  We develop the color dipole phenomenology of diffractive photo- and
electroproduction $\gamma^{*}\,N\rightarrow V(V')\,N$ of light vector mesons
($V(1S) = \phi^0, \omega^0, \rho^0$) and their radial excitations ($V'(2S) =
\phi', \omega', \rho'$). The node of the radial wave function of the $2S$
states in conjunction with the energy dependence of the color dipole cross
section is shown to lead to a strikingly different $Q^2$ and $\nu$ dependence
of diffractive production of the $V(1S)$ and $V'(2S)$ vector mesons. We discuss
the restoration of flavor symmetry and universality properties of production of
different vector mesons as a function of $Q^{2}+m_{V}^{2}$. The color dipole
model predictions for the $\rho^{0}$ and $\phi^{0}$ production are in good
agreement with the experimental data from the EMC, NMC, ZEUS and H1
collaborations. We present the first direct evaluation of the dipole cross
section from these data.
