It’s, Like, Totally Stylish, Ya Know?

The Movie: “Clueless.”

The Setup: Cher (Alicia Silverstone, pictured), a rich, vapid teen from Beverly Hills, possesses a keen fashion sense and the need to make over every dumpy girl in sight. Her best friend, Dionne (Stacey Dash), shares her passion for finding the perfect Patrick Cox loafers to wear with their kilts.

The Costume Designer: Mona May, whose credits include “3 Ninjas,” “The Best of the Best II” and several Julie Brown television specials.

The Look: Excuse me, Cher is, like, so out of touch with the real world. I mean, name two high school students who would wear a Jean Paul Gaultier suit. To school. She also says things like, “Oh, no, you don’t understand. This is like an Alaia. It’s like a totally important designer.”

But she’s totally cute and, like, chic, even though she tends to go overboard on plaids and shops on Rodeo Drive, which would be more like something somebody’s mother would do. What’s totally great about Cher is her merging of classicism with trendoid, as in her short-sleeved Jackie O. princess dresses. Then there are her perfectly pressed, cuffed white shirts, mini patent-leather backpacks (in all colors) and subtle jewelry. Cher and Dionne, who is the way-funkier one, don’t own blue jeans, but do own tons of shrunken sweater sets, over-the-knee socks, and cool shoes of the Patrick Cox variety.

Quoted: “I had to really predict what was going to happen, since it’s got to be it now, especially for kids,” May said, explaining the complexities of going into production last fall. Getting the Cher look right required “hours and hours of fittings with 200 pieces to try on and maybe 10 worked. She needed to be special.”

Scene Stealer: Cher and her fellow classmates in phys ed, a study in black-and-white Lycra accessorized with cell phones and water-bottle holders.

Trivia: The classic black-and-white leather Adidas is the athletic shoe of the moment.

Research: The usual U.S. fashion magazines plus the Italian publications Collezioni and Trends.

Sources: Cher’s wardrobe, 60 changes in all, includes clothes by Gaultier, Calvin Klein, Azzedine Alaia, Max Studio, Agnes B., Norma Kamali, A-line for Anne Klein, Martine Sitbon, Donna Karan and Tocca (the princess dresses). Dionne wears B.C.B.G., Anna Sui, Dolce & Gabbana, and others.