Last night I showed up at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, to witness Washington Post fashion writer Robin Givhan and designers Isaac Mizrahi and Ashley Olsen participate in a panel discussion on the future of women’s fashion led by Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive.

With the economy stuck in a recession for more than a year now, the fashion industry has had to make some adjustments and even start new initiatives, like last month’s Fashion’s Night Out, to get people interested in spending again. So, what do these insiders think about where fashion is and where it’s going? Keep reading to hear what they had to say.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robin Givhan is no dummy, so she must’ve anticipated the article she wrote for the Washington Post this weekend was bound to generate some controversy. She’s added her two-cents to the fashion world’s skinny model debate drama by essentially saying we love to hate on twiggy ladies because we’re filled with self-loathing for our own fat asses.

Sooo, um, yeah ...