Bob Mackie has a habit of making grown men weep.
“I meet these big couture designers, guys working for
big fashion houses, and they start to cry when I intro-
duce myself,” he says. “I find it quite odd.”
Such reactions are a testament to his legendary status.
While the word “icon” is thrown around like kitten heels
in fashion circles, Mackie, who has just turned 83, is one
of few genuinely worthy of the title. A costume designer
by trade — “Fashion never interested me. It’s quite
boring,” he says — his roster of clients past and present
is an anthology of female superstars. From Judy Garland
to Marilyn Monroe to Diana Ross to Madonna, it’s easier
to identify a starlet Mackie hasn’t swaddled in trans-
parent tulle than one he has.
We speak on a video call with Mackie dialling in
from Palm Springs. Despite a lifetime sketching ball-
gowns and stitching on sequins, his look is
low-key (more Ivy League professor than
chorus line). With a career that spans
five decades (more if you count the years
he spent sketching and building stage sets
in his bedroom), and includes nine Emmy
wins and the lifelong task of designing
clothes for Cher, you would forgive
Mackie a bit of arrogance — but he hasnone. Instead he is charm and warmth personified.
This month marks the UK release of Mackie’s latest
book, a hefty coffee-table number peppered with
pictures of everyone from Angela Lansbury (“an excep-
tional woman,” he says) to Elton John. The afterword is
penned by Cher. Undoubtedly the pop goddess turned
film star turned elephant befriender (as showcased in
her recent documentary — follow @cher on Twitter for
evidence) is Mackie’s best-known muse. The two met
in 1967 when she appeared on The Carol Burnett Show,
where Mackie was working in the costume department.
“When the show was over, her dress started falling
apart, so I fixed it for her,” he says of their first meeting.
A formidable double act was born.
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour followed. “Suddenly,
I didn’t get to go on vacation any more,” Mackie says.
“In the beginning we had no budget, then
people started tuning in to see what she
was going to wear. It was so much fun.”
In 1975 Cher wore one of Mackie’s
designs — the much-copied “naked dress”
— on the cover of Time magazine. She had
previously attended a party at New York’s
Metropolitan Museum (the forerunner of
the Met Ball) in the same dress, with MackieMarilyn, Madonna, Tina, Cher – is there a female icon who hasn’t
worn a Bob Mackie frock? As a book celebrating his work comes out,
he talks to Karen Dacre about 60 years in showbusiness
‘Fashion
never
interested
me. It’s quite
Saniel Arnold/ The New York Times/Redux/Eyevine, Getty Images boring’
Mackie in his
Manhattan
studio, 2018The Sunday Times Style • 27