38 Gorgeous Bob Mackie Designs Through the Years
The sequins, the glitter, the feathers, the drama—name a more exciting costumer than Bob Mackie; we’ll wait. The fashion extraordinaire, who got his start as a sketch artist for Edith Head and Jean Louis in the early '60s, has quite the resume. Throughout his career, he’s designed show-stopping wardrobe for pretty much everyone, including Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Diana Ross, and of course, Cher. He was the in-house costume designer for The Carol Burnett Show, has dreamed up countless stage costumes for Elton John’s concert tours, and even partnered with Mattel in the ‘90s. Did we mention he’s also received nine Emmy awards? The incredible fashion designer, whose looks are still worn by countless It-girls today, including Dua Lipa and Zendaya, has done it all and then some.
In honor of Mackie’s illustrious career, we rounded up some of his most gorgeous designs. From the sparkly ensembles Cher walked various Met Gala red carpets in, to the custom creation Madonna wore to the Academy Awards, here are some of our favorites.
1962: Marilyn Monroe’s Famous ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ Dress
Did you know that Mackie designed the dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to then-President John F. Kennedy in 1962? As the story goes, Mackie—at only 23 years old—was working as an assistant to the French designer Jean Louis when he sketched the legendary design.
1960s: The Carol Burnett Show
Bob Mackie not only helped make the costumes on The Judy Garland Show in the early-60s, but he also was the in-house costumer for The Carol Burnett Show. Mackie designed up to 70 costumes for Carol and her guests each week, totaling over 16,000 costumes during the show’s 11-year run. In fact, it was on The Carol Burnett Show in 1967 that Mackie would meet his future longtime collaborator, Cher.
1968: Dionne Warwick on The Carol Burnett Show
One star who wore a Bob Mackie creation while performing on The Carol Burnett Show was the legendary singer Dionne Warwick. Here, she’s pictured in a black tulle mini dress adorned with a large center bow.
1974: Diana Ross
Mackie designed countless outfits for the iconic singer Diana Ross through the years. Here, she’s wearing one of his sequined bodysuits for a publicity photo she shot in the ‘70s.
1974: Met Gala
Mackie attended the 1974 Met Gala with Cher, who famously wore one of his incredible designs. The dress, which became known as “the naked dress,” has been reimagined in recent years by modern-day It-girls, including Kendall Jenner, EmRata, and Bella Hadid. Cher’s original version featured long feathered sleeves and tons of glitter and sparkles.
1975: Rita Moreno on The Carol Burnett Show
In 1975, Rita Moreno performed on The Carol Burnett Show wearing a spectacular silver Bob Mackie gown with a high slit.
1975: Barbra Streisand in Funny Lady
Mackie did the costume design for Funny Lady, the sequel to Funny Girl that also starred Barbra Streisand, and the looks were seriously out of this world. They made such an impression that the famous designer was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design that year.
1975: Bette Midler at the Grammys
That same year, Mackie designed a look for another famous performer—Bette Midler. Here, Midler is pictured wearing a sequined black gown (with a vinyl record pinned to her hair) while hugging Stevie Wonder at the 1975 Grammys.
1975: Carol Burnett and Cher on Cher
Mackie also designed the costumes for Cher’s solo variety show, titled—you guessed it—Cher. Here, Burnett and Cher can be seen dancing around in gorgeous silver gowns paired with white fur-trimmed stoles and matching hair accessories.
1975: Raquel Welch and Cher on Cher
In 1975, Raquel Welch and Cher wore matching Mackie ensembles while performing together on Cher’s variety show.
1977: Cher in a Bob Mackie Blouse
You might be used to Mackie’s elaborate jewel-encrusted clothing, but he created more subdued yet eye-catching pieces, too—like this floral blouse Cher wore in 1977.
1977: Bob Mackie Party
Former talk show host Sarah Purcell is pictured here posing next to one of Mackie’s frilly designs while attending one of his Los Angeles parties in the 1970s.
1977: Diana Ross in Glitter and Sequins
Diana does it again. In the late-70s, the singing sensation looked incredible wearing yet another Mackie creation—a jeweled, long-sleeved gown with wrist tassels that resembled mini disco balls.
1978: Cher and the Flame Dress
Cher posed for a photo shoot in the late-70s wearing what would become one of Mackie's most recognizable designs to date—a burning flame dress. Throughout the years, countless stars, including Tina Turner and Beyonce, have also donned this look.
1983: Linda Gray in a Bob Mackie Design
Linda Gray, of Dallas fame, walked the 1983 Met Gala red carpet, wearing a slinky black Bob Mackie dress that featured a plunging, criss-cross neckline.
1983: Iman on the Runway
Iman turned heads while walking down the runway for the Bob Mackie spring 1983 show dressed in a striped caped creation.
1984: 1984-85 Resort Collection
The designer’s 1984-85 resort collection was something else. Here, Mackie works backstage with model Anna Bayle as she practices her runway walk in a feline-inspired sequined look.
1985: With Cher at the Met Gala
In 1985, Cher walked the Met Gala red carpet arm in arm with Mackie. That year she wore a striking black and gold bedazzled gown featuring a high neckline and a flowing train.
1986: Cher at the 58th Annual Academy Awards
Just months later, Cher appeared at the 1986 Academy Awards wearing an over-the-top Mackie getup with a sequined caged top and a towering headpiece. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Cher said she chose this outfit because she felt that the Academy didn’t like or take her seriously.
1986: Elton John’s World Tour
Mackie also worked with Elton John countless times throughout the decades—the designer even came up with John’s memorable Los Angeles Dodgers costume that Harry Styles recreated years later for Halloween. Here, the performer is pictured wearing one of Mackie’s lavish looks. The two began their working relationship in the early-'70s when John reached out to Mackie after being inspired by Cher’s impressive wardrobe.
1987: Bob Posing with a Model
Here, Mackie is seen posing cross-legged with a model wearing one of his chic evening wear designs—a glamorous body-hugging red dress with a voluminous train.
1988: At New York Fashion Week
Mackie was snapped backstage at his 1988 New York Fashion Week show with two models sporting a couple of his sequined designs.
1990: Collaboration with Mattel
Dreams do come true. In 1990, Mackie joined forces with Mattel to create a limited edition Barbie sporting one of his custom looks. Here, he’s pictured with Mattel executive Ed Winter and actress Sally Struthers, and if you look closely, you can see the sequin dress-clad Barbie.
1991: Madonna at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards
In 1991, Mackie created a Marilyn Monroe-esque gown for Madonna to wear to the Academy Awards. As the story goes, the iconic singer wore one of Mackie’s dresses for a Vanity Fair cover earlier that year and reached out to him to create a custom look for the Oscars.
1995: Sharon Stone in Casino
Yes, Ginger, played by the inimitable Sharon Stone, wore a slinky Mackie look in the famous mob movie Casino. The early-90s dress weighed a whopping 35 pounds and was adorned with countless metal sequins.
1998: Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards
Seinfeld actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus donned a gorgeous pink satin Bob Mackie gown with a fitted bodice and lace neckline to the 1998 Primetime Emmy Awards.
1997: Fall 1997 RTW Collection
Mackie’s fall 1997 RTW collection had no shortage of fabulous sequined frocks and sparkly numbers.
1999: 1999 Women’s Collection
A standout look from his 1999 women’s collection was this beaded tulle gown paired with an elaborate floral headpiece and removable train.
2001: Fall 2001 Collection
One model was snapped in an extraordinary feathered purple headpiece and muff while strutting down the catwalk during his fall 2001 runway show.
2002: Fall 2002 Runway Show
Mackie’s fall 2002 ready-to-wear collection runway show was a tribute to Broadway’s leading ladies. While some of his models wore more pared-down looks, others were outfitted in show-stopping ensembles, like this sequined and feathered ensemble.
2005: Beyonce in the Flame Dress
Beyonce heated things up when she performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., wearing one of Mackie’s flame dresses.
2008: Anjelica Huston’s Dress Sketch
Here, Mackie poses next to actress Anjelica Huston holding the sketch of the dress he made for her red carpet look at the Costume Design Guild Awards in 2008.
2010: Pink at the Grammys
The singer wore a custom Bob Mackie design during her 2010 Grammys performance.
2018: The Cher Show on Broadway
Mackie not only created some of Cher’s most memorable looks through the years, but he also dreamed up the costumes for Broadway’s The Cher Show.
2020: Anya Taylor-Joy at the Emma Premiere
The ever-glamorous Anya Taylor-Joy wore a vintage Bob Mackie dress to the Emma premiere in 2020. Law Roach styled the look.
2022: Dua Lipa on the Jingle Ball Red Carpet
Dua Lipa flaunted a vintage ‘90s Bob Mackie frock to the 2022 Jingle Ball red carpet.
2022: Zendaya at the Time 100 Gala
Zendaya always knows how to work the red carpet. For the 2022 Time 100 Gala, she chose a strapless gown made with teal and turquoise silk faille and green velvet. The dress initially appeared in Mackie’s fall 1998 collection.
2023: Kim Petras at the Grammys
Singer Kim Petras wore a vintage Bob Mackie gown from the designer's 1983 collection to the 66th Grammy Awards.
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