Designing a Generation: Inside Mona May’s Fashion Files

[00:00:00] From Clueless to Romy and Michelle's to Never Been Kissed, Mona May helped define the look of an entire generation of millennial movies. This week we're beyond excited to sit down with the iconic costume designer herself to talk about her creative process, 90s and 2000s fashion, and the legacy of her unforgettable work. Welcome to the No More Late Fees podcast. I'm Jackie.

[00:00:26] And I'm Danielle and we're just two best friends and ex-blockbuster employees rewatching some of the best and worst movies from the late 90s and early 2000s. This week on the No More Late Fees podcast, Jackie and I are absolutely thrilled to be joined by one of the most iconic costume designers of our generation, the incredible Mona May.

[00:00:44] If you lived through the 90s and early 2000s, you've definitely seen her work. She is the genius behind the bold, unforgettable looks in Clueless, Three Ninjas, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, The Wedding Singer, A Night at the Roxbury, Never Been Kissed, Xenom the Zequel, and Z3, Stuck in the Suburb,

[00:01:06] Stewart Little 2, The Haunted Mansion, The House Bunny, Enchanted, and for some of you younger millennials, Lemonade Mouth. That, for some reason, I know rocks people's socks, so I just had to throw that one in there. So not only did she define a generation of fashion and film, but her influence continues to inspire trends even today. So, without further ado, here is our interview with Mona May. Yay!

[00:01:36] We just wanted to pay you homage. I like it. Now I have to remember all my work. So many movies. Yeah. So many movies. So many. Oh my goodness. I'm nostalgic for the old days, you know, the times where I was working in a film business, when it truly was film business. You know, studios and we had the budgets. You know, I mean, movies like what you see on your posters were actually made, you know, for 20, 30, 40, $40 million.

[00:02:06] We had money. You know, I was able to hire crews and, you know, create these crazy costumes that actually, you know, I spend money on these costumes. You know, now it's unfortunately, it's like you don't really get to play so much. You know, everything is such a bottom dollar that it's tough. You know, they will spend the money on the big movies, the Big Ten Pop, of course, the Wicked. You know, they're going to put the real tulips in there. Right. All the crazy stuff.

[00:02:34] But, you know, the mainstream is really tough. You know, you really have to fight for everything. You have to make a case. Why do you want this dress? Or why do I want this? And it's, you know, it's harder. It really is harder when you have so many obstacles. So, you know, it's interesting. I'm, you know, I've been doing this now 30 years. I mean, Clueless Anniversary is coming up this year, 30th anniversary. You know, it's interesting to look back at, you know, I mean, look at behind you.

[00:03:03] There's like Xenon. Oh, my God. Crazy, right? I mean, that was like Clueless in space on steroids. Jackie makes fun of me because I absolutely adore the whole thing. All three movies. I don't care. I loved it. So when I saw, I did not know. Like, there's a few movies and I knew that you were the costume designer.

[00:03:27] But I was, I think the thing that was most surprising was how many Disney films and DCOMs that you were part of. I was like, well, excuse me. All right. It's fit because I do cute. Well, you know, I do cute and I do fun and I do color. So it really matched with the agenda of Disney. You know, I mean, it really was about kind of like uplifting and happy. And so I was their girl for a while. I mean, it was really fun.

[00:03:55] I mean, I did Lemonade Mouth and, you know, just so many of those, those kind of really fun, upbeat projects. I like doing comedies. I really, I really have a good time with that. I like to spread the message. And I think that my design, my taste really fit in those genres. You know. We talked about that because we reviewed Clueless this week for the podcast.

[00:04:17] And we talked about like in that like early 90s, we got a lot of like grunge and a lot of just like muted colors and stuff. And I feel like Clueless was one of the first movies where it was just bright, shiny, happy, lots of colors, lots of patterns.

[00:04:33] And it just, I feel like it really made a difference in like moving into the late 90s and kind of setting the trend for more movies to utilize color and patterns and fabrics. Completely. Yeah. Yeah. That's a great observation. And, you know, it was really our goal with Amy Heckling to do that. I mean, you know, we went to the high schools when we were scouting and there was dismal, you know, it was just like, you know, with a girl or boy, you know, baggy pants,

[00:05:03] baggy t-shirts, plaid shirts. And, you know, the script really called for it. You know, they were girls that had the means. They lived in Beverly Hills. They had the rich daddies of the credit cards, you know, so they could go to the runway shows and get the clothes and buy whatever they wanted designer. So that was definitely something that Amy wanted to make sure with this film, I bring that to the table, you know, and it was really cool for me because I was a fashion designer student.

[00:05:32] You know, originally I kind of fell into costume design, you know, by chance, by living in LA, going to fashion school and, you know, friends are in film school saying, hey, we're doing a little movie. You have fashion, right? Can you bring some clothes? Here's the script. And I was like, wow, this is cool. This is so much more than just fashion, you know, really creating these characters, you know, finding out who they are deeply. And costumes is so interesting because it truly speaks volumes of the character, you know.

[00:06:02] When you see the actor on the screen without them having to say a word, you know who they are, right? And like 10 seconds, truly, you know, are they depressed? Are they happy? Are they sexy? Where do they shop? When there's a socioeconomic place they come from. It just tells everything. So it's really interesting. I think it's such an important part of, you know, creating a film and it can make it or break it sometimes. So true.

[00:06:29] I think one of the things I see pop up on the internet, especially people who love these nostalgic movies. And when you're talking about color and Jackie was saying it really did launch everything moving into the, you know, Y2K era and into the late 2000s. But there was a shift and we're all still trying to figure out what happened to the color in movies. Like, nothing looks like how it looked in those movies in this time period.

[00:06:58] It just started to get even more muted as time went by until now. Now you see it coming back a little bit in some ways because we're, as you know, fashion is in the cycle and we're back to the 90s again. But it still doesn't look as beautifully bright. I think Wicked was like the first time I saw one recently that had the color back in it. And I just feel like we need to get back to it. We need Mona and everyone. I agree.

[00:07:27] I mean, I think my signature is color. When you really look at my, you know, a lot of my movies, I try to always bring color because to me it's energy. Color is energy, you know, so you feel something. I mean, it's like, you know, when you see red, I mean, when you see Cher in a yellow suit, you know, it was really important. Like, why did we pick the yellow suit? Because it was the moment of first day of school. She was in the quad, a lot of people crossing in front of her, a lot of green behind.

[00:07:52] So we had other suits, pledge suits in, you know, in the room, in the fitting room to try on. And really when she put the yellow one on, it was like, this is it. It's the sunshine. You know, she's going to be the ray of light in the school, you know, the queen, the sun. So, you know, it's interesting. And look at the impact of that color and that suit. I mean, the yellow plaid is synonymous almost with clueless, you know. So it's, I don't know, to me, color is really, really important.

[00:08:21] I think some filmmakers feel maybe it's not sophisticated enough, you know, that it's like becomes poppy and just too cutesy. So I think some filmmakers shy from that. But I think it adds something. I think it's really energetic, you know, when you're watching something that has some bright colors. It's the easiest way to evoke an emotion is just to see the character on screen in different colors.

[00:08:48] And like you said, even contrasting with the background is really important too, just to invoke what you're trying to establish as like the feeling and the tone for the scene. Yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, it's psychological too when you're looking at colors. What you feel and how you feel when you're seeing something. There is some kind of resonance, I think, that when you are done watching the film, you're like, you're uplifted in some way.

[00:09:12] You know, there's just some whatever that physical or psychological thing is, you know, it's really cool. So, you know, let's hope more will come. And I think maybe with the more independent thing, also we can bring that because there's not so much, you know, studio watching the filmmakers and telling them what to do. And I think that's what's happening too with the maybe fall of some of the films not being good is because

[00:09:42] just too many people are making decisions, you know. Yeah. It really no longer is the true vision of the director. It's a vision of some guy, bean counter or whatever, or producer guy from Netflix or, you know, whatever platform that was never really made a movie, but is in the position of power to come to set and change things, you know.

[00:10:06] So, yeah, you know, I hope that, I mean, movies like Wedding Singer with Frank Karachi, you know, and Emmy Heckling, like these directors really have a vision. You know, they truly know what they want and how they want the audience to feel and what kind of story they're telling and how. It's really cool to work with these kind of, you know, very strong directors. With the Wedding Singer, how, what was it like to do that as a period piece?

[00:10:34] Because we're in the 90s and now you're doing the 80s, you know. Well, I was the 80s kid, you know. I was kind of young and fun and I had all the fun in the 80s. So it wasn't very hard for me to get that back, you know. It was kind of just looking over my shoulder like, okay, what did we just do recently? You know, and a lot of the filmmakers involved were kind of like, we're all in it together, bringing our own photos. You know, I don't know if you notice in the credits, there's actually photos of us. Yeah.

[00:11:05] Which is really cool. So we all were, I think, the director as well, my age. We were bringing our own nostalgia, you know, things that just, you know, not that long ago we were wearing and having fun with. And, you know, the wedding thing was also fun because it was a little bit of a, you know, it was blown up 80s too. I mean, it was 80s, you know, again, it's comedy.

[00:11:27] So everything was just a little bit bigger in a sense, you know, to create the laughs and kind of make the story pop a little bit more, which was fun. You know, I mean, I love the characters. I mean, Drew had so many changes and it was just amazing, you know, to work with her.

[00:11:44] And, you know, again, it's so great when you have carte blanche in the sets, you know, and really the filmmakers let the costume designer kind of go for it, you know, because there is certain kind of trust. And I love that because it makes me a better artist, you know, it really does. You know, it's like it was great working with Amy, you know, on Clueless because it was one of my first movies, studio films.

[00:12:11] And she really let me be who I am, you know, kind of as an artist. And she supported that. More color, more hats. Yes, Mona, go. You build a certain kind of confidence in yourself and what you put out, in a sense, you know, into the film. And it really kind of shaped me in a way. So in the next movies, I had this confidence to bring that because I wasn't shut down, in a sense, you know.

[00:12:40] And that's really cool because it allowed me to kind of create my signature. Yeah, definitely have your stamp. You can tell. Yes. I love that. I'll have a ball on my grave. Please make sure. There is not one. Will do. Come to a land or wherever I'm buried and put one on.

[00:13:04] When you were making Clueless, did you have any, like, inkling, like, this film is special? It's going to kind of be a cultural touchstone? I mean, we knew it was special because it was just so tight. You know, like, everybody involved. We just had such a good crew and such a good crew in a way of crew who made the movie, the crew of the actors. You know, we had the great leader. So we knew there was something, you know, there was something really, and we had so much fun. And, I mean, Amy was just such a great director.

[00:13:34] She really let all of us kind of be ourselves, you know. I think the actors speak about it as well, how much it really meant to them to have this kind of a director that opened them up. But I don't think we would never comprehend to have this cultural impact for 30 years. I mean, we're talking about it now. I'm doing a book for Paramount. I mean, 30 years later. You know, now it's the new generation of kids who are 15, 16, who are loving the film.

[00:14:02] And, you know, and then there's the mothers and then, you know, the 50-year-old woman. I mean, it's so cross-generational. It's so amazing, truly. I think one of my favorite things about Clueless is, and we were talking about this when we were doing our episode. For me, seeing that movie was great because I saw myself in Dion, which was not something you saw a lot. And that she got to be her own character, not a sidekick.

[00:14:30] And I think a lot of that came from the way that you dressed her. Not only was, you know, her and Cher had that similar plaid outfit, but different colors. Had the hat. It was just so special. But then there were other looks where you have like a little bit of urban flair to it. So it wasn't just like her being kind of assimilating into that environment. You see those parts of the house.

[00:15:00] Fools herself. Yeah. Fools herself. Yeah. Thank you for that. It was so important to us, you know, and Stacey was really great too, because she had a great sense of style. You know, she didn't come from a lot of money, but she really embraced the fun of the fashion, you know, and really brought a lot of her kind of herself into it, which was really cool. You know, we, I mean, she had 45 changes in the movie, you know, so it was a lot of clothes. Yeah.

[00:15:32] Yeah. Really important. You know, I think that if it was a different movie and different story, maybe they were like, you know, cookie cutters of each other, you know, Cher and Dionne. But not in this film. They were true individuals, you know. And the way that Amy wrote the film and wrote the characters, you know, it was really important. So they really have their own sense of style, who they are, you know, and expressing it.

[00:15:56] And it was really fun, I think, with Dionne, because it was, you know, she was also in the film a little bit more like experience with boys, you know, so she could have a little bit more sexier fashion. Yeah. You know, she was more funky. I mean, the skin tone of, you know, the color of her skin allowed me to use different colors as well that I could use on Cher. You know, I could, I mean, there was like a lime green sweater set. There was, you know, leopard, fuchsia. You know, it was really fun.

[00:16:21] I was able to do a lot of textures on her, like, you know, vinyl skirts and we did leopard jackets. And that was really fun because something, again, that would not work on Cher, you know, it just, you know, she was much more kind of preppy and tailored. So I had a lot of fun with Dionne doing it, you know. It's really, I mean, even later, she, we just even recently were talking about for my book. And she said, you know, Mona, it's like, I just fell in love with all the patterns. It was just so much fun.

[00:16:50] And, you know, she said, I even have like a pair of labroutines that are leopard now. Those are my favorite shoes. And I think, I love how, like, you even did the first, was it the first season of the show as well? Because that was, when you look up looks for both Dionne and Cher, now the TV show comes up. And like, it was even more expansive when you see that first season. And I was just giddy for that.

[00:17:16] How was that transitioning from the movie to the TV show? It was intense because, you know, TV paces very fast. So doing that many changes in 30 minutes was really, really crazy busy for us. But, you know, we already knew who the girls were. Like, we established it. So it was less complicated because we were not figuring things out. You know, we exactly knew what they wear and how to, you know, they were expressing themselves with the clothes and what those clothes would be.

[00:17:44] But it was also interesting because I don't think there was anything on TV like that, too. You know, I mean, that bright, that happy, that crazy, that, you know, intense. So it was fun to do it for television, you know, to really push the envelope for another medium. Well, what was it like? You did Zenon, too. You know, I got asked the Zenon questions. That movie blew up. And I think it was a surprise to everybody. But especially the fashion.

[00:18:13] Like, people are still wearing those costumes for Halloween. What was it like to take that vision and have to expand on it but still play within what was already created? It was so much fun. I don't know. I just have a knack for those things, you know. I just really, like, I can translate the fun into any, I mean, I think past, future, present, whatever. You know, I just can really do fun clothes. And it was really great to go into the future and, you know, be, create something that's fashionable, very cute, very girly, but also functional.

[00:18:42] You know, because it had to kind of look and feel like it can work in space. So that was a really cool challenge, too, you know, how to make that happen. And it was just, you know, different type of fabrics and textures, you know, for the space, you know, a lot of spandex. So the challenge was to really make it believable that it can live in space, you know. So that was really fun.

[00:19:06] And, like, you see all the trims and all the different things, you know, like some of the prop pieces that came into place, you know, their watches, their things, their pockets and stuff. So you could maybe think it's functional in some crazy, weird way. But it was great to do the colors, you know, to really use the color palette, kind of the bright color palette and inspire girls. I don't know. It's, it's, I always laugh at it. It's like clueless on steroids in space.

[00:19:32] And Romy and Michelle, now that, you know, we're talking, they're talking about a sequel. Have they reached out to you about joining them for that? Yeah, I mean, I haven't really talked to the director yet, but they, I know it's, it's going to happen. And now it's got pushed again for, I think, a few months, maybe at least the end of this year or next year. But I would love to do it. I mean, it would be so much fun to, to work with the ladies again and kind of now they're older.

[00:20:00] And, you know, what, what does that mean in their world and how do you translate their fashions into kind of, you know, modern ladies, but now, you know, at a different age group too. And make sure that it's fun, but also, you know, doesn't look like crazy ab fab or something. I love that show. Which we love, which we love.

[00:20:20] But, you know, again, we want to make sure that, you know, in these stories that I like to tell, even the, if the characters are fantastical and kind of, you know, over the top, you still believe them. You still love them. You still, you know, can emulate them in a way. And I think that's kind of also something that I'm good at in a way that it, you know, it doesn't cross as kind of the, the threshold to a drag queen, you know. So, right. And nothing wrong with drag queens. I love them.

[00:20:49] And I think their costumes are amazing. But, you know, to be real, to be real, to tell this story that you still truly love these characters and believe them and, and, and understand who they are without going like, oh my God, now they're wearing, the costume is wearing them. What's happening? I'm out of the story, you know, which is easy to do. You know, it's, it's, it can happen. You have to really, as a designer, you know, have this certain kind of sense. It's almost like a sixth sense. How far can you go?

[00:21:18] And it's also interesting to work with actors on that because, you know, one outfit on one actor could look completely different than the same actor and another actor, you know, because of their body shape or how they walk and, you know, how they present themselves. So it's really interesting. So in the fitting, actually, there's a lot of information that comes kind of to place for a costume designer.

[00:21:41] You know, we really, really, really, after like, you know, having the boards, the visual boards and talking to the director and, you know, the shopping we do really in the fitting. That's when everything happens. You know, you really figure it out. You start putting the clothes on an actor and going, okay, does that work? You know, okay. We've envisioned miniskirts, but maybe they have bad legs and that will never work. Right. Right. Or their waist is more chunky and now we can't put all the sentient belts that we want, whatever that is.

[00:22:10] Or she just looks too sexy in these clothes and now we have to go, like, it doesn't work. So that is really the most fun for me, I think, as a costume designer. That's where really, it's kind of alchemy, you know, that's when it happens in the fitting room. And when it does happen, it's really incredibly palatable, almost like, you know, like, you almost have the, you know, hair stand on your arm. It's like, the actor is like, I'm in. Yeah. I found it, you know.

[00:22:40] And it's interesting, you know, some actors want tight shoes or something or something uncomfortable or, you know, whatever to remind them about this, what this character is. Mm-hmm. And the actor and, you know, we kind of really talk about it, what's right.

[00:23:05] And, you know, it's always a story that we're telling and how does the character begin and how does it end? You know, what happens to it? Maybe it starts, like, if you think of Drew Barrymore and never been kissed, you know, she starts really dowdy, right? And then she goes into this crazy adventure into high school in her white moa and, you know, crazy clothes. And, but in the end, she finds herself, you know.

[00:23:29] So through the clothes, I'm telling the story of her now being at the end waiting for the kiss in her pink chiffon dress that I designed, you know. And she's now a woman. She's feminine. She's beautiful. She's herself, you know, completely kind of authentic self. And that is really beautiful. I think that's the fun, I think, part of being a costume designer, telling these kind of stories, you know. And you got to work with Drew, what, three times now?

[00:23:57] I think, what, The Wedding Singer, Never Been Kissed. Oh, my God, I mean, in Santa Clarita Diet. Yeah. Yeah. And I think I've done, like, six movies with Alicia. Silverstone, we just finished something. She did a miniseries in Ireland. And she asked me if I can do her clothes. And again, you know, it's creating this kind of trust with an actor and especially female actor, you know, as we age, as our bodies change.

[00:24:23] And, you know, to have someone who is really knows you and knows kind of your body and can help you create the character in a very safe environment. You know, so she knows that I'll always look after her and I'll make her look amazing no matter what, you know. And especially now, you know, when there's not a lot of time and not a lot of money, you need something like that. Because, you know, we, I think we had, like, two to three weeks of prep for this show.

[00:24:52] And I think she had about 30 changes in the TV series. You know, it was a lot of, but we did it quickly. Because I know her and I know what fits. I know what colors works. I know what shape works for her. You know, we went, I went to her house. We did two fittings. And, you know, we were, like, ready. Yeah. Which, when someone knew, maybe it would be much harder, you know. Right.

[00:25:13] Have you had that happen with an actor who had a very specific viewpoint of what they wanted and the trust wasn't there yet? So, like, made it even more difficult to... It's fine. I mean, it takes time, you know. It is, you know, people are insecure about their bodies. We all are, you know. I mean, we have our things that we hate about ourselves. And, you know, maybe some imaginary things. But, you know.

[00:25:41] So, it takes a little bit of time. You know, they have to kind of learn. But I'm always very prepared. And I think in the preparation before you step into the fitting, you form the trust even then. You know, when you're talking to them. When you're listening to them. When you're acknowledging their needs. Then when you do step into the fitting, they already feel like you've... And you have the things there that they've asked for. And they're like, okay, she got me the bra. She got me the undergarment. Or she, you know.

[00:26:10] There's no scratchy, wooly things that I'm allergic to. There's, you know, certain colors. And I think that is really what creates that trust, too. That they know they are heard. And what I bring to them is something that they, you know, are happy with. And then we create. And then kind of they open up. And maybe something then we can change. You know, can say, hey. But I think try this. Maybe something this will... You know, break this mold and do something different. So that's cool. But, you know, it's interesting.

[00:26:40] Everybody is so individual. I mean, I did a movie with Nicole Kidman. Just go with it. And she played a comedic part. And, you know, actress that's statue. She was so open. You know, I flew to Nashville to do a fitting with her. And I mean, we did a fitting in like hour and a half. Which is unheard of. You know, for the whole movie. You know, I think she had like maybe 15 changes in the film. And it was great. It was really flowy. You know, she was very open to things.

[00:27:07] And that's also really great to have somebody who's really open. And what you bring, they're like, oh, okay. Curious. And maybe they can have fun with it. You know. Definitely. Yeah. I feel like with House Bunny, you definitely had the trust with you. And Anna Faris had to be very deep. Because that movie was such a change for her from a physical standpoint. Like we never saw her in a lot of skimpy outfits, essentially.

[00:27:35] And you could tell that she really went for it. But there had to have been a good amount of trust with the clothes that she was wearing. Because it was such a departure from what she's done. Completely. Completely. I mean, it was really cool with her. Because she was in a place in her life, too. That she was ready to kind of step out into the light. I think she got her body into a place where she was really happy with.

[00:28:03] You know, so she was able to kind of embrace that. Which was important for that character. And it's really fun to work with comedians. You know, I really love like Romy and Michelle. I mean, you know, Mira Servino. And, you know, many others that I've worked with. I mean, Justine Julie, Julie Brown. I mean, so many, you know, comedic actors I worked with. But they take themselves a little bit less seriously. You know, so they have a little bit more fun and not afraid.

[00:28:33] Which is really fun. And I think that also helped creating the character with Anna. Because she just was like, let's do it. You know. And I think what was really important for her character. Even though she was a playboy bunny mate. We never made it slutty. You know, she was always really cute. And I think that was really important. That she was, again, as a character, you wanted to love her. No matter what. Right? Yeah.

[00:29:01] I think in the costumes, even though they were slutty or skimpy. It was always cute and fun. Instead of like slutty and gross. Right. Yes. And that was really kind of cool. And it was great to have the transformations with her in a film too. And all the girls, you know, kind of. As they, you know, we meet her. She's super slutty. And kind of, you know, oversexed. Right? And then the girls are really down and under. And how it changes.

[00:29:29] And that's, you know, again, kind of my forte. You know, the makeovers in a way. Soul makeovers, you can say. So they become like kind of this hyper. Playmates, you know, to be sexy. All the girls. But in their character. So again, you know, each line. Like, you know, the girl who is the farmer. The girls who is the punk rocker. You know, Anna Faris character. Who's more of the studio. So all their transformations are within their character. Who they are. You know, and that's really fun.

[00:29:58] And I think that's something. As a designer, I really strive for. To make sure that you understand who these people are. And they differentiate from each other. And then, you know, again, toward the end. When everybody kind of changes and find themselves. And they kind of go out of this hyper reality. To find themselves. And even Anna Faris in her little white eyelid dress. In the end. With her pink belt. When she's kind of, you know. Decided that it's okay who she is.

[00:30:27] You know, she's okay. She doesn't have to pretend anymore. You know, or be this or be that. And I think same for the other girls. So that's really fun. You know, and it was really a big ensemble. You know, in Clueless it was like, you know. Cher, Dionne, Ty, Amber. But here, having seven girls. It was a lot of clothes. And I think it each had 30 changes. So do the math. Wow.

[00:30:56] That's amazing. And they all had such a distinct look to them. You know. Yeah. Color palette. Textures. You know. Style. Yeah. It was so important. And again, I think that's when you. Like what you said about Dionne. When you can kind of. You know, connect with a character. And this is what we want. I wanted to do. And I think as a costume designer. We try to do. So that, you know. These characters. We create them. So people can connect with them.

[00:31:27] I was thinking. Thinking about Night at the Roxbury. And how. Once. Now that I know that you were the costume designer. How that clicked. But just to see from a male perspective. How you were able to incorporate the color. I mean, there's a point. They're wearing mesh tops. Like. It's so fun. It was so fun. How did you come up with the looks for that? They were so silly. But the outfits. Just put it all together. Again. Working with comedians.

[00:31:57] You know. They will go for it. They will just do anything. I mean. When you have the underwear. You know. With the beach. Almost these strings. You know. Imagine that fitting. It was just so much fun. But they just. You know. So. What was interesting about these characters. So they were very physical. So they had to move constantly. You know. They had. So I had to make the clothes. Kind of like in Xenon. I had to make the clothes very functional. For them to move.

[00:32:26] Because if they moved. In regular suits. They will rip them. Rip them. So I had to buy fabrics. That actually came from Japan. That a little bit of shine and stretch to them. So they could actually act in it. And just be themselves. And can go crazy. But we were able to push envelopes. You know. And it was fun. Because. You know. They're very heterosexual. You know. You knew. Yeah. Push the envelope. With the shine. With the sheerness. You know.

[00:32:55] And the belts. And the Gucci belts. And the. You know. Shiny suits. It was just a lot of fun. And again. You know. Great director. Great cast. That's just like. Let's do it. Let's go. Let's have fun. You know. The crazier. The better. I'm so lucky. Right? Were there any. Like. Stand out. From your. Your. Vast. Catalog. Any like. Surprising. Or fun. Behind the scenes. Moments.

[00:33:25] That like. Just stand out. To you. And. In memory. When working on. These different sets. With different actors. I mean. Alicia Silver. Alicia Silverstone. Was funny story. Because you know. When she. When we started. Clueless. She was just a. Young. Ingenue. You know. Running around. In her sweats. With her dogs. Already saving the world. And saving the animals. You know. And she would come into the fittings. And just be like. What is this? What are these clothes? Like. Like. Movie. When she says. The clothes are so binding.

[00:33:55] I mean. Literally. Like. You know. Alicia coming in. And going. Oh my god. So we had to. You know. Work with her. Like. Okay. These are designer clothes. This is how you wear them. You know. And she learned how to walk. And how to move in these clothes. You know. So this is. It's really fun to kind of. You know. Be with actors. When they also. Are learning something. About themselves. And. You know. For many years. She said. You know. She really didn't understand. All the crazy stuff. And as she got older. She was like. I get it.

[00:34:25] I know now about fashion. You know. But you know. It's interesting. It's. It's. It's. Having to really work with. With actors. And. Like again. The trust. And finding kind of. This way. To help them understand the character. But you know. There's always some crazy malfunction. I mean. On the Romy and Michelle. There was just so many things. You know. Bedazzling the shoes. And shit falling off the shoes. You know. Running after the actresses.

[00:34:55] With the glue guns. And you know. Boas flying everywhere. You know. Final changes. I mean. Like the Romy and Michelle. The dress that you have on the poster. The. The. Lisa dress. Changed. Like last minute. It was very interesting. We had something else. I designed this kind of chiffon dress. That was hand painted. And. In the final fittings. Lisa was like. But what is Mira wearing? I want to see. You know. And I showed her the blue dress. And Lisa was like. I don't know. I want to. I want to dress like that too.

[00:35:27] And you're like. Okay. Your wish is my command. Of course. And you know. I kind of pivoted. And really mimicked the dress. So it was almost. You know. It's the same shape. But it's just a. More of a Lisa character. Pink. With the boa. And it worked. You know. So sometimes as a designer. You have to also be open. And take the suggestions. Of an actor. And in a way. It really worked out better. Because it's so perfect. Right. I mean. It's like. It's the cookie paper dress. They like the tones.

[00:35:56] But it's so different. And again. This is. You know. Kind of like Cher. And Dion. Where you can see the difference. Of the two. You know. One is more masculine. And a blue. With the silver. You know. And Lisa always being the more feminine. You know. With the pink. With the. You know. Cherry earrings. And you know. Bedazzled dresses. And shine. So. You know. It's cool to kind of find that. In each character. And stay with it. Because it's. It's. I think more impactful. And then you remember. I think the characters as well. I think that's also why.

[00:36:26] A lot of my characters. Are so memorable. Yeah. Because they saw it. You know. What was it like. With working with Brittany Murphy. She was so young. When you guys were filming that. She was amazing. She was just a darling girl. And you know. She came on set with her mom. She was so young. And you know. She was so cool. Because she already. In that young age. Understood kind of. The costumes. And character. And she said to me. Mona. Make me really ugly. In the beginning. You know. I want to make sure.

[00:36:55] That we have an arc. So you know. When we got her in the baggy pants. And the you know. T-shirt. And when she you know. Arrives. With the bad hair. It was really. You know. She insisted on it. So it was cool. That we had a more of an arc. To go somewhere. You know. How she changed. And what happened to her. How she kind of matured. Throughout the film. You know. She kind of became the. Sheer mini me. And then. You know. In the end. She found herself again. You know. Like she was. You know.

[00:37:24] At the skateboarding competition. You know. In her little striped t-shirt. With the headband. With the. You know. Baggy pants. But not too baggy. Just kind of like. Cool little. You know. Jeans. White jeans. So. You could tell. That now. She is who she really. Learned to be. Throughout this. Journey. So. And that's really fun for me. And I think that's really. Unique in my work. To kind of be able to. Work on these.

[00:37:54] Female centric movies. And. Be able to. Bring that. To audience. You know. Like for you. Danielle. Were you. Connected with. With. Yeah. Dawn. You know. And I think a lot of. A lot of. Ladies and women. All over the world. Had that experience. Hopefully on other films. As well. You know. Yeah. We. We had Nicole Bilderback. On our show. As well. Who played Summer. In Clueless. And she just. Said the whole environment.

[00:38:23] Everything was amazing. And I just think. Having so many women. On set. Behind the scenes. I think set the tone. On how that was going to be. So. Yeah. Your influence is. It's. So. Expansive. And. It's really exciting. To see. How you have. Molded the next generations. And how people are inspired. And trying to almost recreate. But make their own. You know. Lane. What is something. That. If you were to give any advice. To young creators now.

[00:38:53] What would you tell them? I think. Be yourself. Find what really is your mark. You know. Like. What are you good at? What really. What expresses you? Because I think. That's what. My art is. It expresses me. And I was born in India. I think my first. Moments of seeing. Life. Was like. Bright and colorful. You know. And that impacted me. To. I think that's why. I love bright colors. You know. And. And. You know. I always. Was lucky. To be influenced by art. And. And. And.

[00:39:23] You know. It really expresses. My joie de vivre. My work. You know. It really is me. Giving these. Beautiful costumes. To the world. It comes from my soul. You know. And I think it really is. Is. Deeper. It maybe. Connects with people. Even more. Because it's so part of me. Who I am. And how I can share that. Kind of. Experience. Of how I see life. To show other people. How you can maybe see life. So I think really. Finding something. You know. Who you. Who are you? And I think.

[00:39:53] It really is about studying art. It's studying yourself. Meditation. You know. Expanding yourself. Trying new things. Not just. You know. Listening to maybe other people. Or what should be right. Or what should be good. Or what should you do. You know. I think. When you're talking about now. You know. People curating things. And this is kind of. I think. What it's about. It's like. Who are you? You know. Curate yourself. Curate who you are. What is it. About you. That's unique. And that.

[00:40:22] You can show. Others. And share with others. That maybe can inspire others. Too. You know. So I think. It's really finding that. Inner thing. More than the other thing. It really. To me. It really comes from the inside. You know. And I think that has more impact. Because it's kind of genuine. Maybe. And. You know. Not always have to be happy. Like mine. Maybe it's more. Darker. Whatever it is. Whatever that expression is. And not being afraid.

[00:40:51] I think that we all make mistakes. You know. And then you go to the next movie. And hopefully you'll do a better job. Or. Nine or something. You know. I mean. There are costumes that I'm. You know. I had to put together really fast. And. Maybe are not my. My best. But. You know. I never get discouraged. I always kind of feel like. You know. There's the next thing. And there's the next thing. And then you just. I mean. That's how life is. You know. What is next? And you have to try. And you know. Same with the relationships. They fail. But then you go to the next one. And maybe it's the better one. You know.

[00:41:20] And we've learned something. And I think as an artist. You just learn. And you know. It's so great to have this career. Of 30 years. I'm so confident now. I really. You know. I walk into the room. And I. When I read. Read the script. I kind of. You know. It's all intuitive now. You know. It's great. It's really. It's really fun. You know. I don't really doubt myself. And it's fun to work that way. You know. It's light. I hope we can both get there. Eventually.

[00:41:49] I think that's the thing of like. As I'm getting older. I look back. And I'm like. What was I so scared of? And it's still like. It's. I'm almost there. I feel like I'm almost to a point. Where I'm feeling more confident. But. You know. Sometimes those little voices creep in. But. I'm going to think of you now. Mona. And say. Be brave. Be bold. And letting go. To letting go. It's like. Okay. So it didn't work. All right. Next. Next. It's like. Make it. I think that. Life is. You know.

[00:42:18] Can be difficult. And things. The world that we live on now. It can be kind of. You know. Scary. And. Uncertain. I think the more that we can kind of. Be playful. And also not take it. Everything so seriously. Like. It's okay. Oh my God. So. Okay. I mean. Not that we want to do bad people. To others. Okay. You know what I mean. Our own mistakes. Or our own kind of. Journey. That we can just be kind of. Be like. Okay. Cool. Whatever. You know. And I think the same about ourselves.

[00:42:48] In the way of like. Our weight. And our age. And all this kind of stuff. You know. It's like. Hey. It's all right. We all can. Kind of curate that. You know. In a sense. This is our. Yes. You know. And maybe. Maybe it's good. What's happening. With this curation. And kind of. You know. More and more. People can trust themselves. Because in the end. I think that's a better world. That. You know. When we are all. Kind of. In a good. Good place. Well. Where can our listeners.

[00:43:17] Follow you. To keep up with your work. Online. Well. They can follow me. On my Instagram. Which is. It's Mona May. I. T. S. M. N. A. M. M. Y. And also. They can go look at my beautiful website. Mona May. Dot. So. There's a couple ways. That they can always say hello. And you know. I wish all your. Viewers. To. Have fun. In life. You know. And good luck with everything. And to you two girls. It's a. You know.

[00:43:48] That you can bring that. Joy to others. With your podcast. And that's. I think the best thing in life. You know. To. Be creative. And be sure to pre-order Mona May's book. The Fashion of Clueless. Hitting shelves. October. Twenty. Twenty. Thank you. And I think it. We are here. Because. Of. You. And creators like you. That. That. Brought this color to our life. So that we can talk about it. Yeah. We appreciate you. Wonderful. Well.

[00:44:18] Thank you so much. All the best. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you taking the time. Thank you. Absolutely. And don't forget to check out our Clueless episode now live on the podcast. And again. Thank you to Mona for taking the time out to give us a sneak peek behind her process. And as always. Be kind and rewind. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.