Back in Vogue

So there we were, two Silver Lake grown-ups in a bohemian Los Feliz boutique and this young man was telling us to try on these little handkerchief halters. “They’re so cute,” he gushed.

Cute, perhaps, but to us, more appropriate adjectives begged to be spoken: flimsy, dainty and, perhaps, utterly ridiculous for either of us mommies.

What are we to do with our mature bosoms while our backs are exposed to the wind?

Well, we may have to figure it out because the back is back, baby, and it’s not going away until the chilly winds of autumn.

Anyone who watched the Oscars last month could have figured that out. Sure, Cate Blanchett always shows off her attractive back, but Charlize Theron and a few others bared theirs all the way down to there. The back is also back in department stores, with all sorts of options--from string straps to just plain bare.

The back has always been an erogenous zone, so vulnerable to attack or seduction, even while one is doing dishes (if one is lucky). No wonder gunslingers always keep their backs to the wall.

You can thank just about everyone for the current focus on the back.

It’s one of those trends that came from uptown and downtown at the same time, said Kal Ruttenstein, senior vice president for fashion direction at Bloomingdale’s. He credits Tom Ford at Gucci for showing it first on the runway, while at the same time young women were going backless on the streets, wearing tiny tops and tight blue jeans.

You’d think baring the back would be a relief. (Most people have nice backs, right? There’s no such thing as back implants or backlifts . . . yet.) And this means the hasty retreat of the tummy, which was the fashion statement a minute ago. A firm tummy is hard to maintain past a certain age or second pregnancy. (Madonna, this too will happen to you!)

No such luck, of course. An exposed back must be well maintained--toned and blemish free.

“A well-toned back is not as easy as one might think,” Ruttenstein said. “It requires hard work, starvation and exercise.”

And perhaps even a back “facial,” a treatment that is increasing in popularity, according to Lindy O’Connell, an aesthetician at Century Cosmetics in Century City.

Since this is Southern California, no body part is exposed unless it has gone through extractions, buffs, scrubs, polishes (O’Connell charges $80 per back) and, at times, even microdermabrasion ($150).

The back, you see, is hard to keep clean, for a few obvious reasons. First, back pores make a lot of sweat, even in people with dry skin. Second, the back is hard to scrub on one’s own. “Unless you have your husband or boyfriend in the shower, who’s going to scrub your back?” O’Connell asked.

She recommends large loofahs to clients who don’t have that level of support at home.

In addition, we recommend a two-way mirror and a “three-way” bra (which has movable straps to accommodate halter and backless tops) for those wishing to achieve the most attractive look--and perhaps self-tanner.

There is also the option of sitting quietly with one’s covered back to the wall and waiting patiently for the revival of the well-turned ankle.