SCREEN STYLE : Covert Cover-Ups

The Movie: “Point of No Return”

*

The Setup: Maggie (Bridget Fonda, pictured) is a low-life drug addict and murderer co-opted into a covert organization of chicly dressed hit people. Bob (Gabriel Byrne) guides her through the ropes in this American take on “La Femme Nikita.”

*

The Costume Designer: Marlene Stewart, whose work includes “Falling Down,” “JFK,” “The Doors,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and costumes for Madonna.

*

Fashion Plot Point: Fonda’s Maggie starts out as the embodiment of grunge, before it became chic--plaid shirt, combat boots, ratty sweater, leather jacket, greasy black hair and a wicked set of gray teeth. Amanda (Anne Bancroft), her underground shopping consultant as it were, whips Maggie into shape with a limited but impressive wardrobe of expensive little fitted suits. We only wish there were more.

*

Quoted: “I hope and pray the era of the short, tight, sexy black dress is over,” Stewart said, explaining why she put Fonda in a not-so-short, full-skirted black halter dress for her first official murder rampage. It also allowed her “100% mobility.”

*

Hemline Watch: A sliding scale for Fonda, from slightly (two inches) above the knee to mid-thigh. Sex Appeal: Both stars prove you can be all covered up as long you have a good tailor. Byrne’s dark, drapey suits and dark, buttoned-up, sea island-cotton knit shirts are just right. Fonda’s single-breasted suits, worn with skirts and trousers, are quietly attractive.

*

We Could Live Without: Fonda’s transformational new hairdo--a Doris Day flip. (Fortunately, it goes away after a few scenes.)

*

Sources: Stewart designed the halter dress, while Fonda’s three suits are by Escada. Combat boots are Doc Martens; dress heels are Manolo Blahnik. Byrne’s suits are by Hugo Boss and Romeo Gigli; his knit shirts, by John Smedley.