Super Nerd to the Fore

The Movie: “Falling Down” The Setup: Laid-off defense worker D-FENS (Michael Douglas, pictured) loses it in an L.A. traffic jam, crosses the city by foot and creates devastation along the way. Canny police detective Prendergast (Robert Duvall) trails him. The Costume Designer: Marlene Stewart, whose credits include “JFK,” “The Doors,” “Terminator II,” as well as performance wear for Madonna. The Look: A graphic depiction of average L.A. residents, starting, of course, with Douglas’ Super Nerd, and including a homeless vet wrapped in the American flag, fast-food workers in perky cheeseburger-lettuce-and-tomato caps, affluent country club golfers in Easter pastels; and homeboys in starched, buttoned shirts, slick hair and extraordinary tattoos on chests, arms and faces. The Sex Appeal Factor: Douglas is a timeless Everyman U.S.A., and there’s nothing cuddly about him. Call it the crash and burn of a sex symbol. Here are the tacky accouterments which are responsible--crew cut; half-plastic, half-wire glasses held over from the ‘60s (great on Malcolm X, not great on anyone else); short-sleeve white cotton-poly dress shirt, black necktie, unpleated trousers, plastic pen shield holding plenty of pens in shirt pocket. Henceforth, any man who shows up like this at Great Expectations doesn’t deserve a date. Quoted: “It creates a state of mind when an actor knows that you’ve purchased something from Sears,” says Stewart, explaining why it’s sometimes better to buy off the rack than to custom-make a garment. Hit: Plain wives. D-FENS’ ex, Beth (Barbara Hershey), goes umpumped with thin hair, and Prendergast’s current (Tuesday Weld) looks pumped up in large-size nightie and leopard caftan. Miss: The physically perfect Douglas could have used a little beer belly. Research: Stewart went on “drive-by shootings,” with a camera, through various neighborhoods of L.A., pasted the pictures together David Hockney-style and studied what people wore. Sources: Much of the clothing was found at Goodwill, Aardvark and other local thrift shops. Douglas’ white shirts were made by the Venice Shirt Co., while the prototype for his flat-front trousers came from C & R Clothiers, but were later custom-made for production. Douglas’ black tie and Weld’s nightgown were bought at Sears. Stewart designed her caftan.