Nothing compares to her

Like many others, the first time I saw Sinead O'Connor was when her "Nothing Compares 2 U" video came on MTV. I was in seventh grade, and my friends and I couldn't believe how beautiful she was, even with a shaved head. Although the video was from O'Connor's second album, everything about her look and her voice was totally new. It proved that great style is created, not copied.

Swinging '60s

Michael Antonioni, who died this week, directed a remarkable piece of fashion history, "Blow Up." The film is a snapshot, no pun intended, of London in the 1960s, and stars a young Vanessa Redgrave. Jane Birkin also makes a brief appearance, which is noteworthy for what she isn't wearing, which is anything. Other films from the era that are fun to watch are "Darling," starring Julie Christie," and "Alfie," which was very daring for its time. For those who love film as much as fashion though, "Blow Up" is a cut above, and definitely worth checking out.

Truly Julie

Julie Christie has dazzled on the silver screen for more than four decades, and she's as stunning today in her 60s as she was in the 1960s. In her most recent film, "Away From Her," she stars as a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She's been a fashion icon as well as an example of Hollywood glamour, her relationship with Warren Beatty was comparable to today's Brangelina in terms of a blinding marriage of style and substance. Check out these essential flicks starring the British beauty: Darling In this 1965 film, Christie plays an ingenue who'll do anything to make it big. Don't Look Now Christie and Donald Sutherland are a couple in mourning who've lost their daughter in this 1973 thriller. They take a memorable trip to Venice in search of redemption.
Shampoo In 1975 Christie and Beatty were at the height of their celebrity. Her blonde bob and black glitter gown in the party scene are pure '70s style. Heaven Can Wait Christie and Beatty team up again in 1978 to make this incredibly charming comedy. Movie magic.

Gwyneth gets the gold

PRAISING PALTROW: Gwyneth Paltrow appears on the new W magazine bronzed and boldly declaring her desire to get back into making Hollywood hits. Paltrow has always made good movies and given good style, similar to our Aussie favorite Cate Blanchett.
Our favorite flicks to check out with Paltrow? Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle This small flick from the mid-'90s is a peek into the life of Dorothy Parker, and has an incredible 1920s look and feel. Sliding Doors This is the film for which Paltrow cut her hair, leaving her and then-fiance Brad Pitt looking eerily similar. Shakespeare in Love It's every bit as good as the hype, and Paltrow has never been more radiant, or likable. The Talented Mr. Ripley Paltrow was channeling Grace Kelly in her role as the tragic Marge in this Anthony Minghella thriller. Shot in Italy, the scenery is as engrossing as the plot, and, um, Jude Law.

Not just teen TV

CALLING CATALANO: The best show to only last one season on TV? "My So-Called Life," followed closely by "Freaks and Geeks." Jordan Catalano was gorgeous, sullen, brooding and clearly trouble, which made him the most irresistible character ever to appear on TV. And Claire Danes' Angela Chase was as complicated and misguided as a real teenage girl. And her clothes were perfectly accurate for that mid-90s period, Danes wore thermals, flannel shirts and Converse. Also very cool, Juliana Hatfield makes an appearance as an angel in a later episode.

Gone but not forgotten

There are some things that can never be explained: the origins of the universe, Britney Spears' recent behavior and the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks." The show lasted just one year, a tragedy matched only by the cancellation of "My So-Called Life" just four years prior. At least the alumni of "Freaks and Geeks" are still going strong, with Seth Rogen, James Franco and executive producer Judd Apatow going on to bigger, if not better, things. The look of the show was pure high school nostalgia, epitomized by Lindsay's dad's army jacket that became her standby. Definitely not freaky or geeky.

Corn nuts, croquet and Christian Slater

Before she was convicted of felony theft, Winona Ryder used to be the coolest girl in movies. She was (quite literally in this case) the Veronica to Julia Roberts' Betty. At the height of this period she starred in "Heathers," an alternative to popular John Hughes movies like "Pretty in Pink." Christian Slater was her Jack Nicholson-wannabe boyfriend who hates her popular friends almost as much as she does. They go on a murder spree, complete with vocab test words and mineral water. And along the way Winona Ryder looks fabulous in looks straight out of the 80s. Bonus point: Watch for a pre-90210 Shannon Doherty.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall

WHO'S THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL? I'm not sure about that, but take this little quiz to find out which of the four lovely "Sex and the City" ladies you're most like. We've seen dozens of these before, but we couldn't resist doing our own as a tribute to the forthcomnig movie.

North by Northwest

"Northern Exposure" was such a good show for so many reasons. First, the cast included Rob Morrow as Doctor Joel, Janine Turner as Maggie, Darren E. Burrows as Ed and John Corbett as DJ Chris. Corbett played a pre-Aidan Aidan, Morrow the unhappy doctor from New York, Burrows the sometimes dim good guy and Turner the knockout girl next door. Check out her super-short hair, reminiscent of a '60s Mia Farrow. Other stuff to watch for: Anthony Edwards as Maggie's boyfriend who lives in a germ-free house and Adam Arkin as the bizarre Adam. But if you can't get your hands on "Northern Exposure," it's all good, check out "Men in Trees" for a similar New-Yorker-in-the-wilds-of-Alaska fix. It's so similar to "Northern Exposure" and so endearing that you might not mind missing the original.

Favorite flicks

I LOVE THIS MOVIE: It's just so good it's almost beyond explanation. It nestles in, attaches itself and sticks with you well after it's over. Wes Anderson has such a distinctive aesthetic, his movies are always visually amazing. But this one also has a beautifully-acted story. The soundtrack is a mix of Bollywood classics and the Kinks, and, of course, who couldn't love a film with custom-made Louis Vuitton luggage?

Cry me a river

I was a junior in high school when River Phoenix died, and it felt like the coolest guy in school, the one you're afraid of and really into at the same time, was gone forever. Like there would never be anyone that out-of-this-world amazing again. Christian Slater came close, but he was like the commercial River Phoenix, and Johnny Depp came even closer, but he was way too gorgeous. And when River Phoenix was dating Martha Plimpton, they seemed like the perfect match, way too cool and different for everyone else. His movies were so good too, "Mosquito Coast," "Stand by Me" and "My Own Private Idaho" are unforgettable, and "Running on Empty" is a classic. But then he was gone, and it was all over. And it was so sad.

Geek Chic

This New Zealand duo, who had a show on HBO last summer, is rumored to be releasing their first U.S. album any day now, and we can't wait. They're like listening to your boyfriend and his friends singing ridiculous stream-of-conscious thoughts, but they're really talented and can actually sing. Their best song? "You're so beautiful." The best line from that song? "You're so beautiful you could be an air hostess from the '60s." The next best line? "You're so beautiful you could be a part-time model."

Seems like old times

OF MINISKIRTS AND MASCARA: Goldie Hawn is one of my favorite actresses ever, and it's not just because of her comedic timing. She is the poster girl for late sixties style, which was all about psychelic colors, minidresses and mascara. She was a free spirit with cropped hair, and was totally different than actresses who starred on screen just 10 years earlier. For classic Goldie Hawn check out "Cactus Flower," for which she won her Oscar, and "Shampoo," the seventies classic starring style icons Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.

Indie Magic

In 1994 independent movies were given a huge boost by Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," but the success of independent movies really began years earlier with "Sex, Lies and Videotapes," Steven Soderbergh's masterpiece. Alison Anders was one of the successful female film directors during this stretch, and "Gas, Food and Lodging" was her most successful, and best, film. Ione Skye and Fairuza Balk play sisters in New Mexico; Skye is the adventurous wild child in search of a way out, and Balk is the shy misfit fascinated by her surroundings. The film is so true to life it's a definite must-see, and you'll hardly recognize Balk if you've seen "The Craft." Also great in the film are Balk's clothes, which look like incredible thrift-store finds. Watch for J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. in a cameo, and the gorgeous Donovan Leitch in a small supporting role.