by Emily Jones, staff writer

Shades of gold and silver in the forms of sparkling sequins have long gleamed in the formal dance dress scene, but for the 2012 prom and ball season, they stepped out into the spotlight.

Metallics were spotted at certain spring and summer 2012 fashion shows, and made their way into retail stores and onto dance floors this spring.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of all over, full-out sequin dresses that are really popular,” said a sales assistant at Starlet, a prom and bridal store in Pleasant Hill that registers dresses being bought for prom in order to ensure that no two girls at the same dance are wearing the same dress.

To pull off this iridescent look, don’t go overboard on the accessories.

“If I were to wear one [a metallic dress], I’d play down the accessories and go for classic, simple make up, and let the dress shine,” said senior Rizelle Dizon, who will attend Senior Ball at Craneway Pavillion in Richmond on May 19.

To find a dress that sparkles, shopping Rent the Runway, a designer dress renting website, is an affordable option.

“I love Rent the Runway,” said junior Sarah Augustinsky, who will be attending Junior Prom at Livermore Shrine Center on Saturday.  “It makes it easy and accessible for students to get a designer dress.”

Aside from finding metallic dresses on Rent the Runway’s website (www.renttherunway.com), students can also find delicate dresses of pretty pastels.

“Long, chiffon dresses look really nice in pastel colors,” said senior Karen Lee.

Following the lead of brands such as Louis Vuitton, stores such as Blossoms are featuring these pastel confections.

Their pale shades are perfect for the girl who doesn’t want a dress as bold or loud as the brighter colors that are seen, but who also doesn’t want to go neutral.

“When done long and flowy, corals and light blues look really nice,” said a sales assistant at Jessica McClintock, a formal dress store located in the Sun Valley Mall in Concord.

Another color trend making its mark is the ombre gown, a dress with multiple colors, or more often shades of one color, that subtly fade into each other.

“I think they’re cute,” said senior Jaydee Marek. “It [the ombre effect] gives something more to the dress than just one solid color.”

Senior Megan Lee agrees.

“Personally I am more of a solid color dress person,” said senior Megan Lee. “ But I don’t think I’ve seen many people in the past who have a dress like that, and  it could be cute.”

What students are straying away from this year for prom and ball, however, are patterned dresses.

“Patterned dresses haven’t been as noticeable a trend,” said a sales assistant at  Loehmann’s, a store located in San Ramon that sells some higher brand designers at lowers costs, including their formal dresses. “Girls have been staying away from them, and definitely leaning towards solid, non-neutral colors.”

Many students, including senior Abbey Riley, agree that the complexity and boldness of the patterns detract from the girl herself.

“I wouldn’t buy a patterned dress,” said Riley. “It looks too busy.”

Continuing to grow in trend from previous years are dresses featuring cut-out backs and sides.

“Open back dresses are one of my favorite styles,” said Karen Lee. “They’re cute and highlight the back.”

With an array of styles to choose from, these dresses work with almost any girl’s style. For added embellishment, popular among students are those with jeweled beading done in a criss-cross straps over the open back.

“I really think that these dresses amp up a girl’s prom look, and add something different than the traditional strapless dress,” said senior Kristin Foster.

Not receiving as much admiration among students as the open-back and cut-out styles is the mermaid gown that is tight up top and spreads out just below the knee.

“I don’t really like mermaid dresses,” said junior Kayla Webster. “They’re cute at the top where it’s tight, then the bottom just flares out and it looks weird when you put the two together.”

The major new gown silhouette this year, however, is an edgier and more modern look: the high-low hem. As seen in Emilio Pucci’s latest spring collection, these dresses tend to be in chiffon and feature a shorter front with a longer back.

“It gives a modern twist on the normal long prom dress,” said junior Kat Hupke, a student in Shanin McKavish’s  fashion merchandising class. “It gives more mobility and shapes really well.”

Paired with nude platforms and a simple, chunky necklace, this type of dress will look stellar on any girl.

Metallics, pastels, ombre, open backs, cut-outs, and high-low hemlines round out this season’s prom and ball trends. So, when the big night comes around, what dress will you be wearing?