TAKE 5; PARTY LINES; GUCCI'S OH-SO-HOT FORD DRIVES STARS TO CHARITY.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Daily News Fashion Editor

Tom Ford is the king of cool, hands down. The Texas-born Gucci designer has already got a string of celebs from Madonna to Uma Thurman addicted to his slinky, sexy black dresses and see-through sweaters. Magazines, including Elle, have dedicated numerous pages to him. And after Thursday night's AIDS Project Los Angeles benefit, all of L.A. is buzzing about him - whether they liked his fashions or not.

The annual AIDS research benefit, which has turned into a controversial affair with rumors that all the money raised at past benefits didn't find its way to the AIDS research fund, was an uppity black-tie affair held at a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. Organizers were so security-conscious that few members of the press were even invited (I have Bloomingdale's to thank for my ticket) and guards dressed in all-black ensembles prowled the party asking to see people's tickets.

For those who want a vicarious thrill, here's the scoop. The party started with cocktails in an outdoor area that was dressed up with black-and-white, wall-to-wall carpeting and fake-fur-covered seating areas, where umpteen celebs mingled while sipping pink-colored cocktails and white wine served in Scotch-on-the-rocks glasses.

Among the hundreds of guests who paid $350 a ticket - and raised $1 million that night - were ``X-Files'' star Gillian Anderson, who said this was her first APLA event and that Gucci provided her with the sassy strapless black jersey gown she wore. ``I can't afford it, but I like it,'' she quipped.

Merv Griffin and Connie Stevens were on an official date that night, and both were radiant. Stevens, who's been making the Hollywood scene a lot lately, said she was here for APLA, not necessarily Gucci. However, she excitedly told me she had discovered an old Gucci wristwatch in her giant jewelry box and recently had it cleaned and repaired so she could start wearing it again. ``It's 32 years old, and I still get compliments on it,'' she added.

Stevens also said she has a new TV series coming up. It's called ``Head Over Heels'' and will air on UPN. ``I play a woman who got dumped by her man and opens a dating service. Yes, it's a comedy,'' she said, laughing.

Kellie Martin was there, too, taking a break from her art history studies at Yale. Dressed in a clingy gown featuring a colorful flame stitch design by Mark Wong Nark, Martin said she was a fan of Gucci and had a few dresses. ``But it's not safe to keep Gucci in your dorm closet,'' she chuckled.

Daisy Fuentes, looking like an elegant bumblebee in her horizontally striped gown in black, white and yellow by Herve Leger, said, ``I'm here for APLA and Gucci. I love Gucci, especially the accessories.'' Then she followed fellow Revlon supermodel Cindy Crawford (who wore an ultra-glam red jersey gown) into the hangar for the fashion show.

Other celebs in attendance included Demi Moore, Geena Davis, Claire Danes, Lyle Lovett, Maria Shriver, and ``Baywatch'' babe Yasmine Bleeth who worked the party in a knockout white knit gown that showed plenty of healthy curves.

The Gucci show? It was a serious runway show, unlike last year's show, which included a speech by Elizabeth Taylor and over-the-top catwalk strutting by RuPaul. Sadly, it was mostly black styles, although very edgy with slit skirts, tight sweaters and hip-slung belts. The anorexic-looking models walked like zombies with glazed eyes and had weird makeup that made their eyes looked red and swollen, which some guests called ``pathetic.'' It's called ``heroin chic,'' said several fashion-savvy guests, who added that the emaciated look seemed inappropriate for an AIDS benefit.

But hey, Gucci and Ford - who made a quick appearance at the end of the show - underwrote the entire event to make sure all the money went to APLA, so it's their party. ...

At the Art of Fashion event held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills last week, guests got a colorful preview of what tomorrow's designers are thinking. The event was a graduation gala and runway fashion show for the American College for the Applied Arts in Westwood, and the winner was Dalbert Buitrago of Burbank. The student presented a collection of Dolce and Gabbana-inspired fashions, which he called ``Art Deco Divas.''

It wasn't a starry night in the Hollywood sense, but lots of retailers were there to check out the scene for up-and-comers, and Beverly Morgan from Neiman Marcus seemed quite interested in the winning collection. ...

The White Nights Russian Ball at the Hotel Sofitel in Los Angeles was another fashion-friendly affair, honoring Russian-born designer Leon Max for his contributions to American fashion. Max, who has Max Studio boutiques in local malls, received his award from actresses Dominique Swain (she'll star in the upcoming remake of ``Lolita'') and Jessica Bowman of ``Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,'' who both wore elegant Max designs.

The ball, attended by 220 supporters of the Los Angeles-St. Petersburg Sister City program also honored three movies that focus on Russian history - ``Rasputin,'' ``Anna Karenina'' and the upcoming ``Anastasia.'' According to event chairwoman Anne Volokh, the ball raised $21,000, which will pay for 1,500 University Press books to be donated to the St. Petersburg Central Library to help fill the gap of foreign scholarly works in Russian libraries caused by the Communist regime.

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4 Photos

PHOTO (1) Dalbert Buitrago of Burbank, named winner of the fashion design contest at the American College for the Applied Arts last week, poses with model Marie Mazelis wearing a design from his ``Art Deco Divas'' collection.

(2) All smiles on the last day of school are professor Todd Wate and graduating senior Joy Froeschner, who were among the American College's partygoers.

(3) Designer Leon Max, left, is congratulated by actresses Dominique Swain and Jessica Bowman at the White Nights Russian Ball held June 1.

(4) Suzanna Guzman, fifth from left, is congratulated by Hispanics for L.A. Opera members Lisa Baker, left, Delia Duarte, Jose Lopez, Diane Hartl, Rose Marie Navarro and Julie Vasquez. Guzman received the first-ever Placido Domingo Award.