Celebrity dresses provide 'inspiration' for new crop of formal wear

By Candace Murphy, STAFF WRITER

But one of the best sellers at edressme.com is the Swank inspiration, which sells in blue or red for $275. (AP)

THE EXIT POLLS began trickling in moments after the action was over.
A whopping 66 percent were going blue. Just about no one was going red. But yellow? Now you're talking. The yellows looked to get the rest of the vote.

The colors had little to do with politics, as did those doing the voting. Instead, any reference to blues meant the slate blue dress worn to Sunday's 78th Annual Academy Awards by Salma Hayek. Yellows translated to Michelle Williams' chiffon confection and Jessica Alba's gold Versace.

It was an election of the gowns, it was, and those casting the votes even before the best picture had been announced might be the most important people of all when it comes to Oscar night: dress designers who make a living off knocking off celebrity evening wear.

"It's such an important night," says JoAnne Stoner, president and CEO of edressme.com, a leading online dress manufacturer and retailer. "It's about the fantasy of it all. Women are attracted to the inspirations they see on the red carpet because they like to relive that fantasy and take part in it. It completely impacts our industry."

Rather than hunkering down in front of the television set and just enjoying the Oscar show, designers and fashion trend analysts spend their evening juggling pre-award shows, toggling between TiVo buttons and feverishly taking notes as to which dresses might translate for the masses.

Stoner sets up two televisions, one with picture-in-picture, in her bedroom and has each on a different station. Whenever she spots a celebrity actress being interviewed on the red carpet, she immediately turns up the volume and focuses her attention.

Constance White, who edits the "Personal Style" page on eBay and has an Oscar fashion blog on Splendora.com, also uses two TVs to keep track of the action and is happy that the E! pre-Oscar show featured its own picture-in-picture and had up to three screens showing at once. Still, White got frustrated whenever the action veered away from the gowns — like when attention focused on the enormous bow on Charlize Theron's shoulder, rather than her dress. Or when a member of the male non-gown-wearing species hogged the camera.

"Stop talking to David Strathairn!" White said she shouted Sunday night at her television set. "What people really want are the dresses."

Local retailers also pay close attention to Oscar night's red carpet fashions. Donna Glover, owner of Kay's Bridal Boutique in Castro Valley, watches closely every year and takes detailed mental notes. It helps Glover know, in the months leading up to local proms, what she might want to have in stock.

"All the high school teens, they want to be just like them," says Glover of the stars on the red carpet. "I do have to pay attention."

Gowns that qualify as knockoff potential vary. At last year's Oscars, most thought that Hilary Swank's dress, with its plunging
backline, wouldn't be a candidate for a knockoff, or, as Stoner and her brethren prefer, an "inspiration." But one of edressme.com's best sellers is still the Swank inspiration, which sells in both blue and red for $275 and is called the "Million Dollar Gown" in homage to the movie that earned the actress her Oscar.

This year, Felicity Huffman and Reese Witherspoon's dresses were received positively, but don't expect any direct knockoffs hanging on the racks in the coming months.

"Some dresses are more difficult than others," says White. "Like Felicity Huffman's dress. We'll see more interpretation of that. Not just the fact that it was a Zac Posen design, meaning it's daring, but that it's expensive and has a plunging neckline that most women aren't going to want. And they shouldn't. I didn't even think Felicity Huffman looked that great with it."

Though dress designers use their own intuition as to which knockoffs will sell,

MILLION DOLLAR GOWN: At last year's Oscars, many thought that Hilary Swank's dress (left), with its plunging backline, wouldn't be a likely knockoff, or, as some prefer, an inspiration. (AP)

they also pay close attention to viewer polls. They could tell by their own smarts that Helena Bonham Carter was a don't-do, but when the ABC news poll results scrolled across the screen later in the night, alerting viewers that she was voted worst dressed, the deal was sealed.

As for what to look for in knockoffs to come, the experts say they took notes from gown colors and silhouettes.

For White, that means an acceleration of the nudes, creams and cafe aulaits that have already made a showing in many spring dress collections. As for silhouettes, she predicts a return to a more 1950s shape, as Witherspoon has worn in the past to great effect, and as Sandra Bullock wore on Sunday.

Stoner's imminent plans mirror White's predictions. After taking notes during the telecast, consulting with her business partner and checking online polls, Stoner narrowed down four designs that her company would emulate: The old-school glamour gown worn by Witherspoon, Williams' yellow chiffon, the blue dress worn by Hayek and the slimming black number worn by the pregnant Rachel Weisz. The Web site will also carry the designs other vendors "reinterpret."

Of course, in the end, it can end up being hit or miss when it comes to what the hoi polloi will really want to wear.

"The designs they want all depends on who their favorite stars are — girls are fickle," says Glover at Kay's Bridal. "If they're in love with Charlize Theron, they may want black and slinky. But they may lose that bow."

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