The Tighter the Outfits, the Better the Look

The Movie: “Diabolique”

The Setup: Contemporary remake of 1954 French murder tale plotted by a man’s mistress, Nicole Horner (Sharon Stone), and his wife, Mia (Isabelle Adjani).

The Costume Designer: L’Wren Scott, a commercial and fashion stylist, in her movie debut.

The Look: For people who never “got” the vintage clothing revival, Stone’s Horner is a crash course. When the credits roll, you’re going to want to hit the nearest flea market to stock up on old everything--shoes, pins, blouses, handbags, cardigans. . . . (Adjani’s Mia is a fashion loser, but more about her later.)

Horner dresses exclusively in ‘40s and early ‘50s-style suits and cocktail dresses, all cut within an inch of her life.

“Breathing was not the issue--it was more about how they made [the character] walk and move and become conscious of her sexuality,” Scott said of the severely tailored items, including just-below-the-knee skirts that depend on a slit up the back for mobility.

The bonus is certifiably mad color combinations, including Horner’s burnt-orange suit matched with a pistachio blouse--the only true vintage pieces in the film--and the pairings of chartreuse and lavender, coral and deep pink.

With 31 costume changes, Scott rightly calls Horner her “demented glamour version” of a teacher at a private boy’s school. Cheesy leopard-print lingerie, hot-colored fake period brooches and sweater clips galore make this a clothes picture all the way.

You Should Know: “[Stone] absolutely understood what I was doing,” Scott explained. “She’s not a big color person. You’d never see her walking around in a chartreuse suit, for example, but she was extremely receptive to color. She brought in an entire list of colors she liked. It was basically the same list as mine--teal, primrose, yellow, lavender--but they’re probably put together in a little more bizarre way than she expected.”

Trivia: Mia, a former nun, not only dresses like a convent girl in luxury versions of shirtwaist dresses (made in black and gray silks), but as the movie progresses, her crucifixes become larger. The one exception to her God-fearing wardrobe are chic, ‘40-style, high-vamp stilettos with rounded toes by Dries Van Noten.

Inspiration: “I tend to take my inspiration from anything old,” including late greats [Christian] Dior and Adrian, the designer said. “I’m not a fan of anything modern.”

Quoted: “Fortunately the director didn’t say, ‘You don’t want to buy the clothes from Donna Karan or Banana Republic for a modern movie? You want to make them?’ ” Scott said.

* Sources: Fabrics and buttons for Stone’s custom-made wardrobe came from flea markets in Los Angeles and New York. Some period jewelry and shoes came from Lily et Cie in Beverly Hills.