Alicia Silverstone Explains How ‘Clueless’ Transformed 90s Fashion
Is Clueless responsible for changing 90s fashion as we know it? Perhaps. In the 1990s, grunge was all the rage. Following a rebellious attempt to go against the norm, celebrities gave up their colorful poofy shoulder pads for all-black t-shirts. They replaced the diamonds around their necks for 50 cent chokers. Ruffled tutus morphed into ripped jeans. Looking “too cool to care” was the new normal. Suddenly, everybody was trying to replicate the grunge look.
According to Alicia Silverstone, all that changed once Clueless came out. She believes ever since the 1995 film, fashion in the 90s went from “grunge” to “girly.” Out of all the movies throughout the decade, this one arguably transformed fashion the most. Keep reading to find out why.
Alicia Silverstone didn’t know anything about fashion before the movie
Oh my god, we’re totally buggin‘! According to the star of the film, Silverstone didn’t understand anything about fashion or style before Clueless. The actress admits she was annoyed by how much of a big deal the set made about the costumes. The costume designer, Mona May, constantly had Silverstone go in for costume fittings, which at first perplexed The Crush actress to no end.
“I would be standing in these fittings,” she dishes to Vogue, “and I just remember when I was shooting with Mona, she was annoying to me. I was just trying to do this job, and I was thinking, ‘Why are these clothes so important?’ But of course, I knew the clothes were important. I mean, the clothes were everything. The clothes are the star of the film.”
Alicia Silverstone thinks Cher Horowitz and ‘Clueless’ changed 90s fashion
As mentioned, grunge was all the rage back in the early 90s. This is all thanks to pop culture icons like Kurt Cobain, along with A-list actors such as Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp. Yet Silverstone is sure that her movie Clueless changed all that.
She tells Vogue,
“People immediately responded to the clothes, for sure. Clueless bridged a gap between this grunge period, and then now, fashion was fun and girly. You went through a period of time where it was just cool to not care, with your jeans and your flannel and whatever. And now, to, ‘I care, and I’m gonna make really cute outfits all the time.’”
Silverstone adds with a laugh, “You’re welcome, and I’m sorry at the same time.”
The ‘Clueless’ star admits to being a tomboy before shooting
Surprisingly, Silverstone admits she wasn’t even into fashion before the film. She says in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, “Cher is the most perfectly dressed, with the highest of fashion. I remember a funny story was at that time in my life, I wore jeans and a green t-shirt every single day, and that was it. I just didn’t get fashion at all, I was kind of a tomboy, and I just wasn’t into it. So when we had the fittings, I was just like, ‘What is going on? Why am I in these fittings for so long?’ And I just didn’t get it until I saw the movie. Then I was like, ‘Oh, I get it. The costumes are the star of the movie.’”
