The weather is getting progressively more frigid, the leaves are brilliant shades of oranges and reds and Thanksgiving is fast approaching. (And the bookstore is playing Christmas music, but I won’t even get into that.) As a fashion aficionado, the question foremost in my mind is not how I am going to finish all my work before break, but rather what is going to keep me warm this season and how will it show my individuality while staying à la mode.

At college, you can’t really rely on the warmth of the fireplace from your living room, the hot weather from back home in Puerto Rico or Haiti or the hot drinks like grog that I enjoyed a few years back on a cold winter night in Paris to make your insides bubble with heat. These days, you also can’t seem to rely on the fact that there will be an economic situation for you to go out and purchase that coveted scarf, vintage pea coat or Jimmy Choos.

Honestly, all this talk of the faults of the economy affecting fashion — and by this I mean the purchase of clothing as well as maintaining the stamina to stay in style — is just not excuse enough for me. Luckily, even though the ephemeral nature of high-end names and influences in the industry all seem to be fading to a snuff these days, some men and women, designers, models and aficionados alike have heard the cry and are running to the rescue.

First, Anna Wintour is scaling back at Vogue. But by scaling back, I’m not talking about cutting her staff or holding her prestigious opinion to a lower standard. I’m referring to the fewer trips across the continent and the lower-priced hotel rooms for her staffers. That should affect — well, not many of you — but hopefully me someday. The high priestess of fashion, (or has she donned the crown of queen yet?), also turned 60 on Nov. 3, which begs the question — who will succeed her? Better yet, what will happen when she’s retired? Do we all remember what happened at the end of The Devil Wears Prada? In case you missed it, there is no replacement for Meryl Streep playing (not officially, but basically) Anna Wintour.

And Donatella is leaving Versace? This is a rumor, but it was started for a good reason. The family of this too-tanned, blonde, seemingly plastic surgery-blundered bombshell (or older version of Lindsay Lohan) has unfortunately not adjusted their living style to the effect the economy has had on their company. Even after being served an inheritance-tax bill that forced them to take out a five-year, $100 million bond, the family couldn’t tone down the spending. Yikes. However, they did sell their Lake Como estate, which evidently was pretty hard on Donatella. Somehow my sympathy radar isn’t so alarmed.

Similarly, British label Luella has lost financial backing despite the rave reviews of its Spring 2010 collection. Scary is the thought that despite artistic genius, praise and admiration, the collection won’t survive. Now the designer Luella Bartley, who also won the British Fashion Council’s 2008 Designer of the Year, is working with her team as a creative consultant to Liberty for Christmas decorations. Eeek.

So what does the future of fashion look like, and do we have to place a negative light on the economy? I am going to argue that we don’t. What? Yeah that’s right, I said it. For whatever factors, the economy definitely being one of them, but perhaps also a mentality shift in the industry, fashion — and by this I’m speaking of more high fashion — is now available to people like us. We are, after all, college students on a perpetual budget or simply in need of a wear-one-time dress that we can play pong in. And where else do we go for that than H&M? Which I am happy to announce is now launching the release of a line from Jimmy Choo on Nov. 14. This wondrous conception was hatched by Jimmy Choo company co-founder Tamara Mellon. Retail giant meets exclusive designer.

This is not an anomaly, thank goodness. Jean Paul Gaultier has jumped on board with his new Target collection which comes out March 7 and is available through April 11. Gaultier is the third designer in the Designer Collaboration series — do you remember the Anna Sui’s Gossip Girl-inspired line? That was also part of this effort, as was Alexander McQueen’s collection.

So we can all be reassured that fashion will survive, and with more attainability than before. I mean, no matter how tough the times are, we have to wear something, and luckily some big names and marketers have put their heads together to save our style.