NEW YORK -- Fashion week has settled into this sort of comfortable, middle-age malaise.

Where Paris, the senior citizen of fashion weeks, and Australia and Los Angeles, the infants, radiate excitement, the biannual event in Manhattan has begun to feel more Big Easy than Big Apple.

There's no snap, crackle or pop, no sense of anticipation at what might happen. It's lethargic, like a bald, overweight dad settled comfortably into his recliner after work with a mug in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

Part of the reason is that New York fashion week lacks the high-wattage star power that, for a while, made the shows the place to be. It's actually easier to find the most famous celebrities at the European shows.

Increasingly, reality-show folk are taking over front-row celebrity status in New York. They're all over the place, from "Project Runway" and "American Idol" to "America's Next Top Model" and "Make Me a Supermodel."

The big-name celebrities, when they do show up, attend exclusive events held away from the Bryant Park tents, the central venue. Madonna, Tom Cruise and Gwyneth Paltrow came to town for a Feb. 6 gala funded by Gucci to benefit Unicef and Malawi children, but they didn't attend any shows.

Jennifer Lopez, who also attended the bash, was at the Marchesa walk-through in Chelsea. Radiant and pregnant, she wore high heels and a dress with a jewel-embellished neckline.

Marchesa dresses many celebrity women for the red carpet. Although some designers appeared to opt for less-expensive fabrics because of growing concerns about the economy, those such as Marchesa and Carmen Marc Valvo -- who have a large, monied clientele -- still sent out luxurious, high-priced clothes.

Pamella Roland, another designer whose clothes are frequently worn by celebs, created some looks for customers who might be inclined to spend less. But she also sent out plenty of her high-end frocks, noting, "Some customers are recession-resistant. You have to dress her, too."

Designers sent beautifully inspired clothes down the runways, and it was clear that they were more mindful of the appearance of those wearing the clothes.

Over the past two years, there has been a growing concern that too many female models appear sickly skinny. More recently, there has been criticism that models of color are becoming scarcer at the shows at a time when the nation is becoming more ethnically diverse.

The U.S. fashion industry, led by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has taken a soft approach, nudging designers and talent agencies to be aware of the impact of their choices. Many appeared to be listening, because there were significantly more black and Asian models and perhaps only one model who appeared to be thin to the point of skeletal.

It's an interesting time for the fashion in this country. As trends go in multiple directions, influential young designers emerge, technology rapidly changes and celebrity is redefined, it will be interesting to see how the nation's biggest fashion event reinvents itself in response.