How does a city celebrate a piece of art with which it’s become inextricably linked? Well, when Beverly Hills is the city in question, naturally, a first annual Clueless Day—capping off a month-long 30th-anniversary celebration that included everything from a poolside screening of the iconic Amy Heckerling film at the Beverly Hills Hotel to a live performance by the ’90s tribute band As If—was in order.
While there has been big Clueless energy all over town for weeks (on a quick stop to consign some clothes at The RealReal on Melrose recently, I noted a line out the door for a special Clueless-themed collection curated by the film‘s costume designer, Mona May), one could feel a special excitement in the air at La Cienega Park on Saturday, as devoted Clueless fans and Street Food Cinema disciples alike convened in their Cher Horowitz- and Dionne Davenport-inspired best to catch a free screening of the film. The event was complemented by a steady stream of ’90s hits from a local DJ, food trucks, and vendors selling everything from yellow plaid bucket hats to Labubus decked out in mini Clueless costumes.
While the screening naturally brought out a good number of elder millennials, the 1995 film’s cross-generational appeal was also on glorious display on Saturday. Rickie Downing, 43, attended the event with her 15-year-old daughter, Naomi, who was flawlessly decked out in what appeared to be a near-perfect copy of one of Dionne’s red velvet dresses. “I had to show her where Mean Girls and all of those things came from. This is the original,” Rickie explained.
“This event was all over social, and I’m such a ’90s fan,” said Melody Edwards, 39, another attendee. “When I first saw Clueless, I just idolized Cher. I thought she was the coolest girl, and Stacey Dash’s character, Dionne, was such an icon for me and for the culture. Seeing her on the big screen alongside Alicia Silverstone was just amazing.”
Brad Ludwick, 42, the proprietor of a Clueless-themed Airbnb in Phoenix, Arizona, known as the “Whatever Wonderland,” also had fond memories of his first viewing of the film. “I remember seeing the movie when it first came out in 1995. I saw it with my mom and my sister, and I‘ve loved it ever since,” he told me.
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In classic Los Angeles fashion, there was ample room at the park for pets to get involved with the Clueless fun, too, and as I watched a teacup Chihuahua in Cher-perfect pink and yellow plaid nearly collide with a woman carrying two heaping bags of food from the vegan Mexican eatery Gracias Madre while wearing a giant Dionne-as-Dr.Seuss-style hat, I started wondering why we, as a city, had let 30 full years elapse before giving Clueless an official, mayor-endorsed day of recognition. I mean, come on; an alternate version of Beverly Hills where Cher Horowitz never shopped, gossiped, did makeovers, or dated her ex-stepbrother? As if!
Below, scenes from Clueless Day in La Cienega Park.