At only 22 years old, Bob Mackie was surrounded by Hollywood’s most legendary creatives working as a sketch artist at Paramount Studios. The California native would go on to become a stylist’s nuclear weapon: break glass in case of the need to devour a red carpet or to deploy on late-night TV.
To wear Mackie was to announce, in a few thousand rhinestones, that you had made it. His designs were the after-party invitation to stardom: you had to be somebody to get in and you left even bigger.
Working with millions of rhinestones, beads, and sequins, often applied entirely by hand, he created the shimmering, second-skin effect that became his signature. Sweeping feathered capes, dramatic batwing sleeves, high-slit skirts, and towering headdresses altered and elongated the human silhouette, turning television sets and concert stages into high-fashion runways.
- Late Night TV
Though Mackie prized quality, his output was just as remarkable: he designed an estimated 17K costumes during the 11-year run of The Carol Burnett Show alone. His career had already gained momentum through his work with Judy Garland, but it was Burnett’s variety show that made him a star. There, he showed a knack for weaving humor into his designs. Though best known for his signature glitz and glamour, he was happy to break from that style when a joke called for it. The most famous example is the “curtain dress” worn in a Gone with the Wind parody when Burnett deadpanned, “I saw it in a window and just couldn’t resist it.” But The Carol Burnett Show was only the beginning. As Mackie’s empire grew, so did his roster of A-list clients.
- The Flame Dress
Many iterations of “the flame dress” appear throughout Mackie’s portfolio. Its revealing silhouette is built so that with every shimmy and shake, the wearer looks as though they are being swallowed by flames. Each version becomes a reference of a reference of a reference, not to stir up competition between the icons who wore it, but to create a fabulous visual thread of solidarity as if to say, “Aren’t we all so glamorous?”
The dress was originally designed for Cher, but its signature cut and design was popularized by Tina Turner. Both women were navigating messy divorces at the time, and Mackie suggested the dresses served as revenge looks, a way of showing the world just how fabulous they were. The two dresses became perfect foils for one another, a show of solidarity through rocky marriages and a cutthroat industry. Mackie went on to design the costumes for Turner’s solo tours and the flame dress became a lesson in what visual power looks like. As Turner put it: “I looked like I was about to take flight and soar, which was exactly how I felt about being alone for the first time.”
The look has lived on well beyond those two. Versions have been worn by Ann-Margret, Lynda Carter, RuPaul, and Beyoncé, and in 2023, Luxx Noir London brought the dress to season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
- Second Skin Sequins
Another Mackie signature was the “naked dress:” a seamless nylon base adorned with hand-sewn sequins and beads, creating the illusion of glittering skin. It has been imitated by other designers endlessly but not always successfully. Some of the naked dresses that have made their way onto red carpets in recent years don’t come close to the seamless, sequined second skin Mackie engineered.
Cher wore the look many times over the years, but its most notable outing came at the 1974 Met Gala, where she arrived alongside the designer himself. Allegedly people were horrified by the daring design. “It created a lot of hubbub,” Mackie once said. The dress is now praised as the pioneer of the naked dress trend that continues today, and the dress that launched his work into an entirely new stratosphere.
The controversy only grew louder when Cher appeared on the cover of Time in 1975. “It was sort of shocking and wild,” Mackie recalls. “We didn’t expect it at all. In some places in the country, it was banned from the newsstands, or they ripped the covers off. I mean, it was just really silly. Today, you’re lucky if you can keep everybody covered.”
While the look is far less taboo by today’s standards, Mackie essentially paved the way for women to show off their figures on their own terms. While each of his designs were individually curated for the wearer, the looks became a lesson about how what empowers one person may not empower another. Taking control of what you wear, rather than wearing what you’re told, can feel powerful, whether the result is revealing or conservative. For Cher, the dress was about being idolized and noticed in an era when that was a risk.
- Illustrated and Invented “Camp”
Mackie was the original “Camp Counselor” when it comes to the art vessel which is fashion. The majority of his looks were exaggerated and flamboyant, capturing the absurdity of life. Headdresses and obnoxiously long trains were compiled to capture a failed seriousness. Notable looks included Sir Elton John’s glittering Dodgers uniform, which Harry Styles famously paid tribute to by recreating the legendary 1970s look for Halloween in 2018. Elton John also wore the bright yellow duck outfit — complete with a padded silhouette, a tail, and oversized webbed flipper shoes.
- The Next Gen of Gems
Mackie’s client roster has since grown to include Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Styles, as a new generation of entertainment icons have sought a place at his table. Sabrina Carpenter has taken a page from Cher’s playbook by reviving what became known as “the big reveal.” Audiences often tuned in to watch Cher open her show with a dramatic cape sweep, unveiling form-fitting gowns and an array of dazzling pieces. Carpenter’s affinity for Mackie suits her signature blend of vintage pin-up glamour and modern hyper-femininity. Zendaya also honored the same look at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, where she inducted Cher herself. With her long black hair, she echoed Cher’s iconic style. Anya Taylor-Joy has also been spotted in Mackie’s designs.
To say that Mackie engineered a glamour revolution would be an understatement. He churned out vivid Technicolor sparkles that blended massive theatrical drama, heavy hand-beading, revealing silhouettes, and a playful, campy sense of humor.