Chic, Chic-er, Chic-est

The Movie: “Six Degrees of Separation.”

The Setup: Adaptation of the John Guare play that focuses on an Upper East Side New York City couple, Ouisa Kittredge (Stockard Channing, pictured) and her husband, Flanders (Donald Sutherland, pictured), as a supposed college chum of their children, Paul Poitier (Will Smith), enters their ritzy apartment.

The Costume Designer: Judianna Makovsky, whose movie credits include “Reversal of Fortune,” “Big,” “Gardens of Stone” and “Lost Angels.” She’s done “Wild Palms” and “Tribeca” for television.

The Look: Chic to the bones. As wonderfully envisioned by Makovsky, Ouisa is an elegant woman with impeccable and expensive taste. Although traditional in design, her suits and gowns are inventively styled in mostly dark colors. Her jewelry is of the old and interesting, not the high-carat, kind.

The sober style of a rich New York art dealer isn’t easy to pull off since it’s so, well, subdued. But Flanders succeeds in dark suits and ties with barely perceptible patterns interrupted only by an occasional black cashmere cardigan or sweater vest.

Paul, on the other hand, has the simple job of imitating the classic American preppy in double-breasted navy blazer with gold buttons, khakis, button-down shirt, rep tie and penny loafers.

Inspiration: Makovsky hung out at Sotheby’s, the Metropolitan Museum and other East Side art world haunts, and Mortimer’s, “the quintessential East Side restaurant.”

Triumph: Ouisa’s suits, especially a yellow silk faille model with exaggerated 18th-Century style cuffs (“I admit it, I copied it from a Karl Lagerfeld,” Makovsky says) and a burgundy velvet evening suit with a large smocked shawl collar and cuffs.

Quoted: “We wanted Ouisa’s clothes to be correct for her world, but not recognizable. She has to be her own person and not just a caricature of those Upper East Side ladies who lunch because in the end you need sympathy for her,” Makovsky explains.

Good Hair Day: Ouisa skips headbands for smooth French twists.

Sources: Makovsky designed most of Ouisa’s clothes, but Ouisa does wear one Chanel suit (white linen with a long fitted jacket), one Karl Lagerfeld suit (navy with carwash-panel skirt) and a few Calvin Klein and Barneys-label pantsuits. Her shoes are chiefly Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci.

Flanders’ suits are mostly Armani, his shirts are from Turnbull & Asser, and many of his ties bear the Sulka label. Sweaters are from Donna Karan, Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman. Paul’s blazer, slacks and loafers are Brooks Brothers; shirts were custom made by Ike Behar. The tie is by Ralph Lauren.