Bob Mackie: An Appreciation Thread

Let’s discuss the maestro of stage costumes from Cher to Elton to Tina.

His Lorelei costumes were wonderful.....

I was dismayed to see not one single Mackie at the Metropolitan Museum’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion” exhibit by the Costume Institute.

Maybe there was one and I missed it? The exhibit was super-gay but Mackie wasn’t mentioned.

Mackie Trivia:

Bob Mackie is the only person ever to win a design award TONY (Best Costumes) for a show in which s/he was also a character in the play/musical (The Cher Show).

On March 14, 1960, Mackie married LuLu Porter (née Marianne Wolford), a singer, actress, and later an acting teacher. The couple had a son, Robert Gordon Mackie Jr. (known as "Robin"), the previous year. The couple divorced in 1963. Robin Mackie, a makeup artist, died in 1993 at the age of 33 of an AIDS-related illness, predeceasing his parents.

He did some great clothes for country singer Dottie West, turning her from a traditional gingham clad female country singer into a sexy supterstar. The image change helped launch her crossover period.

He's amazing. Important to remember is that he didn't just do all those glamorous gowns for Carol Burnett and Cher (and many others), but even their gag costumes for their skits.

R7 Yes remember he won a Emmy for Mama's Family.

Did he ever do costumes for Elton John? He should have, they share exactly the same sort of taste.

And it's not like Mackie was too proud, he did Barbies for fuck's sake. And yes, I AM ashamed to have remembered that Bob Mackie did a series of Barbie dolls.

R9, Yes, he did Elton's costumes for the Cher Show, and even that Donald Duck outfit for his concert in Central Park.

He also jumped into the celebrity-fragrance fray in the early '90s.

I think he did great costumes for Carol Burnett, but her dresses to greet the audience were not that great. Carol didn't have the body to be showing her shoulders and arms. It looked like he was dressing a scarecrow.

went to an autog signing party at I magnin once of his, he was turdy.

wanted only rich ladys there I tink.

ancient man

I think he dressed Judy Garland beautifully.

R2 There was one in the Camp exhibit, as I was looking specifically for it. It was at the very end as you exit and to the left, it may have been the second one in from the door on the lower level. It was in crystals and perhaps light blue in shades with an elaborate head piece. It looked very Cher late 70s early 80s.

He still looks great on QVC hocking his clothes to the fraus. And he hasn't lost his sharp wit! Team Bob Mackie

He was/is able to give his clients a distinctive and timeless which belongs only to them. That's a talent.

R2, R15 again, just found this that does place Mackie as being in the exhibit and mentions Cher’s crystal encrusted gown, but doesn’t say that it’s his. Then in the photos to the extreme right lower level, you will need to open the link to see it, not in the preview image, you can actually see the dress.

Probably his most memorable costume although a Cher costume would be a run for the money.

[quote]He was/is able to give his clients a distinctive and timeless which belongs only to them. That's a talent.

OOPS! S/B: "He was/is able to give his clients a distinctive and timeless style..."

I really should proofread before I hit the "Post" button.

This article makes it sound like the Met Camp exhibit was all about Mackie and Cher!

So wait. Bob Mackie was straight?

Hmm... I wonder why this design didn't create some sort of controversy?

R15, r19, thank you for that. I missed it. Only realized after, as I was quite dazzled and it was very crowded.

Very glad he wasn’t left out, and I’ll head back and look for it.

Every once in a while, I’ll see a piece (vintage and not-so-vintage) Mackie at a thrift shop. Aww.

He did quite a few costumes for Elton John. the sequined L.A. Dodgers uniform, that ridiculous Donald Duck costume. And the devil costume that Elton wears when he stomps into a therapy session in "Rocketman" is a version of a real one Bob Mackie had designed for him.

R26 It looks like Essence magazine didn’t take issue with it and in 2016 said it was perfect for wearing even today.

does he do the designing or the people he hires?

[quote]does he do the designing or the people he hires?

He draws the pictures. Little boys in China have to sew on all those beads. They get 2 cents an hour and are glad for the work! Then the dress is mailed to Cher and she has someone cut half the beads off because the dress is too heavy for her anorexic body to carry.

Mackies costumes are actually designed and constructed in the USA.

What about his retail line?

I always thought that Ray Aghayan was Mackie's partner.

[quote]I always thought that Ray Aghayan was Mackie's partner.

What did Mackie see in that ugly little troll?

[quote]What did Mackie see in that ugly little troll?

MONEY!

He also designed for Mitzi Gaynor.

Mitzi's very funny at r7, r38.

Bob Mackie is genius. Terrible businessman.

In the 80's he started a couture line, was bankrolled by the mob and was ultimately bankrupted by them. All the wives and girlfriends were coming in for free stuff. Wedding gowns aren't cheap.

All of Mr Mackies' clothes are made here, not China. And yes, he has several assistants.

The dress that put him on the map was the see through feather number Cher wore to the Met Gala and the cover of Time magazine. Said dress was a update of a "naked" dress he did earlier for Mitzi Gaynor.

Mr. Mackies' gowns were/are great but his real talent shows in his work for skit comedy. (The C.B. Went with Wind curtain dress and Chers' Laverne get up to name a few.)

He hit on my partner at L'Orangerie once when I was late.

Nice man, pretty humble considering and resembles a handsome elf in person.

Carry on.

[quote]The dress that put him on the map was the see through feather number Cher wore to the Met Gala and the cover of Time magazine. Said dress was a update of a "naked" dress he did earlier for Mitzi Gaynor.

MMPH! What a difference....

Miss Bernadette Peters, aged 70, looking fabulous with Bob, in one of his creations

Reply 43 Apologies posted a crap link

[quote]Reply 43 Apologies posted a crap link

Is he flashing a gang sign on Bern's abdomen?

He could do over the top glamour but he could do dowdiness equally well. He did the iconic costumes for "The Family (Ed and Eunice Higgins, Thelma Harper)", which perfectly suited their hick sensibilities. And of course the put upon Stella Toddler was outfitted as the ultimate frump. In addition to the costumes, Mackie would create undergarments that would create body parts to complement the character; remember Harvey Korman's gigantic breasts in that flowered dress? And Carol Burnett, in homage to Mackie, let the audience see the full extent of his genius. She removed her costume to show the undergarments underneath, which simulated drooping breasts and a sagging behind.

His costumes epitomized glamour.

None of this porn star influenced shit they wear today.

I will be honest, I have trouble reconciling him as a fashion designer as opposed to being a costume designer.

Miss Gloria Klein, a glamorous but shady drag queen from Miami, is wearing Bob Mackie at 11:20 in this clip from the 1992 Miss Continental pageant. The rumor going around that year was that she got her boyfriend to steal it for her from one of the big local stores.

"In the 80's he started a couture line, was bankrolled by the mob and was ultimately bankrupted by them. All the wives and girlfriends were coming in for free stuff."

Tell me more!

Also tell me if any other famous fashion houses are bankrolled by the mob. I'll take what gossip I can get.

Here's the Mitzi Gaynor "naked" dress mentioned above.

I never wanted to see this much of Mitzi Gaynor.

[quote]I will be honest, I have trouble reconciling him as a fashion designer as opposed to being a costume designer.

He has nothing on Nolan Miller....

Mackie did not come off well in Moon Over Broadway but it also showed how well Carol Burnett knew how to handle him.

Michael Costello of Project Runway was one of Mackie's protégées and his Beyonce Grammy dress was a definite Mackie descendent.

It seems relatively tame now, but the "naked" dress he did for Cher was considered really hot stuff back then. She wore a somewhat censored version of it on Time magazine. She also did a talk show appearance wearing it, and admitted it had "a lot more sequins" than it did originally. In its original form it was very revealing. She said she wore it to some event and a man approached her and said "how does it feel to be out in public naked?" She was taken aback by that because she said the dress let you "see but not REALLY see", everything.

Mackie stuff on u tube led me to mitzi Gaynor interviews::::such a fun broad !!!!

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