f indeed it's true that the devil wears Prada, send me straight to hell.
I'll go anywhere to see more hot fashions like the clothes in the style-obsessed movie opening here Friday.
In case you've missed the ads, the hype and the vast pre-release promotion, "The Devil Wears Prada" features the fabulously outfitted Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, the mean and snooty silver-haired editor of Runway magazine, the bible of the fashion industry.
There's even a marginally local angle. The plot involves a smart Northwestern University journalism graduate, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), who becomes Miranda's assistant, even though she knows nothing and does not care about fashion.
As Andy morphs from frumpy college girl in boring basics (or a Northwestern hooded sweatshirt) into a fashionista in glorious Chanel and Valentino, I wished I could stand up in the theater and holler, "Put it on pause!"
(At left: Red-and-black dyed fox coat with patent leather trim by Izzy Camilleri, black suede boots by Christian Louboutin and purple-embossed leather Gucci purse.)
I wanted to study exactly how Andy (and Miranda and all the other beautiful women) put their great outfits together. The coats, the bags, the belts and oh, oh, the shoes: Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin. Or, as actor Stanley Tucci (Miranda's aide, Nigel) said in the movie's promotional materials: "We're just adjuncts to the film. The fashion IS the film."
Well, think of the movie's fashion as an invitation to kick up your look a notch. If ever there was a learning tool for those of us who would like to crank up our style savvy, this is it.
And, you don't have to have a Chanel-Prada-Gucci budget to make it happen.
I know this because Patricia Field told me so. Field, renowned for creating the cutting-edge look of 
the women on "Sex and the City," is the costume designer for "The Devil Wears Prada."
I called Field to get some practical ideas on how you and I could look great like the women in the movie—without going bankrupt.
(At left: Black velvet strapless gown with beaded bow bolero jacket by Valentino; drop citrine and diamond earrings and ring from Fred Leighton.)
You'll be glad to know that one of the first things she told me was, "You don't need to spend a lot of money." Phew.
"It's not about going out and buying the 'it' bag this season that costs $5,000," Field said. "Fashion is a person expressing themselves. Their individuality. Who they are in the way they dress."
(At right: Calvin Klein olive jersey dress with buttoned neckline; Giuseppe Zanotti greenish-gold pumps; Kate Spade handbag and Chanel sunglasses.)
One way to learn to express yourself in the way you dress is to look to fashion history, to examine how famed style icons outfitted themselves.
"Educate yourself as to the classic styles of the century, for example, Chanel, or whatever," Field said. "You could put those looks together in a modern way with what you find today in Nordstrom. It's about knowing and doing your homework and having an interest."
The movie's director, David Frankel, has predicted, "A lot of the style in the movie will be part of the future of fashion."
I asked Field to give some tips to those of us who would like to be part of that future right now. "[Become] a bit more dressed up. … For example, a glove. I love gloves. I'm a glove freak," she said. "In that first scene when Miranda is getting out of the limo, it's black glove, black boot, black coat. If you had seen the [bare] hand, it would have weakened the look."
"When I pressed her for more tips, Field warned: "It's not about copying these people." Miranda has one look: queenly expensive, confident, not faddish but age appropriate. Andy has another: big brand designer names borrowed from the magazine fashion shoots. Emily, another assistant in the movie, has yet a third look :creative and off-beat. "You can compare and contrast. There are three distinct looks and you can ask yourself, `Why can't I be a character? I will be the fourth.'"
Fine. I will be the fourth. Make my character tall and skinny with bangs and straight swingy hair. Able to tie a scarf and walk in four-inch heels effortlessly.
shopellen@tribune.com
To create an individual fashion look, Patricia Field suggests:
- Play to your strengths: Tall? Emphasize it. Dark skin? Strong color is your friend.
- Be creative. Don't just copy someone you admire.
- Mix labels, colors, textures, vintage with new.
- Accessories can bring an outfit to life.
- It's not about the money. Style does not have to be expensive.
- Try gloves.
NICE NICE NICE I LOVE THIS!