According to The Wall Street Journal, "If trendforecaster ESP Trendlab is right, thriftiness will still be in style in spring 2010.

One of the emerging trends the firm is forecasting for that far-away season is “urban archaeology,” which it defines as a mixture of old, worn-out clothes and new styles.

“There’s a kind of wistfulness about it and appreciation of the past,” says Sharon Graubard, vice president and creative director at retail consultancy ESP Trendlab. The consumer treasures “the holes and the worn-out areas” and stains, which Ms. Graubard views as a romantic metaphor for urban decay."

So...really...what the majority of us have been doing for many years now? Mixing high and low...designer, high street, and thrift store. I mean, it's beautifully word-smithed...the whole "romantic metaphor for urban decay" and "urban archaeology" but not really worthy of a WSJ article, albeit a very short one. One wonders what will come next, the blindingly illuminating news flash that we can wear articles of clothing more than once?