CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN OR WOMAN\Designers build character into their movie costumes.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Daily News Staff Writer

When Marilyn Monroe cooled off over a subway grate in the flimsy white halter dress that blew up to reveal bare thighs in "The Seven Year Itch," it was a killer film moment that cinched her status as a Hollywood icon.

It also caused a major run on halter dresses. What if she'd been wearing jeans and a T-shirt?

Every costume designer faces the question, especially when it comes to the female lead of a movie, said by experts to be the hardest to dress.

"Everyone argues about what she's going to wear and worries that it won't be sexy enough," said Los Angeles costume designer Marlene Stewart.

But, happily, she didn't have to deal with that for her last film. She created about 150 glamorous ensembles with built-in breasts and hips for "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" (Amblin Entertainment/Universal Pictures) - all worn by men in drag.

Her costumes and those of 13 other films, including many of this year's Oscar nominees - plus posters, photographs and film clips - are on display in "The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design," a new exhibit through April 18 at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.

"This year, we've got the gold wedding gown and other designs from 'Restoration,' as well as costumes from 'Sense and Sensibility' and '12 Monkeys,' " coordinator Maggie Murray said. Also on exhibit are costumes from "Apollo 13," "City of Lost Children," "Cutthroat Island," "Father of the Bride II," "First Knight," "Mortal Kombat," "Nixon," "Rob Roy," "Richard III" and "The American President."

For "The American President," costume designer Gloria Gresham's work was so appreciated that Annette Bening kept the costumes for her personal wardrobe, including the blue and silver ball gown that she loaned to FIDM for this exhibit.

Another featured designer is Ha Nguyen, a 1980 FIDM graduate who designed costumes for "Mortal Kombat."

"Since this was a movie that catered to a young audience and was based on a game - but also was steeped in ancient Chinese culture - I created images through the use of fabrics," with a mixture of leather and velvet in black, conveying mystery, and white chiffon, for femininity," Nguyen said.

James Acheson, a two-time Academy Award winner for Best Costume Design ("The Last Emperor" and "Dangerous Liaisons"), was nominated this time for his work on the Miramax film "Restoration." The veteran designer said he and his staff spent months researching the mid-17th century, during which men were resplendent in bright jackets dripping with lace and women wore corseted gowns woven with gold and semi-precious gems.

"A costume designer has to do a lot of detective work," Acheson said. "Especially with a period film, you must know the facts before you can detour from the truth. So, while we looked at every English and Dutch painter of the period and then went to the Museum of London, where we were able to examine and videotape actual garments worn at that time, the fashions are not completely fastidious.

"I didn't take liberties, but I was less reverent than one might be for a true documentary. ... But my task was to create a mood."

Acheson and his staff made approximately 400 costumes, but only a few were of couture quality. "We had very little money, and had to revamp some costumes and reuse pieces for new costumes. And some of that lace that you see is actually made of a rubber substance that's been painted on with a tube of puff paint similar to what you'd find in a craft store.

"And of course, we couldn't make the shoes by hand like they would have been in that era. But since they didn't make shoes for the left and right foot in those days, it would have been very difficult for the actors to walk in. As it was, they had to learn to walk in high-heeled shoes, very tight jackets and petticoat breeches," he said.

Although the "Restoration" costumes have the correct period look, Acheson achieved much of the opulence with stage tricks, such as fake roses and jewels on the wedding gown worn by Polly Walker. And he admits to using glitter and a glue gun.

"But in the end, you must design clothes that take the actor on the journey to get into character ... yet not hamper his movement," said Acheson, who felt his most challenging costume was the elaborate court masque costume that Robert Downey Jr. wears when he crawls out of the bridal bedroom. "It was a complicated series of colors and structure which created a pathetic but elaborate image, but in the final cut it was reduced to crawling on the floor for about five seconds," he recalled.

And then there's the ugly, torn and dirty dress worn by Meg Ryan.

"It's difficult to tell a leading actress they're going to wear a plain porridge-colored linen dress, but Meg understood that she was playing a woman who's gone mad, and her costume needed to make her look drained of color," Acheson said. "She was wonderful about it and had that humility it required. But when Robert covered her in his red cloak, it symbolized the blood of life and made a great contrast."

According to Murray, who handled all of the costumes for the exhibit, the "Restoration" costumes are even better in real life than they are on the screen. "The costumes from 'Sense and Sensibility' are very accurate and lovely, and the costumes from 'Richard III' are beautiful ... but the clothing from 'Restoration' is a triumph," she said.

THE FACTS

What: "The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design."

Where: The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, 919 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily except Sunday; through April 18.

Admission: Free.

Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Photo (1--Color) Marlene Stewart designed this sassy red number for Wesley Snipes in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar." (2--Color) Jenny Beavan and John Bright created the historic costumes for Kate Winslet, left, Jemma Jones, Emile Francois and Emma Thompson in "Sense and Sensibility." (3--4--Color) Ian McKellen's World War II-era costumes in "Richard III," above, were designed by Shuna Harwood. Enrico Sabbatini created the lusty costumes for Geena Davis, right, in "Cutthroat Island." (5--6--Color) Robert Downey Jr., above, dresses in finery of the mid-17th century, created by James Acheson, for "Restoration." In "Rob Roy," Liam Neeson, left, wears a tartan designed by Sandy Powell. (7--Color) Ha Nguyen's costumes for "Mortal Kombat" were inspired both by video-game design and ancient China.