From Billboard · Gil Kaufman · · 3m
Bob Mackie, the Rajah of Rhinestones, dies at 87
The designer who made Cher's most outrageous looks turned sequins into a language every pop star still speaks.
In brief
The designer who made Cher's most outrageous looks turned sequins into a language every pop star still speaks. Mackie chased the thrill of entertaining rather than fashion-house prestige, and that choice made him the sound of American glamour for six decades. Originally reported by Billboard.
The Rajah of Rhinestones is gone
Bob Mackie, who dressed Cher, Elton John, Bette Midler, Carol Burnett and Barbra Streisand in his signature glitter, has died at 87.
A statement from his page
His Instagram announced the news on Monday morning, Sept. 14, with a photo of Mackie smiling at his drafting table surrounded by markers and sketches.
“He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do.”
Dropout to Edith Head's protege
Born in Monterey Park, Calif. in 1939, he left Chouinard Art Institute, apprenticed at Paramount, then caught the eye of film costume legend Edith Head, who hired him as a sketch artist.
He drew Marilyn's JFK dress
One of his first jobs out of college was the skin-tight crystal mesh gown Marilyn Monroe wore to sing for President Kennedy in 1962. Kim Kardashian wore it to the 2022 Met Gala.
Raised on movie glamour
His grandparents raised him after his parents divorced and pushed him toward the arts. He spent afternoons at the movies and evenings drawing what he had watched.
“I sat in the theater totally mesmerized watching Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth.”
Vegas, then Carol Burnett
Mitzi Gaynor hired him for her Las Vegas revue and TV specials, winning him Emmys in 1976 and 1978. Then came The Carol Burnett Show, where he turned out dozens of outfits a week for 11 years.
The Cher partnership
They met on the Burnett set. He made the sheer feathered nude illusion gown for the 1974 Met Gala, the belly-baring headdress look at the 1986 Oscars, and the seat belt bodysuit from If I Could Turn Back Time.
Never chased Paris
While peers dreamed of couture houses, Mackie wanted the show. Bedazzled Donald Duck and Dodgers suits for Elton John, gowns for Whitney Houston, the Went With the Wind curtain dress, plus Dolly, Madonna, Beyonce and RuPaul.
Nine Emmys and a Tony
Three Oscar nominations, 32 Emmy nods with nine competitive wins plus an honorary one, a 2019 Tony for The Cher Show and its 450-plus costumes, a Barbie line in 1982, and the TV Hall of Fame in 2002.
Still the reference point
Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus have all echoed his 70s and 80s looks, and he played himself on the final season of Hacks, hunting a white jumpsuit he once made for Burnett.
In short
Mackie chased the thrill of entertaining rather than fashion-house prestige, and that choice made him the sound of American glamour for six decades.
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