Charlie's Angels are dressed to kill

Posted: Thursday, November 02, 2000

NEW YORK - Forget the halo. Charlie's newest Angels are dressed to kill.

Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu are following in the high-heeled footsteps of their predecessors, wearing sexy, stylish and trendsetting clothing in "Charlie's Angels,'' the new film based on the 1970s TV show.

"I worked with each Angel in this 'Angel World,' and each came out a little glittery, a little glamorous and with a 'look,' '' said costume designer Joseph Aulisi.

He didn't mention sexy, but that's the word that will pop into moviegoers' minds when they see the plunging necklines on the Angels' race-car driver outfits, the micro-miniskirts from their Swiss Miss disguises and the tight leather pants that don't rip at the seams when the Angels beat up the bad guys.

"The clothes are almost like dance clothes. They fit like a glove, but you can still kick,'' Aulisi said. "Designing the clothes was a challenge because of the huge amount of action.''

The actresses also wore stiletto heels for the chase sequences.

"We went through many sets of heels, a few were broken along the way,'' said Aulisi, who has designed costumes for "Die Hard With a Vengeance'' and the original "Shaft'' films. "But when you kick your foot in the air with a spike on the end, it's a whole different impact than a flat sneaker.''

Aulisi created evening gowns for Barrymore and Liu that could be converted into "stealth uniforms'' for a big action scene. For Barrymore, it was an off-the-shoulder black gown with red-and-black beaded fringe at the neckline; for Liu, a glittery red-beaded dress.

Each actress wore 50 costumes. Because of the wear and tear on the clothes, as many as 10 copies were made for each design.

Liu, as the cool, sophisticated Alex, is dressed mostly in black and red leather. Barrymore's street-savvy Dylan wears touches of vintage and neo-hippie styles, including thin beaded belts and denim jackets. Diaz's slightly naive Natalie has the bright, sassy look of an All-American Girl, right down to her bedtime T-shirt outfit.

Barrymore said the formfitting race-car driver jumpsuit was her favorite.

"I loved it because gravity won't be on my side one day, and I'll be able to look back and think, 'That was a nice moment.' ''

For Diaz, the belly dancer disguise was transporting.

"I loved the harem look because it was sort of like just going so far away. It was a costume based in another culture, and it was like being a completely different person than who I am.''

"And you went from being this blond, Nordic, light-eyebrowed person to this, like, fire woman,'' Liu told her.

Celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch, based in Los Angeles, said the obvious difference between the TV show and the movie is the overt seductiveness of the new Angels.

"The original show may have been sexy for the time, but it is conservative compared to what we have now,'' he said. "They used to only be sexy when they were in disguise; now they are sexy all the time.''

Although he was a fan of the TV show, Aulisi decided not to limit the outfits to the styles of the '70s. There are obvious nods to that era, including a denim jumpsuit worn by Diaz, but movie musicals of the '50s and vintage clothes from the '20s also served as influences.

The film had to be a "little bit of a fashion show,'' said Leonard Goldberg, executive producer of the TV series and one of the movie's producers, "because we knew that people still liked to see how the Angels look, and, of course, the Angels had to look gorgeous.''

Steven Cojocaru, the West Coast style editor for People magazine, said there is already buzz about the Richard Walker-designed sunglasses with a rhinestone design for each Angel.

"I'm so happy they're not politically correct fashions,'' Cojocaru said, noting the Angels are dressed as everything from beach bunnies to dominatrixes. "The clothes are sexy and fun but totally done with a wink.''

Henri Bendel, a specialty store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, is selling items inspired by the movie, including denim jeans with a crystal-studded butterfly, handbags with an airbrushed "Angel'' flame and a fitted T-shirt with the film's logo surrounded by crystals. Through an agreement with Sony, the clothing has an official "Charlie's Angels'' label in addition to the manufacturer's.

Some of the styles, including the slinky one-shoulder tops worn by Diaz, resemble the designer fashions of Chloe by Stella McCartney, but the movie will expose a broad audience to the trendy looks, Cojocaru said.

"This movie absolutely will have an influence. There are these approachable, well-liked girls wearing edgy, accessible clothes.''


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