Dangling Modifiers

THE MOVIE: “The Grifters.”

THE SETUP: Three con artists--Anjelica Huston as Lilly (pictured), Annette Bening as Myra and John Cusack as Roy--cross paths in Los Angeles.

THE LOOK: Earrings are the big news here. They are so sharp edged that they could serve as lethal weapons. “Urban aborigine” is how costume designer Richard Hornung describes them. They complement tarty outfits consisting of short, tight dresses, spaghetti-strap tops, body-gripper miniskirts, fitted boleros and dyed-to-match stiletto-heel shoes. Hornung calculated the effect to make audiences uncomfortably aware that the two leading ladies are like a pair of circling sharks. Cusack’s Roy is no competition in the clothing category. His tasteful dark suits and jackets, worn with pale shirts, blend quietly into the background.

THE LABELS: Menswear is by Giorgio Armani, and most of the women’s wardrobe is by Hornung. A few exceptions are Myra’s shrink-wrap black skirt by Italian designer Franco Moschino, her old-gold-colored satin skirt with spandex insets by Parisian Jean Paul Gaultier, and her tacky-wacky tiger-print motorcycle jacket from Trash and Vaudeville, a New York shop. The women’s shoes, low cut and highly suggestive, are by London-based Manolo Blahnik, current darling of New York fashion magazine editors. Some styles are from Neiman Marcus, Beverly Hills, others are from the designer’s own New York shop. As for those wicked earrings, many are from Faux Body Ornaments, on Melrose Avenue. One pair that resembles huge gold shields was purchased directly from designer Donna Karan.

THE PAYOFF: This is fashion lesson in how earrings can help create a look that doesn’t cost a bundle.