WORDS BY REBECCA RHYS-EVANS
Belma chats to Mona May, the revolutionary costume designer of Clueless, Romy & Michele and Never Been Kissed.
‘Do you prefer 'fashion victim' or 'ensembly challenged'?’ This iconic Clueless quote plays through our minds every time we’re faced with an outfit dilemma. Often with outfit dilemmas, we ask ourselves ‘WWCD?’; or in other words, ‘What Would Cher Do?’ From her Dolce & Gabbana yellow plaid suit to her ‘This is an Alaia’ red dress, Cher Horowitz is one of the best, if not the best dressed characters on screen. The person responsible for her wardrobe is the ground-breaking costume designer, Mona May. The flamboyant, talented May, is no one-hit wonder. She has also designed the costumes for many of our other favourite movies; Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Never Been Kissed, The Wedding Singer and so many more.
Looking at her IMDB could be compared to scrolling through that of Tom Hanks, Keanu Reeves or Winona Ryder. The Hollywood’s ‘greats’ whose movies’ evokes a deep nostalgia for your youth. However, May hasn’t just led the design for multiple 90s teen classics, she’s taken to TV (Santa Clarita Diet, Punky Brewster), music videos (RUN DMC), as well as several animation flicks – Stuart Little 2, Enchanted and most recently, Disney’s Flora & Ulysses.
"OFTEN WITH OUTFIT DILEMMAS, WE ASK OURSELVES 'WWCD?'; OR IN OTHER WORDS, 'WHAT WOULD CHER DO?'"
In the 4th episode of The Belma Show!, Mona speaks about how she fell into costume design, the outfits she loved most, and how the movie industry has progressed in recent years. Giving real insight into the inner workings of Hollywood, she also reveals what it was like to do fittings with 18-year-old ‘hippie-girl’ Alicia Silverstone, as well as dressing Drew Barrymore over the decades. If you’re at all interested in fashion, consider yourself a film buff, or want to work in costume design, then this is a must-watch!
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