SCHOOL FASHION THE NEW 'TUDE IS MORE SUBDUED TEENS, TWEENS FAVORING STYLES MOMS CAN BUY INTO.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

The risque styles of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are out.

What's in are the more subdued looks of teen queens Lindsay Lohan and Anne Hathaway, and that cultural change is quieting the war cries of parents and kids in the annual back-to-school battle for new threads.

Even Aguilera - the teen icon who just a year ago made tweens across America want to bare their midriffs - has made headlines after switching to a more sophisticated look.

The new sensibility is welcomed by Sherman Oaks resident Maria Tovar, who last year vetoed her 9-year-old daughter's plea for shorts that were just a little too short. Exposed bellies are out as well.

``I want to make sure what they're wearing is appropriate,'' Tovar said. ``They're girls, and I don't want them to feel any pressure or anything at school.''

The change is a relief for tween outfitters like Limited Too, which often have to walk a fine line between capturing the hearts of preteen girls without offending the real decision makers - mom and dad.

``The parents hold the checkbooks and credit cards, so we have to know our styles pass muster with the moms,'' said Robert Atkinson, vice president of investor relations at Limited Too, the Ohio chain that caters to 7- to 11-year-olds.

Stocking shelves for the back-to-school season, estimated at $15 billion this year, is a serious business, even for retailers of the glitzy, sparkly designs that so often enchant tweens across America. The average parent will spend $219 on clothing and $90 on shoes for back-to-school shopping this year, according to the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C.

Last summer, Abercrombie & Fitch's catalog was touted in stores as ``the Sex Ed Issue.'' This year, spokeswoman Marion Greenberg said, a new line of ``high quality'' cashmere sweaters and jeans called Ezra Fitch are being pitched.

Among the top items this year are polo shirts, fitted blazers and ponchos, according a survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS.

``It's kind of the school uniform look,'' Atkinson said.

In Limited Too's annual focus groups, Atkinson said, moms and daughters didn't disagree as much over this fall's line as in past years.

Retailers earn as much as one-third of their profits from the back-to- school season, so knowing the trends and interpreting them tastefully for parents is critical.

Atkinson's company doesn't sell spaghetti straps, for instance, and will take popular styles and raise the neck line or lower the hemline of a skirt.

``At (ages) 10, 11 or 12, these girls are starting to wear bras,'' Atkinson said, ``and we want our tops to be bra-friendly so the straps don't show.''

A little more than half of parents surveyed by the NRF said their kids influenced 50 percent of the money they spend on back to school shopping, with about 9 percent saying their kids have no input at all.

``Our customers are going shopping with their parents, so they're the final decision makers,'' Atkinson said.

The preppier look doesn't mean kids and parents aren't clashing on choices. Ten-year-old Sophia Emanuel wants one of the crotcheted ponchos in fashion this season, but it's not up to her whether she gets one.

``I think they're useless,'' says her mother, Lani Emanuel.

Still, kids are wielding a little more buying power these days.

About half of parents surveyed by the NRF said their teens are spending their own cash for back-to-school shopping. The average teen in this group will spend about $85, according to the NRF. About 23 percent of parents said their 6- to 12-year-olds will shell out about $40 to make their own purchases. Collectively, teens and preteens are spending $884 million of their own money in back-to-school shopping this year.

``Parents are allowing their kids to make more decisions,'' said NRF spokesman Scott Krugman.

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Mom Cheryl Bron, third from left, takes daughters Nicole, 8; Kim, 6; and Haley, 12, back-to-school shopping at the Limited Too store in the Fashion Square Mall in Sherman Oaks on Monday.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Britney Spears

(3 -- color) Lindsay Lohan

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THE TRENDS