Bob Mackie March 24, 1939 — September 14, 2026
“The Crown Prince of the Imperial Monarchy of the Island of Bling”
Frank Vlastnik
Glamour is having a good time…and enjoying yourself. You don’t want to look foolish… but you want to have a good time.
Bob Mackie
Some people are born into the exact time and place to become the definition of their milieu. Bob Mackie was one such person. Born in California just as Hollywood was producing spectacular cinematic movies, he absorbed the glitz and glamour and raised it to celestial heights. He has been called the “Sultan of Sequins,” the “Rajah of Rhinestones,” and the “Guru of Glitter” with good reason. Bob Mackie made clothing extravagant, fun and memorable. More than that he understood the power of design to create and communicate individual identity. His toolbox was crammed with all manner of sparkling elements, feathers, fringe, and shiny, stretchy illusory fabrics. It is safe to say he had a ‘good time’ creating ‘glamour.’
He dropped out of Pasadena City College Chouinard Art Institute, when offered a job as sketch artist at Paramount Studios, where he met and worked with the legendary costume designer, Edith Head. By 1966 (age 27) he was designing for Mitzi Gaynor, his first star client. That may seem a long time ago—60 years, more than half a century—but Mackie continued to create and amplify the identities of our most brilliant contemporary performers. Stars like Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Dolly Parton, Carol Burnett, Tina Turner, Elton John and, of course, Cher.
Cher was perhaps the ultimate muse for Mackie. She famously said that without Bob Mackie she was a “peacock without feathers.” Mackie took the young Cher from “Hippie Chick” to the icon of “Glamour Chic,” He understood that her striking, extraordinary presence required striking and extraordinary clothes. And he delivered: Cher at the 1974 Met Gala wearing the “naked dress,” Cher in the almost not-there feathered look at the 1986 Academy Awards and Cher wearing a shocking transparent black body stocking while straddling a cannon for her “If I could Turn Back Time” video. More than sixty years after they began working together, his designs are still copied, reproduced and reinterpreted for a new generation.
If Cher showcased Mackie’s glamour in sparkling glory, Carol Burnett brought out his sense of humor and fun. For eleven years of the Carol Burnett show, he designed every costume for every character—more than 17,000 garments! Burnett’s persona was an opposite type to Cher. Furthermore, she was a comedian who required costumes to communicate humor as much, sometimes more, (according to Burnett) than the skit itself. For “old lady” characters, Mackie used rice inside bras to make the breasts sag and move naturally, he told Burnett to stick out her rear end to fill out an oversized dress, resulting in the distinctive walk of a recurring character. Most famously, he designed the “curtain dress” for the parody skit “Went With the Wind.” By including the curtain rod and valence, the reference to the original novel is immediate but made unforgettable and funny. It is a cultural touchstone now housed in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Mackie could make costumes fun but he also knew when and how to project strength, power and resurrection, as he did with Tina Turner. He began working with her after a devastating marriage and divorce, just as she was emerging into her own superstardom. He dressed her in the ultimate revenge dress to express her independence and resilience. We see Tina’s muscular, shapely legs striding across the stage in a short fringed, glittering dress belting out “Proud Mary.” The flame-inspired dress was a literal visual metaphor of a phoenix rising, blazing proudly, fiercely, from the ashes. Dramatic, sexy, powerful— not a creation but an extension of Tina Turner herself.
Glamorous, Fun, and Dramatic, Elton John added Excessive to Mackie’s repertoire. Understated is not a word that describes Elton John’s approach to dress and style. Mackie understood this and, perhaps, gleefully hopped onboard giving the world Elton covered in rhinestones, Elton in a bejeweled Dodgers uniform and hilariously, Elton in a Duck Suit because… why not? It was Elton John and Excess was the point along with the Fun, the Drama and the Glamour, all in one larger-then-the-rest-of-us personality.
The fabulous fantasies did not end with performers. In 1975 Mattel engaged Mackie to design for its star, the Barbie doll. He brought the same extravagance, theatricality and fantasy to an entirely new and young audience. To the already beloved doll, he added cultural diversity in both features and dress. By using the same fabrics and special effects combined with the rigorous construction that he applied to creating for his living clients, he elevated the Barbie brand adding sophistication and forward thinking to how dolls contributed to fashion and culture. Some of his most notable doll designs include the first “Bob Mackie Barbie,” Glamour Barbie,” “Star Trek Barbie,” Diva Barbie,” and Barbie as Cleopatra.” Through the doll, a generation learned clothes express identity, can entertain, can be a statement of intent and growth.
Bob Mackie is sometimes dismissed as just a costume designer, but that overlooks the serious and technical skill he brought to his creations. Behind the sparkle and glitz was also an understanding of both the performance and the individual personality of the performers. He knew when an outfit needed to be elegant, sophisticated, when and how to make a strong statement and when to get over-the-top silly and ridiculous. His approach and philosophy sits companionably alongside Chanel’s advice, “Don’t be like all the rest of them” or Diana Vreeland’s admonition, “Don’t be boring.” Mackie simply said “Dare to be noticed.”
He himself was noticed and honored with nine Emmys, a Tony Award, three Academy Award nominations and, in 2002, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. He dressed the celebrities of over six decades and made them into stars. The next time you see a meteor shower, you might imagine it’s Bob Mackie dressing the stars of Heaven’s stage.
