ALBUM REVIEW : * * * VARIOUS ARTISTS : “Ready to Wear (Pret-a-Porter)” : <i> Columbia</i>

In case you thought “I’m Too Sexy” was the final beat-heavy word on vanity in the fashion world, here’s an album full of songs that strut like a super-model on the catwalk . . . or a superego in the bedroom. That strut is there in a wealth of runway-ready beats, from the album-opening dancehall reggae of Ini Kamoze’s hit “Here Comes the Hotstepper” to the closing techno remix of U2’s “Lemon.”

Thematically, the songs for Robert Altman’s new fashion scene dissection provide music to preen by. The selections are split between wry commentary (Sam Phillips’ new take on the classic fashion-conscious power statement “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ ”) and sexy self-absorption (the Rolling Stones’ “Jump on Top of Me,” a frisky leftover from the “Voodoo Lounge” sessions). Other highlights: Janet Jackson’s almost-campy boudoir interlude “ ‘70s Love Groove” and Terence Trent D’Arby’s self-explanatory “Supermodel Sandwich.”

New albums are rated on a scale of one to four stars.