Mona May on Storytelling Through Clothes: From Clueless to a Lifelong Creative Journey
“I think passion is very, very important”
“People talk too much about it or not enough, but i think you have to be passionate about what you do, because this is not an easy job” is what Mona tells me when describing her role as a costume designer.
“It’s a very different job. You live like a gypsy a little bit”.
Rewind a month: Mona and I start talking through Instagram shortly after her book “The Fashion of Clueless” launched, she will start travelling soon for its tour but we are able to arrange a call.
“I’m exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. It’s been so wonderful” is how she is describing it so far when we talk.
With 70+ movies behind her, Mona May is a renowned costume designer, mentor and now book author who aims to share her passion and knowledge with the creatives of tomorrow. Born in India but raised between Warsaw and Berlin, her European background is part of what helped her stand out in the fashion scene. She exploded onto the scene when Clueless (1995) was released, a film acclaimed by the critic and that marked fashion for good.
Today we sat together – at a 9987km distance – to dive into her journey, her works, the lessons she learnt and discuss her new book released this October.
“We as costume designers, we are storytellers” – Mona May
Having worked more than 30 years in the industry Mona has had enough time to find her own definition of costume designing and grasp the facets of this role. “We as costume designers, we are storytellers. We tell the story with the costumes and the looks, who the characters is” she says “Are they happy? Are they sad?”.
For Romy and Michelle’s high school reunion she tells me how by blending her and the director’s vision of the characters she was able to differentiate the protagonists’ styles “Michelle was the feminine. she was the designer. She was a little bit more flamboyant. So there was more pink, there was more glitter, there was more jewellery”. On the other hand Mira Servino’s character was more masculine which reflected in the colours and cuts chose for her outfits “There was a lot of blue and burgundy and maybe less crazy accessories, kind of keeping her simple”.
A shared line of thinking was also applied in Clueless specifically for Cher’s wardrobe. And Mona’s face lights up when we mentioned the plaid yellow suit.
“Oh my god i love that. It was so fun, because you know I didn’t know what colour we were going to have for Alicia”.
They knew it was going to be a suit, because of course Cher, born and raised in Beverly Hills would have worn only designer. They also had to take into account the setting of the scene. Outside, in the chaos of a school entrance, they needed a bright colour in order to make the character stand out.
Yellow was not the first choice, as she tells me it doesn’t usually go well with blondes. Nevertheless when she saw the Jean Paul Gaultier suit something inside told her to buy it anyway. The fitting displayed other two alternatives: a blue suit which “it’s beautiful, just doesn’t have this pop” and a red one, dismissed because it resembled too much the Christmas colour palette.
“And here comes the yellow. Alicia puts it on, and it was just so beautiful. In this moment when she puts it on, it was like a ray of sunshine”.
“It’s a great story, because i think for the costume designers our there, you have to understand it’ not just “oh, I’m going to put Alicia in a yellow suit. It doesn’t work that way. It’s a process” – Mona May
Teamwork, patience and quick-wittedness seem to be on the agenda for a costume designer. Reason why passion has to lay at the heart of your moving force. “I have to get up at 5 in the morning. I have to travel a lot. So i think that being passionate enough to be like – ok this is more important to me than anything. I love this, I’m going to get up at 5 – “
But as well as passion, strength of character in navigating exacting actors and demanding directors is central to translating a vision into reality.
“I can fight for some things and sometimes i have to let go of some things and be happy”. She explains to me.
On set her job comprehends as well taking into account the budget and the practicality of the designs when worn. While working on Enchanted, she often had to find a middle ground with the animators, as what fits animation does not always work on real life actors.
“For example, there was a character the sidekick of the prince, which is like a bigger guy and he’s starting to draw and they are putting mini shorts and I’m like no, my actor is 250 pounds. He can’t be running around New York City”.
Overall the thing that she highlights the most when I ask her about the lessons she learnt is being true to your self. “Work on yourself and who you are as an artist. So that can be more and more of your essence to bring into each project. That’s why you get hired, because you have something to say, you have a signature”. But in a fast changing industry finding inspiration can be challenging, especially if you are required to find it for work and with a deadline on the way. What she finds helpful is meditation in order to come back to herself and checking in with her feelings. “Am i too stressed? Do i have enough sleep? Where am i? I kind of also have a bigger picture of things”
“You have to step away and and kind of see, ok, this is just a shirt”.
The Fashion of Clueless – Celebrating the 30th year’s anniversary of the film
As I write Mona is probably on the road travelling between LA, Europe and the States to share her new work: “The Fashion of Clueless” a look book created in honour of the 30th years of Clueless and assembled with behind the set images, exclusive insights on the designing process and interviews from cast members.
Working on a book it’s definitely a new experience, but you can hear it from her tone and enthusiasm how much the world of Clueless impacted her life and how passionate she is about this movie.
“I never left the world of Clueless. I lived it all my life” she tells me when we talk about how it felt re-immersing in the movie. “That moment in our lives really bonded us because after the movie came out we all became famous”. Heckling (the director) and May arleady worked together on a pilot but for some actors like Paul Rudd the experience on Clueless was the first on set. Therefore there was a very light hearted atmosphere on set, which she describes as fun and joyful: core adjectives for how she also wants the book to be described as “I hope this also inspires people to wear fun clothes and look at their own wardrobes and see maybe if they can do something more colourful”.
Available on Amazon and distributed in bookstores her book is the project that’s keeping her busy these days, nevertheless through the tour she is also able to fuel another passion of hers: mentoring.
With interviews in school and sets she is able to get into direct contact with the younger public who looks up to her.
“You want to inspire people with who you are” – Mona May
“What has fashion taught you about yourself?” I ask her before our goodbyes.
“To be my self. To really express my self”
“Now everything is changing in fashion. With technologies, different designers go to different houses and they create the new ideas. But then I think in the end, you have to really filter it through yourself. Who are you? You don’t want to be a fashion victim. You want to inspire people with who you are”.
Advice i find to be extremely coherent with who Mona is, because the vibrant colours she wears perfectly reflect her enthusiastic and passionate personality.
For the costume designers of tomorrow, the lesson is simple: when fashion lives in your bloodstream, you are not just creating – you are becoming. Wear that becoming unapologetically.
For more insights on Mona’s journey, advices and practical lessons…
The full interview (40+ minutes) is available on YouTube under Fiammausa and Rebeccakrizman.
We cover topic such as:
- What does the role of a costume designer comprehend
- Practices to find inspiration as a designer
- Experience on the sets of Clueless, Romy and Michelle and Enchanted
- Behind the making of the book
