When it comes to the crossover between cinema and fashion, it’s impossible not to think of Amy Heckerling’s Clueless. Based on Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma, the film centers around the naive, charming, and wealthy Beverly Hills High student Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) who acts as a matchmaker and altruist in general. All her good deeds, however, did not mean a decline in sartorial matters.
For an hour and a half, flamboyant pieces from luxury brands grace our screens while the high-society kids in Beverly Hills live their turbulent lives. With looks like Cher’s preppy plaid outfits, Amber’s excessive fur garments, and Dionne’s statement hat and sassy accessories, the film became an ode to fashion. Since then, Heckerling’s movie has evolved into a must-see for every fashionista on the planet, with the character’s stylish flair making a profound impact across apparel and entertainment industries. Clueless has influenced countless fashion trends that still exist in mainstream culture. The film itself became a cult classic, and is widely credited for reshaping the relationship between cinema and fashion, thus becoming the most notable example of using clothes to tell a story. But why?
As the film opens with Cher and her friends shopping and driving around the Hills, one is struck by the extreme privilege and the extravagant lifestyle of this group of carefree teenagers. And yet, in a twist of irony, the scene transitions to Cher—the protagonist and the group’s queen bee—sitting in front of her vanity and saying, “I actually have a pretty normal life for a teenage girl.” She continues, “I get up, I brush my teeth, and I pick out my school clothes. Once in her wardrobe, David Bowie’s Fashion plays as she selects an outfit on her computer, which became the most-wanted closet system of all time. The chosen ensemble—now a Halloween costume go-to—is a bright yellow checkered set by Jean Paul Gaultier. For these characters, high school was much more than uniforms and studying, it was also a runway.
The fashion theme persists throughout the film with the considerable amount of time the characters spend in the mall, in makeovers, and even in their closets. Amidst a pile of clothes lying on the floor, Cher says, “I have, like, nothing to wear.” Besides the subtle nods, the film makes explicit references to the fashion world too. From Cher being mugged in a red Alaïa mini dress—explaining to an armed robber that she can’t lie on the floor because she’s wearing a ”a really important designer,” to her quick response to her father’s questions about what she’s wearing with a mere ”Calvin Klein,” high fashion is sprinkled all over Amy Heckerling’s production. Aside from the direct references to luxury brands and how each character’s wardrobe impacts their social lives, the film also uses innovation to cement its fashionista status.
In the late 90s, teenagers would wear flannel shirts, baby tees, leather jackets, and baggy jeans, opting for the grunge subculture or the sleek minimalism trend. In fact, they certainly weren’t dressing like the characters in Clueless with their chic, extravagant, and high-fashion items. ”It was just dreadful,” Mona May—the film’s costume designer—told Vanity Fair after visiting Los Angeles high schools and encountering the grunge style, adding, “There was really none of the girliness.”
While initially Tai (Brittany Murphy) and skater burnout Travis (Breckin Meyer) represented the look of the era in the movie, their attire wasn’t well received by their fashion-wise classmates— nor by May and Heckerling. At a time when grunge and minimalism ruled the fashion and cultural scene with androgynous clothes, basic pieces, and edgier styles, feminine designs were not popular. For May and Heckerling, the dominant fashion of the time didn’t align with the vision and concept they were after, described as a “fantasy.” Since reality didn’t align with their desired aesthetic—or the ideal look envisioned for Cher—the duo took matters into their own hands, experimenting with sartorial innovations and creative liberties. May combined high-fashion pieces with thrift finds and mall clothes to achieve unique outfits that were simultaneously posh, feminine, and demure—sparking a cultural a phenomenon.
After costume designer May set out what Cher and her pals would wear (a balance of high-fashion and vintage looks) she also made the characters in charge of defining the trends of the late 90s. As it turns out, Clueless didn’t reflect ’90s fashion, but it did reshape it. From then on, designers and celebrities began replicating the movie’s fads, as seen in Chanel Spring 1996 checkered jackets in pastel shades, Calvin Klein Spring 1996 and Cerruti Spring 1997 naked dresses à la Cher, the schoolgirl uniforms of the Spice Girls’ Polaroid Spice Cam ads of 1997, and the various plaid skirts that graced the TV show Friends. Even today, designers are still incorporating the movie’s statement looks into their collections—see the Fall 2024 lines from Chanel, Versace, Burberry, and Alessandra Rich.
Over the years, the effect of Clueless hasn’t faded. Think of Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s 2014 “Fancy” music video, Harry Styles’ yellow check blazer at the 2021 Grammys, Sabrina Carpenter and Amber Mark dressing as Cher and Dionne on Halloween in 2023, Margot Robbie’s yellow Chanel tweed and white fur bag for a 2023 Barbie interview, and Beyoncé’s checked set for New Year’s in 2023.
Amy Heckerling’s film proves its lasting relevance not just in the fashion world, but in cinema as well—and at the intersection of the two, of course, as it reshaped the way cinema, fashion, and mainstream culture interacted. Clueless is seen as the epitome of fashion in cinema, and rightly so.
