[from US, 9/99]

Other than a certain Hollywood golden boy, Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow have very little in common. Aloof, for instance, is not a word used to describe the co-star of a sometimes slapstick-y sitcom called Friends. A celebrity whom ordinary women can relate to, Aniston can look ravishing lounging in the buff on the cover of a glossy mag but appears far more comfortable, and accessible, dressed like the girl next-door.

Aniston, 30, has called herself a "one-outfit kind of girl, much more comfortable in khakis, sneakers and T-shirts." What she espouses is fashion grounded in reality. But staying real is increasingly difficult as her TV show approaches legendary status, her movie career progresses, and her relationship with Brad Pitt evolves. "The main thing is not to become a bitch," she has said.

Indeed, the allure of Aniston is that she's more adorable than drop-dead beautiful, more inviting than intimidating. "Jennifer epitomizes modern beauty, because it's not a typical model look," says her makeup artist, Collier Strong. "It's something approachable, easier to relate to."

"Are you talking about me behind my back?" shouts Aniston - who happens to be getting a touch-up while her makeup man is being interviewed - with mock sterness. "Models just aren't realistic," Strong continues. "They're freakes of nature. It's way more fun working with someone like Jennifer, where there's a personality you're dealing with and an expectation of who they are that procedes what they do."

Indeed, Aniston's comfort zone comes through even when she's all dolled up. Her favourite evening-wear items are most often cut from shiny, stretchy fabrics - like the gray turtleneck and skirt she wore to VH1's Save the Music fete last November, or the painted-on, tight black sheath she donned for the premiere of Meet Joe Black in New York.

Aniston always appears fashionable, even trendy, but manages to avoid anything too acutely avant-garde. Her look has, however, become a bit less Friend-ly of late, particularly since the so-called Rachel-flip hairdo became an enemy of the people and she traded in curves for muscle and Tate Donovan for Pitt.

There's now a heightened glamour to the actress, who has been photographed in everything from Dolce & Gabbana to Karyl K, Gucci to Vivienne Tam. But caught off guard, she's easily the actress most frequently captured wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. You can take the girl out of the backyard, but, well, as Vogue's Astley puts it, "I basically see her with her hair all wild, wearing flip-flops and cuttoffs."