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Bright colors, daringly low backs in this prom season

BY ANNE BRATSKEIR | Special to Newsday

11:34 PM EDT, May 10, 2008

Sexy is back when it comes to prom dresses this year -- literally.

Inspired by "Gossip Girls" and red carpet divas, this year's hottest gowns have daringly dipped backs that sometimes swoop below the waist.

"That low back is the new sexy," says Yolanda Rosales, merchandise manager and buyer at Estelle's Dressy Dresses, in Farmingdale, where there are some 20,000 dresses on the selling floor. "They're covered in the front. It's sophisticated, not trashy or overt."

The other major trend this year is colors that are far from timid, says Rosales. "It used to be they'd buy baby blue and pink ... now the dresses are sleek and hot jewel tones are a change in the color scheme. Our girls watch all of the awards shows and they're imitating them."

It's all about celebrity style at Bloomingdale's, as well. There are lots of 'Gossip Girl' influences and the red carpet has great impact," says Stephanie Solomon, Bloomingdale's fashion director. But the biggest story of the season, says Solomon, is "bright color." She's also seeing more prom shoppers go for low backs and less volume -- and she says she loves the notion of going long this season.

If there were a prom on the CW hit "Gossip Girl," the show's costume designer Eric Daman says his socialite characters would go to "young designers like Zac Posen and have a dress custom made for them. That's how these girls do it, and young designers use them as their muses." Daman supports the bright color story. "People are tuned into the red carpet season, and this year there were many red dresses. (Remember Miley's Valentino stunner?) Red is the tip of the color pyramid, with all those jewel tones following."

Valentina Ferrer, 17, of Baldwin, is still hunting for a little celebrity style for prom. She's the only one of her friends who still hasn't chosen her prom dress for Baldwin High's June 26 bash. "I was looking for something red carpet, like a dress I just saw on Eva Mendes (it was a turquoise Calvin Klein), something simple but elegant, says Ferrer. "I want to get something I really want, and I don't want to regret it later." As for her friends, well, many are keeping mum. "They want it to be a surprise ... Some will say where they got it but not what they're wearing." And she says, "Everybody's concerned about color. If you go in the same limo, it would be nice if the girls were all wearing different colors."

Ahh, such are the problems of prom.