FASHION TIPS FROM THE REEL L.A.

Not sure how to pull that film noir look together without looking like you've just come out of mothballs?

Think about the fabrics of the '70s, the sex and power of the '80s, and then watch these new and old films about Los Angeles when the City of Angels was really steamy and stylin'.

And for the sounds of film noir, the Hollywood Arts Council is sponsoring ``Jazz Goes to the Movies,'' a jazz concert on Saturday at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. For tickets, call [phone].

L.A. Confidential - The new Warner Bros. release about murder and police corruption in the '50s, starring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Kim Basinger as a Veronica Lake look-alike.

Devil in a Blue Dress - Rent this recent film noir entry that gives you the real scoop on blue-collar life in downtown L.A. after World War II, from smoky jazz clubs to modestly decorated tract homes.

Mulholland Falls - Look for this recent film at the video store that focuses on the usual stuff of early L.A. stories, including lust, greed and bad cops, with lots of tips on peignoirs and cocktail parties.

Chinatown/The Two Jakes - This pair of modern film noir classics, written in the darkly eloquent style of L.A.'s famous mystery writer Raymond Chandler, is a crash course in L.A. style. ``Chinatown,'' which was made in 1974, begins in the '30s, while the more recent ``The Two Jakes'' takes you into the late '40s and offers an insider's peek at a posh beauty salon.

The Big Sleep - The ultimate Raymond Chandler mystery made into a movie back in '46, starring Humphrey Bogart (as private eye Philip Marlowe) and Lauren Bacall. It's as good as it gets, with major details on the chinoiserie fashion stance going on this fall, as well as the current power suit and ruby lips look. Take notes on the hair, jewelry, shoes and interior design. And ask Mom for her old mink collar and compact.

Farewell, My Lovely - Another Raymond Chandler mystery set in vintage L.A. with Robert Mitchum playing Marlowe this time. This 1975 film offers lots of glamorous bad girl get-ups of the '40s and stays fairly true to the book. An earlier movie version was called ``Murder, My Sweet.''

The Blue Dahlia - Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake give fashion lessons in this post-World War II story set in the City of Angels.

Sunset Boulevard - Gloria Swanson is the bugle-beaded silent-screen star planning a comeback in this 1950 film, so there are plenty of costume changes to study. But pass on the rhinestone thing.

Day of the Locust - This 1975 film starring Karen Black and Donald Sutherland was based on the novel by Nathanael West and focuses on the seamy side of Hollywood, when big deals were made by the pool as well as the casting couch. It was a box-office loser, but worth renting for a close look at the retro styles.

The Postman Always Rings Twice - In the 1946 version of James Cain's torrid romance, Lana Turner is a hot babe who's living just beyond the city limits, but longs for the style of Hancock Park ... and she'd do anything to get there. It's very fashion-savvy and provocative, but, then, so is the 1981 version with Jessica Lange.

Double Indemnity - Raymond Chandler's 1944 screenplay about an L.A. woman who doesn't want her husband around anymore. Barbara Stanwyck plays the wife and looks stunning in all those shadowy scenes we've come to associate with film noir.

Lady in the Lake - A 1947 mystery by Chandler with Marlowe played by Robert Montgomery, who's hired to find a missing wife. The peekaboo pajamas and sexy lingerie may get us rethinking the power of a peignoir with fluffy feather trim.

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3 Photos

Photo: (1) Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, ``Chinatown.''

(2) Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, ``The Blue Dahlia.''

(3) Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, ``The Big Sleep.''