Screen Gems

Fashion-wise, it was a lackluster spring (”Bridget Jones”’ granny undies?). But summer’s movies are swimming in style. Here are some trendsetting films — and their runway inspirations.

PEARL HARBOR
COSTUME DESIGNER Michael Kaplan
FASHION PHILOSOPHY ”World War II was, in a way, the end of innocence in this country,” says Kaplan, who chose colors and fabrics that were ”fresh, wholesome, and feminine” to represent the era.
INSPIRED BY Miguel Adrover and Ralph Lauren’s fitted, belted, all-American tops and pants

FUN FACT Star Kate Beckinsale insisted that she looked better in separates — and shied away from wearing navy blue.

MOULIN ROUGE
COSTUME DESIGNERS Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie Fashion philosophy ”The cancan is a world of entertainment under women’s dresses, so we have to find a PG-13 way to make that understood,” says Martin.
INSPIRED BY Chanel’s white ruffle blouses and Alexander McQueen’s feathered frocks
FUN FACT It took six months to create Nicole Kidman’s pink ”big bird” costume, which features a Swarovski crystal-encrusted corset and hand-dyed ostrich feathers.

LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER
COSTUME DESIGNER Lindy Hemming
FASHION PHILOSOPHY ”We [Hemming and star Angelina Jolie] didn’t want to put Lara in army fatigues or anything like that,” says Hemming, ”so we came up with a monochrome, minimal-looking wardrobe.”
INSPIRED BY Prada’s streamlined, limited-palette looks and Alexander McQueen, who featured a flowy gray number in his fall 2001 line.
FUN FACT Jolie prefers blacks and grays, but she did wear a drapey orange robe for a temple scene.

A KNIGHT’S TALE
COSTUME DESIGNER Caroline Harris
FASHION PHILOSOPHY ”We didn’t want to show typical aspects of the 14th century because the script was written in a free way,” says Harris. ”It was a pleasure to have the freedom to imagine what I might have liked to wear then.”
INSPIRED BY Imitation of Christ’s revisionist ”vintage” dresses
FUN FACT Shannyn Sossamon’s lemon yellow gown was made from a length of 100-year-old Chinese embroidered silk.