Fashion Noir

The Movie: “Fatal Instinct”

The Setup: Director Carl Reiner’s parody of contemporary film noir features Ned Ravine (Armand Assante), an inept cop/lawyer, as the man who women want to either murder or marry. In the first category is his wife, Lana (Kate Nelligan). His secretary, Laura (Sherilyn Fenn), and sexy stranger Lola (Sean Young, pictured) fall into the second.

The Costume Designer: Albert Wolsky, an Academy Award winner for “All That Jazz” and “Bugsy,” who also worked on “Enemies: A Love Story,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “The Turning Point,” and others.

The Look: Since it’s impossible to play fashion puns on the straightforward basics worn in today’s thrillers--i.e. “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction”--Wolsky harks back to dark classics of the ‘40s and ‘50s. He is purposefully inconsistent in his retro references, mixing contemporary shoes with, say, old-style dresses. And the clothes are utterly silly, as in the puffy and poufy genre. But they’re the right choices for the movie’s intentionally dopey tone.

While Ned Ravine’s long-running sight gag is wearing 22 suits, all a generic blue model with the same black tie, his gloppy female cohorts put on quite a show. Lola comes off like a tacky ‘50s starlet in tight, draped, pulled, cinched and cutout dresses. Lana--an amalgam of Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis and other ‘40s stars--gets to cavort in silk peignoirs with feather borders and matching slippers. Laura has the pouf-sleeved innocence of Judy Garland in her “Andy Hardy” days.

Try This at Home: While you might hold the fluffy feathers, try the silk robes--they act as undeniably divine lounging garb. Lana’s lace-trimmed negligees are like at-home evening gowns.

Bad Hair Day: What’s with Lana’s and Lola’s fake-looking manes? It’s not clear whether we’re supposed to think they’re wigs, or just assume they have frozen hair.

Hemline Watch: All three women’s dresses stop in the knee vicinity, whether they dress for sex or sweetness.

Quoted: “The ‘40s and ‘50s are the last great periods for clothes,” Wolsky said.

Inspiration: Sean Young’s Lola is pure Frederick’s of Hollywood, circa the 1950s catalogues. Laura and Lana evolved from research on myriad Hollywood books and stills, and on Wolsky’s own invention. “I’ve done the ‘40s,” he quips. “It’s a period I know well.”

Sources: Some of Laura’s print and two-tone dresses were of the period and found at Repeat Performance in Los Angeles. The remaining principals’ clothes were custom-made.