As Clueless reaches its 30th anniversary, its influence on fashion continues to be undeniable. The movie’s aesthetic has become a cultural phenomenon that feels just as fresh today as it did when it first hit theaters. And at the heart of that iconic look? Cher Horowitz’s yellow plaid suit—an ensemble that has become synonymous with the film itself.

I sat down with costume designer Mona May, the genius behind Clueless's unforgettable wardrobe. Mona didn’t just create costumes; she crafted a world, a vision of fashion that was as forward-thinking as it was fun. She reflects on the process behind those instantly recognizable outfits, from Cher’s perfectly tailored plaid to Dionne’s daring leopard coat, and how each piece was meticulously designed to align with the character’s personality.

How was the yellow plaid outfit chosen for Cher?

We knew the first outfit she wore had to be really important because it’s the opening of the movie. We see her in the quad, surrounded by green and people crossing. So, what would Cher wear? We knew we wanted to do plaid. We had to make sure she looked perfect in the first scene. I went shopping, thinking something blue would be beautiful to complement her blue eyes and blonde hair. I found a red plaid suit, and then out of the corner of my eye, I saw the yellow. The suit was so beautiful, and the color was amazing, but how would it look on a blonde? Maybe not great. We brought it into the fitting. We tried the blue one, it was cute, but nothing much. We tried the red one, it felt too Christmassy, so no way. Then we put the yellow on, and it was amazing. We knew it was perfect like the sun’s rays. Cher was the queen, and it worked perfectly in the scene with all the green behind her and people crossing.

What was your initial inspiration for the costumes in Clueless?

I actually had to invent a brand new world that no one had seen, with girls dressing up in designer threads and wearing clothes. I had to look into the future, so I went to runway shows. Then,  I took the information from those shows and translated it into high school fashion. How would that look? Yes, I created a completely new world that no one had seen, and I think that was such a success. When the movie came out, everybody wanted to dress like it.

How did you use fashion to reflect Cher’s personality and character development? What about Dionne and Tai? 

We had to really get in there and ask, okay, who is Cher? She’s always in control, very prissy, tailored, put together, matchy-matchy. Dionne is much more experienced with boys, so she’s a little sexier. With her skin tone, we could use different bright colors and neon. I gave her a 1950s leopard coat, and she wore vintage purses. Her skirts were much shorter than Cher’s. We used a little vinyl, a bit of rave-inspired clothing, there was always a little shimmer and lots of hair accessories. Tai was a really interesting character. She shows up as this kind of ugly duckling. It was great working with the late Brittany Murphy, she was like, “Mona, make me ugly. I really want to have this transformation, make the baggy pants and lets make this shirt really bad.”.

Were any of the costumes custom-made, or did you source them from existing designers?

The yellow suit was actually from the Jean Paul Gaultier Junior line at the time. I also found artists like the guy who made Dionne’s hat, he also made the Dr. Seuss hat. There was a designer, Kokin, from New York City, who was creating Chanel-like pieces at the time. So it was really about bringing different artisans together. We also  had to buy a book that showed pictures of the runway shows. I didn’t fly to Milan, there wasn’t that kind of budget. It was all about finding inspiration. There was no style.com to just click on, and no big PR machines like Sex and the City, where they’d send boxes and boxes of clothes. These were all young actors that nobody really knew. For one of the dresses,  I had to call France and find someone on my crew who spoke French to ask if we could borrow it for the movie because we couldn’t afford it. They sent the dress to us, and I was like, “Okay, she’s going to be on the ground in this dress, I hope we don’t mess it up.”.

How does it feel to see Clueless still influencing fashion today?

Remember Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’ music video? and Kim Kardashian and her daughter wore the costumes for Halloween a couple of years ago. It’s still so relevant. So many stars, Paris Hilton wore it too. It’s crazy. Clueless is a beloved film, and you can watch it a thousand times and never get sick of it. It always makes you feel good, and that was the intention. I’m glad we lived up to our expectations.

If Clueless were made today, how do you think the characters’ wardrobes would change?

Dior recreated the same yellow suit a few years ago, it was around $4,000, so Clueless is still relevant and timeless.Today would be a little different, since fashion is edgier now. Dionne’s style could definitely be pushed edgier, maybe something like Diesel, while Cher would likely stay the same, she’s preppy. But we'd still have to keep it appropriate for a 16-year-old in high school, nothing too over-the-top. Amy and I had a clear vision rooted in innocence, freshness and girliness, and that was something we really wanted to preserve.

What inspired you to pursue a career in fashion and costume design

Such a great marriage of two things I love: fashion and costume design. Creating something timeless. I pride myself on that, especially because I’ve done so many female-driven movies and comedies. I work really well with women. I understand their bodies. I treat them with respect. I don’t just throw costumes on and say, “Wear it.”. We work together, like with Drew Barrymore, we did very close fittings. Alicia Silverstone had 60 changes in Clueless. Stacy Dash. Amy Adams in Enchanted. All these women. House Bunny too, so many women dress there. It's really important to me to translate these clothes onto an actor’s body in a way that suits them and resonates with them. It's something I like to teach my audience when they watch; an A-line skirt works on almost anyone. Cap sleeves look great on people. Certain necklines are flattering, and how the clothes are tailored is really important. In Clueless, we even bought clothes for 99 cents at a thrift store, but they were perfectly tailored, it looked couture just because it was tailored to the body.