Arianne Phillips

"OH, WAIT! I'VE GOT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING." ARIANNE PHILLIPS RUNS OUT of the living room and returns a minute later, carrying three framed letter-size drawings. "I did this one when I was 8," she says, holding up childhood masterpiece in ballpoint and colored pencil. It's a sketch of several groovy '70s ensembles that are eerily similar to the outfits in which she would, 18 years later, dress rock star Lenny Kravitz.

It was a love story between two fashion icons for the ages. Wallis Simpson, the chic (and twice-divorced) American cast such a spell that, in 1936, her lover, England's King Edward VIII, gave up the throne to marry her. Together, as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, they lived in exile in France, where they indulged their expensive tastes in haute couture, magnificent jewels and furnishings to the hilt. Simpson is remembered for a sleek silhouette (she coined the phrase "you can never be too rich or too thin")

If it weren't for the many references to the falling of the Berlin Wall, the clothes alone in the new movie "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" might make style watchers think they're looking at a hyper-glammed version of fashion for this fall. Fashion's ongoing fascination with the tricked-up denims, glittery metallic fabrics and the acid colors of the 1980s makes the costumes in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" seem oddly contemporary.

Fashion stylists once worked behind the scenes, their faceless names relegated to the credit pages of magazines. But lately some have been stepping into the spotlight (hello, Rachel Zoe), gaining recognition for the important role they play when it comes to trends, the red carpet and popular culture. Artist Kimberly Brooks became so enamored of stylists that she has dedicated an entire exhibition to the trade. "The Stylist Project" opens with a public reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Taylor De Cordoba in Culver City, and the fashion world will be watching.

Question: Would Rita Hayworth's performance as "Gilda" have been as mesmerizing if she hadn't danced in that skin-tight, Jean-Louis-designed, black satin dress that undulated in the caress of the spotlight? Answer: Not on your life. Costume design is a treasured art that has been invaluable to cinema since its inception. Each practitioner's passion and research help lift a character off the screenwriter's page, transforming words into flesh -- and cloth. One sketch can transport viewers back in time or give them a tantalizing glimpse of the future.

Fashion stylists once worked behind the scenes, their faceless names relegated to the credit pages of magazines. But lately some have been stepping into the spotlight (hello, Rachel Zoe), gaining recognition for the important role they play when it comes to trends, the red carpet and popular culture. Artist Kimberly Brooks became so enamored of stylists that she has dedicated an entire exhibition to the trade. "The Stylist Project" opens with a public reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Taylor De Cordoba in Culver City, and the fashion world will be watching.

Arianne Phillips is working the racks at Decades, the famed vintage emporium on Melrose, flipping through a wild mix of clothes from the 1920s to the 1980s, deciding in seconds if a piece is a yay or a nay. "We're going for a combination of Chelsea girl Marianne Faithfull-Nico and California girl Michelle Phillips-Rickie Lee Jones," says Phillips, which might sound a little crazy, except that she is the wardrobe stylist and visual auteur for some of today's greatest rock 'n' roll icons.

Life would be easier if good guys always wore white and jerks perpetually dressed in black. We can blame the celluloid canon of Westerns for establishing such sartorial stereotypes that rarely apply to real life. But thanks to L.A. costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips, the way the West was won -- visually, anyway -- looks a lot more interesting and authentic. "I wanted to get beyond the archetypal, clich?d Western look," says Phillips, whose handiwork can be seen in the just released gritty gunslinger "3:10 to Yuma," starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe.

It was a love story between two fashion icons for the ages. Wallis Simpson, the chic (and twice-divorced) American cast such a spell that, in 1936, her lover, England's King Edward VIII, gave up the throne to marry her. Together, as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, they lived in exile in France, where they indulged their expensive tastes in haute couture, magnificent jewels and furnishings to the hilt. Simpson is remembered for a sleek silhouette (she coined the phrase "you can never be too rich or too thin")

If you're a costume designer, could there possibly be anything more intimidating than working for the man who saved Gucci? Just to make things a little more frightening, let's also assume he's taking his first cut at directing a feature film. What do you do? If you're Arianne Phillips, whose credits include designing Madonna's concert costumes and such period films as the Johnny Cash biopic, "Walk the Line," you enjoy an utterly satisfying collaboration with fashion icon-turned-rookie director Tom Ford on his adaptation of the Christopher Isherwood novel "A Single Man."

Question: Would Rita Hayworth's performance as "Gilda" have been as mesmerizing if she hadn't danced in that skin-tight, Jean-Louis-designed, black satin dress that undulated in the caress of the spotlight? Answer: Not on your life. Costume design is a treasured art that has been invaluable to cinema since its inception. Each practitioner's passion and research help lift a character off the screenwriter's page, transforming words into flesh -- and cloth. One sketch can transport viewers back in time or give them a tantalizing glimpse of the future.

If you're a costume designer, could there possibly be anything more intimidating than working for the man who saved Gucci? Just to make things a little more frightening, let's also assume he's taking his first cut at directing a feature film. What do you do? If you're Arianne Phillips, whose credits include designing Madonna's concert costumes and such period films as the Johnny Cash biopic, "Walk the Line," you enjoy an utterly satisfying collaboration with fashion icon-turned-rookie director Tom Ford on his adaptation of the Christopher Isherwood novel "A Single Man."

Life would be easier if good guys always wore white and jerks perpetually dressed in black. We can blame the celluloid canon of Westerns for establishing such sartorial stereotypes that rarely apply to real life. But thanks to L.A. costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips, the way the West was won -- visually, anyway -- looks a lot more interesting and authentic. "I wanted to get beyond the archetypal, clich?d Western look," says Phillips, whose handiwork can be seen in the just released gritty gunslinger "3:10 to Yuma," starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe.

Arianne Phillips is working the racks at Decades, the famed vintage emporium on Melrose, flipping through a wild mix of clothes from the 1920s to the 1980s, deciding in seconds if a piece is a yay or a nay. "We're going for a combination of Chelsea girl Marianne Faithfull-Nico and California girl Michelle Phillips-Rickie Lee Jones," says Phillips, which might sound a little crazy, except that she is the wardrobe stylist and visual auteur for some of today's greatest rock 'n' roll icons.

"OH, WAIT! I'VE GOT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING." ARIANNE PHILLIPS RUNS OUT of the living room and returns a minute later, carrying three framed letter-size drawings. "I did this one when I was 8," she says, holding up childhood masterpiece in ballpoint and colored pencil. It's a sketch of several groovy '70s ensembles that are eerily similar to the outfits in which she would, 18 years later, dress rock star Lenny Kravitz.

If it weren't for the many references to the falling of the Berlin Wall, the clothes alone in the new movie "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" might make style watchers think they're looking at a hyper-glammed version of fashion for this fall. Fashion's ongoing fascination with the tricked-up denims, glittery metallic fabrics and the acid colors of the 1980s makes the costumes in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" seem oddly contemporary.

Fashion jewelry design is in the midst of a renaissance the likes of which we haven't seen since the 1980s. And Alexis Bittar blazed the trail. In the last two decades, the New York-based jewelry designer has gone from selling his signature colorful, hand-carved Lucite pieces on the streets of SoHo to bejeweling leading ladies in Hollywood and beyond, including Lady Gaga, First Lady Michelle Obama, Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Meryl Streep and Rihanna....

Hosts Jon Kelley and Lauren Holly made for a spirited Los Angeles Fashion Awards ceremony last Friday at the Orpheum Theater downtown, where members of the fashion industry gathered for the second time to celebrate themselves. Under-the-radar designer Rozae Nichols nabbed the top award, the Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award, while Cameron Silver and his business partner Darren Gold received the Fashion Retailer Award for their pioneering vintage stores, Decades and Decadestwo.