This week marks 30 years since Amy Heckerling’s film Clueless hit theaters. Starring Alicia Silverstone as the entitled yet endearing Cher Horowitz, it has remained active in the movie-going public’s consciousness. But one scene in particular is doubtless etched in fashion lovers’ memory, the one where Cher, being robbed at gunpoint and ordered to get on the ground, says, referring to her hot-pink dress, “Oh no, you don’t understand — this is an Alaïa. It’s like a totally important designer.”
The looks featured in the film hold an enduring fascination, and in a recent interview with the New York Times, costume designer Mona May spoke about the designers who both inspired and created them. Fashion is central to the character of Cher, who has even digitized her wardrobe selection and computerized her closet. If one outfit in the film stands out as most memorable, it’s her yellow-plaid skirt suit by Jean Paul Gaultier. Just like its wearer, it is attention-attracting and playful but also self-assured. May told the Times she spotted the suit on a rack at Neiman’s or Saks and, the moment she saw Silverstone in it, knew it was perfect for Cher. “She became the queen bee. She became the ray of sunshine.” (A different JPG yellow-plaid set is available on 1stDibs, should anyone be looking for a loosely Cher-inspired look.)
Another outfit it was crucial to get right was the one Cher wore for her first date with her crush, Christian. According to May, they “probably tried 50 dresses” before landing on the white Calvin Klein mini dress. Fittingly, given how often Cher refers to designer fashion, May drew inspiration from a range of designers, including Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood and Missoni, even when she didn’t use their creations specifically in the film. And the inspiration went both ways, May told the Times: “I created the water bottle [carriers in the movie]. I want to claim that Karl Lagerfeld in his next collection [for Chanel] did that.”
