Mona May exploded onto the scene with the release of CLUELESS, a film that raised the status of fashion in film. The New York Times, Vogue Magazine, and Women's Wear Daily proclaimed CLUELESS & "the fashion movie of the year” and introduced a bold new Costume Designer to the world.
Capturing the rich-girl prep style with plaid skirts, knee-high socks, platform Mary Janes and feather-trim coats, Cher’s (Alicia Silverstone) more than 60 costume changes were fresh, new and unusual, and created a vibrant style to emulate for a generation of girls learning how to dress.
May’s trademark joie de vivre is clearly evident in her work, and it injects bold, sexy confidence into her designs. She is a master at designing costumes that flatter her actors’ body types, while simultaneously hitting pitch-perfect visual notes for the character they are portraying. May’s deep understanding of both design and anatomy combine to render the actor and the character inseparable, including many roles played by such Hollywood luminaries as Nicole Kidman, Emma Stone, Jennifer Aniston, Eva Mendez, Nicolas Cage, Eddie Murphy, Demi Moore, Anna Farris, Will Ferrell and many more. May’s dedication to the art of creating characters with fabric, textures, and color goes far beyond simply dressing the actors. It is an art that spans genres, time periods, and even media - ranging from live-action to CGI to classic cel animation - and creating a costume that moves believably from the real world to a virtual world is an intricate process.
2020 · Documentary