From The Hollywood Reporter · Maureen Lee Lenker · · 1m 30s
Bob Mackie, the Sultan of Sequins, dies at 87
The designer who put Cher in a feathered Mohawk and Carol Burnett in a curtain rod has died at 87.
In brief
The designer who put Cher in a feathered Mohawk and Carol Burnett in a curtain rod has died at 87. Mackie proved costume design is storytelling: his clothes told you who a character was before anyone said a line. Originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The Sultan of Sequins
Bob Mackie died Monday at 87. He won nine Emmys dressing Cher, Diana Ross, Mitzi Gaynor and Carol Burnett in outfits built to be seen from the back row.
Announced on Instagram
His team shared the news on his own account, framing a life spent doing exactly the one job he ever wanted.
“He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer”
Oscar nods with his partner
With Ray Aghayan, his life and professional partner, he earned three Oscar nominations, including 40 full 1930s looks for Barbra Streisand in Funny Lady.
Vegas to Carol Burnett
Gaynor hired him in 1966 for her Las Vegas revue. Burnett saw the show and brought him to CBS, where he made a reported 17,000 pieces across 11 seasons.
The curtain rod dress
His Scarlett O'Hara gown, worn with the rod still in it, mocked Gone With the Wind and made the sketch. Burnett said his outfits often told her who she was playing.
“He saved me and many a comedy sketch by coming up with wonderfully funny character outfits”
Cher, and that Mohawk
Her Sonny and Cher wardrobe ran a reported $30,000 an episode. At the 1986 Oscars he gave her a bejeweled loincloth, chain-link top and a towering feathered headdress.
The big picture
Mackie proved costume design is storytelling: his clothes told you who a character was before anyone said a line.
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