"We're each calved naked, and the remainder is Bob Mackie," RuPaul erstwhile said of Bob Mackie, 1 of the astir iconic costume and manner designers of the past 60 years.
Mackie, who died connected September 14 astatine 87, created immoderate of the astir recognizable and timeless pieces successful manner history, dressing stars including Cher, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, and Britney Spears.
He besides managed to enactment applicable successful 7 different decades, from drafting the first sketch for Marilyn Monroe's iconic "Happy Birthday Mr. President" dress to providing 1 of the cornerstones for the artistic of Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Life of a Showgirl."
To commemorate his immeasurable effect connected manner complete the years, we've compiled a database of conscionable immoderate of Mackie's iconic and best-known looks, from the '60s to now.
To talk astir Bob Mackie is to talk astir Cher. She wore this creation to the 1986 Academy Awards.
Some would picture this arsenic Cher's "revenge dress," since she was snubbed by the Academy for her domiciled successful "Mask."
Mackie told The New Yorker successful 2018, "There were a batch of group who said, 'That's not fashion!' And I said, 'Of people it's not fashion. It's a crazy getup for attention.' And it did get attraction — group talk astir it still."
Two years later, she won an Academy Award of her ain successful a Mackie design.
Cher was somewhat much covered up erstwhile she won champion character for her capacity successful "Moonstruck."
"She wanted to deterioration 1 of those sheer dresses that covered conscionable what you needed to cover, and the remainder was up for grabs," Mackie told The New Yorker. "Of course, getting each dressed up and winning — you can't hit that. She conscionable wanted to look for illustration Cher."
Another of Cher's iconic Oscars looks was this yellowish two-piece group successful 1973.
Mackie and Cher met successful the '60s erstwhile she appeared connected "The Carol Burnett Show" and instantly connected. She wore this bejeweled two-piece to the 1973 Oscars, baring her abs, mounting the reside for their decades of activity together.
"It wasn't until a small later, erstwhile we started showing a small midriff, that group started getting excited," Mackie told The New Yorker. "It ne'er occurred to her to deterioration thing ordinary."
Wearing 1 of his designs, Cher attended the Met Gala successful 1974 pinch Mackie.
"I've ne'er seen truthful galore photographers conscionable travel retired of the shadows astatine the Met and return her picture. And, of course, she was successful each newspaper the adjacent day, and they've been printing it successful the past 50 years, complete and complete again," Mackie said of this look successful 2025, per People.
"People were horrified, they thought, that's not fashion, she's conscionable naked astatine the Metropolitan," he added. "But it was conscionable amazing."
She rewore the dress to look connected the cover of Time successful 1975.
One of the astir iconic looks from "The Carol Burnett Show," the curtain dress worn successful 1976, was designed by Mackie.
If you've seen "Gone pinch the Wind," you cognize what Burnett was spoofing, but if you haven't: Famously, Scarlett O'Hara fashions a dress retired of her home's velvet greenish drapes to look wealthy.
Burnett, ever the jokester, worked pinch Mackie to create her own curtain dress, this 1 complete pinch a curtain rod crossed her shoulders.
An editor connected the show, Tucker Wiard, told the Television Academy Foundation successful 2011 that the laughter from the workplace assemblage went connected for truthful agelong upon seeing the dress that it had to beryllium trim down for broadcast, and it ended up being the longest in-studio guidance successful the show's 11 seasons.
"Over the people of eleven years, Bob created complete 17,000 useful of creation for 'The Carol Burnett Show' — a prolific genius," Burnett told the Paley Center. "Bob intends the world to me."
Mackie besides worked a batch pinch Tina Turner for her shape costumes.
"She was calved to beryllium connected stage. She conscionable couldn't thief herself," Mackie told People successful 2025, aft Turner's decease successful 2023.
The 2 met aft Turner divided from her husband, Ike Turner, and she was looking to reinvent herself. "She would bargain inexpensive evening gowns successful Paris successful these small shops," he said. "And we would redo these funny inexpensive evening dresses into Tina Turner outfits."
So overmuch truthful that Beyoncé wore a Mackie portion to salary tribute to Turner successful 2005.
The occurrence dress, arsenic it was called, was first worn by Turner successful 1978. Twenty-seven years later, Beyoncé wore the dress astatine the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors and performed "Proud Mary."
Besides Cher, the different personification astir associated pinch Mackie's early profession is Mitzi Gaynor, who wore this transparent dress for her NBC typical successful 1969.
Gaynor, an iconic actor, singer, and dancer from Hollywood's Golden Age, was 1 of the first celebrities to activity pinch Mackie, starting successful 1966.
"Bob created me. He saw facets of maine that I didn't moreover cognize existed and brought them to life successful our activity together. He could make maine look much glamorous than I've ever felt aliases looked astatine 1 infinitesimal and past make maine a comedian aliases a fabulous gypsy pinch a rubber chickenhearted successful the next. He's a genius," Gaynor said of her friendship pinch the designer.
According to Gaynor, this was the "first nude dress that Bob Mackie ever did." It sold astatine auction successful 2019.
The bedazzled Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, possibly Elton John's astir iconic look, was designed by Mackie.
The civilization portion was encrusted successful Swarovski crystals and has lived connected successful the decades since John first wore it. Harry Styles wore his ain version successful 2018 for Halloween, and John himself wore an updated clothes type astatine his farewell circuit successful 2022.
"I did not expect this — I was creating tons of different things for him astatine the time, and it was conscionable different speedy gag," Mackie told Vogue successful 2022. "But I americium delighted it has go truthful very famous, and an important infinitesimal successful Elton's career."
Madonna channeled Marilyn Monroe successful this Mackie creation astatine the 1991 Academy Awards.
Madonna wore the dress to execute astatine the ceremonial — she sang "Sooner aliases Later (I Always Get My Man)" written by Stephen Sondheim — and later rewore it successful her 1992 book, "Sex."
In September 2024, the dress was spotted again, this clip connected the reddish carpet astatine the MTV Video Music Awards, worn by Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter has since worn aggregate vintage Mackie looks.
If you deliberation it looks for illustration Marilyn Monroe's iconic "Happy birthday, Mr. President" dress, you'd beryllium right. Mackie was the 1 who first sketched the dress astatine the behest of designer Jean Louis, per ET.
RuPaul stretched her wings astatine the 1995 VH1 Fashion & Music Awards successful a Mackie creation.
RuPaul and Mackie had a long-standing relationship and moving relationship; Mackie was moreover the first impermanent judge connected "RuPaul's Drag Race" backmost successful 2009.
"We're each calved naked, and the remainder is Bob Mackie," the resistance prima told the Paley Center successful 2024. "No 1 has brought much glamour, beauty, and excitement to the shape and screen."
Britney Spears closed retired her iconic 2001 Dream Within a Dream circuit wearing a crystalline bra designed by Mackie.
This look was primitively designed successful 1981, but it didn't go genuinely iconic until 20 years later, erstwhile Spears wore it during the encore of her Dream Within a Dream tour, immortalized successful an HBO special.
"When personification knew conscionable really to style me, I was ever grateful," Spears wrote of this circuit successful her memoir, "The Woman successful Me." "They are shrewd astir really they presented maine arsenic a star, and I cognize that I beryllium them. They captured maine arsenic an artist. The minds down that circuit were brilliant. It was by acold my champion tour."
In 2025, the bra group sold astatine auction for $78,000, per People.
A caller procreation of women has pulled from Mackie's archives, for illustration Zendaya, for the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
To grant Cher, a 2024 inductee, Zendaya and her stylist, Law Roach, pulled this daring dress from Mackie's archives. This look is from Mackie's 2001 collection, Elle reported.
Following news of Mackie's death, Roach posted connected Instagram to grant him, calling Mackie his "fashion begetter and 1 of the top designers successful the history of American fashion."
For her showstopping capacity astatine the 2024 Grammys, Miley Cyrus channeled Turner successful a metallic Mackie design.
This dress, portion of Mackie's 2002 collection, was loaned to her for the Grammys performance, during which she joyfully shouted retired that she'd conscionable won her first Grammy.
To commemorate the occasion, she purchased the dress erstwhile it went connected auction that December. "This dress represents much than a capacity — it's a ceremony of the narration betwixt music, artistry, and glamour," Cyrus said. "This capacity was a pivotal infinitesimal successful my life, and to person Bob Mackie's support successful securing it intends the world to me."
"As the designer of this dress, I couldn't ideate it connected anyone else. That woman was calved to perform," Mackie said.
One of the looks Taylor Swift wore during her "The Life of a Showgirl" era was designed by Mackie.
Swift's astir caller album, "The Life of a Showgirl," possibly had her astir defined artistic ever, arsenic seen successful the aggregate medium screen variations, the lyric videos, and the euphony video for lead azygous "The Fate of Ophelia."
Given the album's showgirl-inspired aesthetic, Swift had to deterioration a Mackie design. This was different look designed for the Vegas show "Jubilee" (just for illustration the sequined bra worn by Spears).
"They each want to look for illustration that showgirl," Mackie told The New York Times successful 2025 of the caller procreation of young stars flocking to his looks.
"I ever deliberation of her arsenic a small fairy-tale princess," Mackie said of Swift. "That young, young girl. But she's a grown-up now."
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Gabbi Shaw is simply a newsman connected Business Insider's editorial partnerships team. She covers entertainment, travel, food, and manner for Business Insider, and Insider Inc.'s partners, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.She graduated from Tulane University successful 2017 pinch a grade successful nationalist wellness and now lives successful New York City. She tin beryllium reached connected X aliases LinkedIn.Please nonstop each inquiries, comments, aliases tips to [email protected].Selected stories:
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