From Page Six · · 2m
Bob Mackie, the Sultan of Sequins, dies at 87
The designer who put Cher in a naked dress and Carol Burnett in a curtain rod turned stage costume into pop history.
In brief
The designer who put Cher in a naked dress and Carol Burnett in a curtain rod turned stage costume into pop history. Mackie spent 60 years proving a costume can be the thing people remember longest, and today's pop stars are still borrowing his archive to prove it. Originally reported by Page Six.
A career in sequins ends
Bob Mackie died Monday of pneumonia at 87. His family said he spent his life doing the only job he ever wanted, designing fashion and costume.
“His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”
He sketched Marilyn's gown
Mackie started out assisting French-American designer Jean Louis. He is credited with drawing the first sketch of the bejeweled gown Marilyn Monroe wore to JFK's 1962 birthday party.
Tens of thousands of costumes
From 1967 to 1978 he made every outfit on "The Carol Burnett Show," including the curtain rod dress from the "Went With the Wind!" sketch, now in the Smithsonian.
Dolly, Whitney, Tina, Elton
His client list read like a radio playlist: Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Liza Minnelli, the Supremes, the Temptations, Elton John, Tina Turner and Madonna.
Diana Ross got a wedding dress
Mackie met Ross in 1969 and they stayed close. He designed the silk gown with a long-sleeved lace cape she wore to marry Arne Naess Jr.
Cher was the great collaboration
They met when she guest starred on Carol Burnett's show, and the partnership ran seven decades. His first impression was not love at first sight.
“This girl is not my style. All the pictures of her were like frowning and pouting with Sonny.”
The looks that scandalized
Cher's 1974 Met Gala naked dress, her feather-headdressed 1986 Oscars set, and the 1989 "If I Could Turn Back Time" bodysuit, which Mackie asked not to be credited for.
Barbie, Emmys, a Tony
He dressed nearly 50 Barbie dolls for Mattel, won nine Emmys and a 2019 Tony for "The Cher Show." Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift all wear vintage Mackie now.
The essence
Mackie spent 60 years proving a costume can be the thing people remember longest, and today's pop stars are still borrowing his archive to prove it.
