Mona May is a costume designer who has worked on over 70 movie and television programs. With her trademark feminine style, using bold colors and feathery boas,[1] May has been designing costumes since 1989.

May has been hailed by some as "The Queen of 90s Movie Fashion".[2] She is best known for her work on Amy Heckerling's teen-comedy Clueless (1995). Additionally, she has worked on other popular 90s films such as Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion (1997), The Wedding Singer (1998), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), and Never Been Kissed (1999). In 2008, she was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award for her work on Disney's Enchanted (2007).[3]

Early life

Mona May was born in India to a German mother and Polish father.[4] She grew up in Warsaw and Berlin. She then moved to New York City, and later Los Angeles, where she now resides. May studied fashion in Paris and New York, and attended the Fashion Institute Of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.[5]

Career

After her studies, May worked on commercials and music videos for artists such as Run-DMC and Debbie Gibson.[4] In 1989, May booked her first official job costume designing. She designed for Julie Brown's Just Say Julie, an MTV comedy series.[5] From there, she worked on numerous projects with actress and comedian Julie Brown such as Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful (1991), Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue (1992), and Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women (1994).

In that time, May met American film director Amy Heckerling. They worked on a TV pilot together, which did not get picked up. The pair made an instant creative connection that led to later collaborations.[4][5]

Clueless

In 1995, Heckerling hired May to design for her teen-comedy Clueless. Clueless is one of May's most well known works, considered by some a classic with influences on the style of the time.[6] Fashion plays an important role in the film's narrative and character development.[6] Alicia Silverstone, who played the lead Cher Horowitz, had 60 costume changes throughout the film.[7] Cher's style fused over-the-knee 1920's style socks, 60s mod-style mini skirts, feather boas, and chic 90s designer slip dresses.[8] The clothing for the film was a mix of vintage and high fashion, sourced from thrift stores and runways, with some pieces designed and made by May herself.[7]

May's work with Clueless did not end with the movie. She designed for the Clueless television spinoff (1996-1997) which had up to 15 costume changes per episode, and collaborated with Mattel for their line of Clueless dolls.[6]

Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion

In 1997, May did the costume design for the cult film[9] Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion. May has described her work on Romy and Michele's High School Reunion as a grown-up version of Clueless, with "higher heels and shorter skirts".[10]

Much like Clueless, fashion also played a key role in Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion.[11] The clothes worn in the film are vibrant, textured, reflective and iridescent, with each color chosen to express the character who wears it.[12] The main two characters, played by Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino, had about 35 to 40 costume changes throughout the film.[12] One-third of the film's costumes were hand-made by May, and the rest was a mix of designer and thrift store pieces.[12]

Later work

After Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion, May worked on The Wedding Singer (1998), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), 8MM (1999), and Never Been Kissed (1999). Starting with The Wedding Singer (1998), May has had a 20+ year history of collaborating with actress/producer Drew Barrymore, including Never Been Kissed (1999), and more recently, the television series Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019).[5]

May has worked on costumes for animated films such as Stuart Little 2 (2002), The Haunted Mansion (2003), and Enchanted (2007).  She describes the process of working with animated characters as similar to live-action, with virtual fittings and different proportions to dress.[4] Enchanted blended live-action and animation. She first had to design the costumes in 2D old-style Disney animation, translate them to live action, then translate that into 3D CGI animation.[4][5] Her work on Enchanted earned her a nomination for a 2008 Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Fantasy Film.

Since Enchanted, May has worked on over 40 films and television series' such as The House Bunny (2008), Married (2014–15), Grandfathered (2015–16), and Flora & Ulysses (2021). She is also working on the upcoming film Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2022).

In September 2020, Mona May teamed up with the online thrift company Thrilling to curate a 500-piece collection of 1990s inspired vintage clothing.[13]

Cultural impact and legacy

The fashion from Clueless is often credited with reshaping the trends of the 1990s, from grunge, to more vibrant and feminine.[8][14] Fashion designers, clothing lines, Youtubers, and celebrities riff off of Clueless's style, created by Mona May.[15][16] The styles of Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion can also be seen referenced in certain fashion trends.[17]

Celebrities such as Iggy Azalea, Ariana Grande, and Willow Smith, have worn versions of Cher's yellow plaid suit from Clueless .[8][18][19]

Shortly after Clueless premiered, Karl Lagerfeld put a Chanel water-bottle holder on his runway, which was an accessory May created for Cher in the film.[20] In the fall of 2018, Versace had a Clueless-inspired look on their runway in Milan.[21]

Mona May's costumes from Clueless, Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion, and more, are also very popular Halloween costumes.[22][23][24]

Film and television credits

Title Year
Just Say Julie 1989
Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful 1991
House IV 1992
Valhalla 1992
3 Ninjas 1992
Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue 1992
Best of the Best II 1993
Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women 1994
Clueless 1995
High School High 1996
Clueless (TV Series) 1996-1997
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion 1997
The Wedding Singer 1998
A Night at the Roxbury 1998
8MM 1999
Never Been Kissed 1999
Loser 2000
Zenon: The Zequel 2001
Stuart Little 2 2002
The Master of Disguise 2002
Easy 2003
The Haunted Mansion 2003
Zenon: Z3 2004
Stuck in the Suburbs 2004
IIMiles from Home 2006
Enchanted 2007
The Cheetah Girls: One World 2008
The House Bunny 2008
Streak 2008
Aliens in the Attic 2009
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie 2009
Love at First Hiccup 2009
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam 2010
Flypaper 2011
Just Go with It 2011
Lemonade Mouth 2011
Zookeeper 2011
American Reunion 2012
The Giant Mechanical Man 2012
Let It Shine 2012
Vamps 2012
Curse of the Sunset Starlet 2013
Half Way Home 2013
IIDawn 2014
Parts Per Billion 2014
Ask Me Anything 2014
Petals on the Wind 2014
Comet 2014
Jackie & Ryan 2014
Whitney 2015
Married 2014-2015
The Trust 2016
Grandfathered 2015-2016
Sister Cities 2016
Incarnate 2016
Pearl 2016
All I Wish 2017
SPF-18 2017
Banana Split 2018
Santa Clarita Diet 2017-2019
Words on Bathroom Walls 2020
Flora & Ulysses 2021
Punky Brewster 2021
Mixtape 2021
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (pre-production) 2022

References

  1. ↑ Laffly, Tomris (2020-08-06). "Costume Designer Mona May Talks about Celebrating Femininity, Pink and Character Transformations". Variety. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  2. ↑ Bender, Abbey. "On Mona May, the Queen of '90s Movie Fashion". rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  3. ↑ "The Art of Disney Costuming". Disney Books | Disney Publishing Worldwide. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Williams, Spencer (2020-10-21). "The Wonderful World of Mona May: An Interview". The Art of Costume. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Hoo, Fawnia Soo (23 April 2019). "How Mona May Turned a Fashion Degree Into a Career Costume Designing Iconic Films Like 'Clueless'". Fashionista. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  6. 1 2 3 Hunting, Kyra (2014). "Furiously Franchised: "Clueless", Convergence Culture, and the Female-Focused Franchise". Cinema Journal. 53 (3): 145–151. doi:10.1353/cj.2014.0020. ISSN 0009-7101. JSTOR 43653627. S2CID 144208560.
  7. 1 2 Pieri, Kerry (2016-07-19). "Exclusive: Clueless' Costume Designer On Creating a Fashion Phenom". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  8. 1 2 3 Ford, Jessica; Macrossan, Phoebe (16 July 2020). "Friday Essay: Clueless at 25 — like, a totally important teen film". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  9. ↑ "500 or so Cult Movies – Movie List". MUBI. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  10. ↑ "The story of the comeback dresses from Romy and Michele's High School Reunion". Interview Magazine. 2018-03-05. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  11. ↑ Okwodu, Janelle (26 April 2017). "Are Romy and Michele the Fashion Muses We Need Now?". Vogue. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  12. 1 2 3 "A costume designer looks back on 'Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'". Los Angeles Times. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  13. ↑ Harwood, Erika (22 September 2020). "The Costume Designer For 'Clueless' Curated A '90s-Inspired Secondhand Collection". Nylon. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  14. ↑ "20 Years Ago, 'Clueless' Like Totally Changed '90s Fashion And Vernacular". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  15. ↑ Chaney, Jen (2015-07-07). As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-9909-4.
  16. ↑ Yaptangco, Ariana (2020-07-17). "Mona May Rewrote '90s Fashion. 25 Years Later, We're Still Wearing Her Clothes". ELLE. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  17. ↑ Hirsch, Madeline. "Everyone Is Dressing Like Romy and Michele Right Now". Glamour. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  18. ↑ Boan, Daniel (2019-03-20). "Ariana Grande channeled her inner Cher from 'Clueless' in one of 6 outfits from her new tour". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  19. ↑ Gonzales, Erica (2016-09-21). "Willow Smith Channels 'Clueless' in CR Fashion Book". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  20. ↑ Miller, Julie. "The Unlikely Inspirations Behind Clueless's Costume Design". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  21. ↑ Bobb, Brooke. "As If! Cher Horowitz's '90s Plaid Made an Appearance on the Versace Runway in Milan". Vogue. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  22. ↑ Torgerson, Rachel (2020-09-21). "You and Your BFF Should Really Wear These Costumes This Halloween, Just Sayin'". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  23. ↑ "46 Genius BFF Halloween Costume Ideas You and Your Bestie Will Love". Seventeen. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  24. ↑ Ward, Maria. "The Best '90s-Inspired Last-Minute Halloween Costumes for Under $90". Vogue. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
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