It was interesting how the whole idea of beauty and in the United States changed, and around the world for that matter. I was amazed when I met people that had gone to school in Paris and in London and fashion school and everything, and they knew exactly who I was and who she was and what she had worn for every event. The much-referenced skirt suit that Cher wears at the start of Clueless has inspired designers such as Henry Holland, as well as endless Halloween outfits. It was sourced from D&G and May had options in blue and red, too. “This was the opening of the movie, in the quad,” says May. “We tried a blue suit, which was just great with the blond hair. We tried a red suit, which was a little bit trying too hard. And when she put the yellow one on, it was like, ‘Yes!” That yellow was like a ray of sunshine, like she was the queen. So we knew that in that scene when she’s walking through, she’s going to radiate, this is all you’re going to see.” The fabric is why this outfit remains a favourite, according to May. “I mean, who doesn’t like a plaid? It’s fabulous.” The camera loved the Clueless look

The sheer number of outfits is partly behind Clueless’s appeal to a fashion-inclined audience. “Maybe I would say 25 [changes] would be an average [in a film],” May says. She points out that in Clueless, Cher had 60 outfit changes, Dionne had 45, Tai had 30 and Amber (Elisa Donovan) “our fashion victim, she had so many changes. Plus I had to dress all the extras.” It was a learning curve for Silverstone, a teenager with little previous acting experience. “She was a hippie girl, an activist already, fighting for the animals, saving the world in her sweats … She was like, ‘More clothes? More fittings?’ Years later we talk about it, we are still friends.” Every film starts with a mood board A lot of people probably didn’t see ‘Mask’ and a lot of them thought she was a singer who couldn’t act. They didn’t even go to see the movie knowing how Hollywood works, and that kind of upset her a bit, I’m sure. I asked her, ‘What are you thinking you’d like to wear?’ and she said, ‘I’ve been doing these movies where I’m playing the hard-working, blue-collar worker and I’d like to be in something they used to see me in, like on my TV show. I’m thinking maybe a Native American-inspired costume.’ In the commercial, Cher (Silverstone) and Amber (Elisa Donovan, also reprising her role) debate fiscally responsible shopping. "I think most of us would agree that Cher is one of film history’s most iconic shoppers, so when Rakuten approached me to reprise the role for their Super Bowl spot, I thought it was a great idea," Silverstone said in a statement. "Cher was always figuring out how to get what she wanted in the most clever ways, so I think Rakuten would really appeal to her." Clueless’s fashion was a breath of fresh air since the movie came out during the middle of the 90s grunge era. The director of photography, Bill Pope, was a brilliant film-maker,” says May. “The way that he looked with his camera, it was like an eye of a fashion person. He would go up the leg of Cher so you would see them walking. It’s almost like a runway in the sense that you really got to see the details.”So, I went away and started drawing. She said, ‘What if we did this and that?’ and I told her she was giving an award to someone and she couldn’t take the attention away from them. She just said, ‘Oh, they won’t care, they’ll like it.’ She was right — it was in every paper the next day. In 2020, Clueless costume designer Mona May explained that the yellow was key for the outfit. "Cher’s yellow suit will always be something so iconic," May told Town & Country. "And it was so interesting trying to find that right outfit for that opening scene of the movie. What was it going to be that makes her pop? We've tried a bunch of different things, and nothing really worked. But once we had the yellow the Dolce & Gabbana suit, it was just that a-ha moment."

I was dressing to go to work – presenting is work,” Cher once said of her often outrageous, always scene-stealing outfits worn to the Oscars. Siriano, who is close friends with Silverstone, was enlisted to recreate Cher's most iconic look. "Any young fashion designer watching Clueless, you kind of fall in love with the fashion," Siriano told the New York Times. "Now, Alicia is one of my best friends."

Cher's famous yellow plaid Dolce & Gabbana outfit from Clueless got an update for 2023, courtesy of designer Christian Siriano. During tonight's Super Bowl LVII, Alicia Silverstone will reprise her role as Cher Horowitz in an ad for Rakuten, shopping platform.