Lacroix may be saved yet. Bernard Krief Consulting, a French firm that specializes in buying and saving failing companies, plans to put in a bid for the Lacroix label this Monday.

The recession has been blamed for a ton of things, from an increase in sex work to a decrease in the fabulousness of Fashion Week (and pretty much everything in between). But, to its credit, the recession has also produced some very welcome casualties, like the imminent death of those awful Crocs...and Hummers (and at least 12 other terrible things). After the jump, 15 more things we wish the recession would get rid of.

Chi feeling totally out of whack but you don’t have the cash to get that thing realigned at a fancy yoga retreat? (Clearly we have no idea what Chi actually is and have confused it with your spine.) Well today’s your lucky day because a few yogi-friendly meccas are making spiritual vacays a little more accessible. Enlightenment and free exercise awaits, after the jump!

I don’t even know how long its been since I stepped foot in a record store, but since my favorite high school hang out spot was Empire Records on Long Island (R.I.P.), the latest music industry “advancements” are breaking my heart. Struggling record labels are making it nearly impossible for independent stores to stay afloat. In an effort to slash label costs, they’ve slowly been cutting off distribution to small record stores. Then this week came the daunting news that major industry player EMI will no longer be supplying mom and pop stores with albums.

Teen Vogue got the scoop on the latest from Marc Jacobs: Everybody’s favorite desginer is launching a moderately priced bridge collection in August called “Don’t Miss The Marc.” The small line includes some solid pieces like pleated denim skirts, three-button blazers, and some loud (but ‘80s-trendy) t-shirts. The rest of the goods look to be targeting a younger audience via wacky leggings and cartoon-y tees. It would seem that Marc is heading in that direction, by giving a teen publication the first look, and pricing everything under $200. Yet, is the low(er) price point enough to capture a younger audience?

How do you like your eggs? Donated! Hey, for a cool $5,000 during this recession, less periods sounds like a win-win kinda situation. And that’s why IVF donation clinics across the country claim their phones are ringing off the hook.

We’ve already mentioned how sales of lipstick and home hair dye have been on the rise since the beginning of the recession, and now the Telegraph U.K. is reporting that “racy underwear” is selling at a record rate, too — at least in England.

With the Metropolitan Musuem of Art cutting fourteen percent of it’s staff (169 employees, to be exact) and the economy, well, continuing to not do so hot, there’s a big, giant question mark as to next year’s Vogue-sponsored Costume Institute Gala reports Fashion Week Daily. According to two uber-insiders, the 2010 Ball “will be a much less splashy affair—a move the museum is said to welcome. The guest list will consist mostly of trustees and benefactors who purchase full-priced tickets instead of the designers, models and Hollywood types who once sat at their comped tables.” If you ask me, this isn’t such a bad change—in recent years the celeb circus grew to unnecessary proportions. Smaller can be better! [Fashion Week Daily]

Is it just me or are men getting a little bit more polite? Jaded New Yorker that I am, I tend to assume anyone close to me on the subway is trying to steal my wallet or feel me up. Though the “accidental” ass-grab still happens about once a week, it’s becoming less frequent. I choose to view the lack of groping phenomenon not as a sign of my decreasing desirability, but as a sign of increasing old fashioned manners. In my semi-scientific survey I have discovered that at least three other women agree that men these days are more likely to offer gals their seat on the bus, carry heavy bags, open doors and pay compliments, even when there is no hope of sex. I have a theory: the recession. Maybe I am just searching for the silver lining on the dreary financial cloud, but I do think the economic woes have made us slightly more civilized. Before I conclusively decide exactly what factor is making dudes walking examples of Emily Post etiquette, I will postulate my three main theories.