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A PASSION FOR FASHION

ISAAC MIZRAHI'S FAVORITE FLICKS

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In last year's documentary Unzipped, Isaac Mizrahi uttered one major revelation: Nanook of the North profoundly impacted his fall '94 collection. That's not all. Growing up in '70s Brooklyn, Mizrahi was sent into fashion fevers by a slew of movies that served up style, slippers first. Next week, American Movie Classics kicks off Fashion Classics, a festival of 10 films that shaped his elegant-with-a-wink vision. Here's Mizrahi's rundown on his cinematic sources of inspiration.

-- Auntie Mame (AMC, Oct. 27, 8 p.m.), starring Rosalind Russell as Manhattan's most eccentric aunt: ''It's the essence of why I became a designer.'' Fashion Find: ''She's in mourning, wearing this black, very covered-up thing. Suddenly, she takes the jacket off. Her back is completely scooped out and there's a bunch of violets at her rear end.''

-- How to Steal a Million (Oct. 29, 8 p.m.), featuring Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, and art theft in Paris: ''You know you're in for a treat from the first shot of her in an incredible car with her white glasses and hat.'' Fashion Find: ''She meets O'Toole in a hotel bar wearing a perfect black lace dress. She completely transforms herself from day to evening in, like, five minutes.''

-- The Lady Eve (Nov. 4, 10:15 p.m.), with Barbara Stanwyck as a con artist who falls for Henry Fonda: ''My favorite movie. It's so much about self-creation through clothes and hair and accessories.'' Fashion Find: ''She wears a Brazilian-looking thing with matching skirt and high heels. When she trips him in the dining room, one shoe gets a close-up.''

-- That Touch of Mink (Dec. 30, 10 p.m.), with Cary Grant as a wealthy playboy pursuing Doris Day: ''Doris Day could be elected into the [fashion] Hall of Fame tomorrow.'' Fashion Find: ''She has a raincoat lined in mink, with different colored shells. It goes from red to green to beige, constantly maintaining its mink interior.''

-- Midnight Lace, Vogues of 1938, There's Always Tomorrow, Kiss Them for Me, The Best of Everything, and The Palm Beach Story round out Mizrahi's favorites. As Mame might say, it's a fashion banquet. Don't starve.