Bob Mackie was born in 1939, the same year that Gone with the Wind, The Women, and The Wizard of Oz were released. Mackie has always been intrigued with films and it is where his passion for design originated. Starting at a young age, he was taken to the movies by his mother and sister, where they would typically watch musicals. A 1951 movie changed Bob Mackie’s life forever. He went to see An American in Paris. In the film, there is a ballet sequence, and he thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Mackie decided that is what he wanted to do in life and tried to figure it out when he saw the name. Irene Sharaff. She was the costume designer for An American in Paris and became Mackie’s idol.
Mackie loved the entertainment industry, but he had little interest in fashion. Immediately after finishing school, he began working. He got a job working at Paramount Studios working under Edith Head. He was given free rein by Head for the flamboyant designs for things like musicals and showgirls. After working with Head, he went to work for Jean Louis, where he drew Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress. Louis loved fashion and glamour, which is clear in his designs and seems to have influenced Mackie’s designs.
In September 1967, The Carol Burnett Show premiered. Mackie had already had a few television jobs, including the tv movie Alice Through the Looking Glass, which earned Mackie an Emmy award. But this show would be the one to put him on the map. His sense of humor and willingness to commit to a joke helped him create of the best sight gags seen on television. There was a parody sketch based on Gone with the Wind, that had Carol Burnett playing Scarlett O’Hara-type character. Burnett enters wearing a dress draped with curtains and a curtain-rod coming out of her shoulders, and says, “I saw it in the window and just had to have it.” The original idea for the dress just had curtains hanging off of Burnett, but Mackie did not think that was funny enough. He called the prop department on the show and requested the materials and began building the new dress, which is now in the Smithsonian.
One of things Bob Mackie is most known for is being Cher’s designer and close friend. When they first met, Mackie was intrigued by Cher. She was unusual for the time. Most girls were blonde, had had beehives or flipped their hair out, but Cher had straight, black hair and wore fur vests and big belts. Mackie began designing for Cher, and he could experiment and try pretty much anything. She had a body that looked good and allowed for him to try slinky clothes and bizarre cut-outs. Cher has had some of the most iconic red carpet looks ever, thanks to Bob Mackie. For the 1986 Academy Awards, Cher was presenting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and told Mackie that for the event she did not want to wear a gown, she wanted to wear an outfit. She had been busy doing movies and plays the last few years and had not been seen in her typical outfits. Mackie was originally unsure of Cher’s idea to create a costume and a giant headdress, but he was convinced and designed the iconic garment, and it became Cher’s little revenge for not being nominated for Mask that year. Cher was one of the most photographed people that night, and her picture was in every newspaper the next morning.
If you are interested in seeing some more of Bob Mackie's designs, you can look here:
https://variety.com/lists/chers-10-best-outfits-bob-mackie/
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-pictures/bob-mackie-sketches-cher-broadway-841423/
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photos-Preview-20-Iconic-Designs-from-THE-ART-OF-BOB-MACKIE--Available-Now-20211214
I'm genuinely jealous you got to Mackie before me. He is truly a brilliant designer and his work is so iconic. The Carol Burnett outfit is one of my favorites of all time. The drapery and ugh omg so good. There's a lot of commotion for these garments. He continues to be truly an inspiration.
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