The Designer & the Muse: Bob Mackie & Cher

By Alexus Mosley

Cher is synonymous with daring, eclectic, and fierce fashion. Since the late 1960s, the triple threat has been pushing boundaries with her iconic style choices, becoming a muse that would inspire many other muses for years to come. As a groundbreaking trailblazer, the recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee shocked the world as the first woman to show her navel on television. The creative genius and visionary behind the feathered headdresses and sequined gowns that we all adore is none other than the artist, fashion designer, and costumier Bob Mackie.

Bob Mackie met Cher in 1967 at a fitting for “The Carol Burnett Show.” Mackie was the show’s costume designer, and Cher and her then-husband, Sonny, were making a guest appearance as the Pop Duo “Sonny & Cher.” It was then that the young glamazon told the designer, “One day when Sony and I have enough money, I’m going to come to you and have some clothes made.” His response was, “I’m ready when you are!” The two instantly clicked, and as fate would have it, Sonny and Cher went on land their own show “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.” It was then that Cher gave Mackie a call, offering him a job as the costume designer. An early step in a working and personal relationship that would go on for more than 60 years.

“It just seemed like the right thing for her,” said Mackie, known as the King of Glitz. “She has one of those bodies that you can almost show everything, and she looked amazing, and she never looked vulgar because she was so toned and so perfect.” Since then, Bob Mackie has gone on to design hundreds of costumes for Cher, including every appearance on “The Cher Show, red carpet appearances such as the infamous “naked dress” that she wore to the Met Gala in 1978, and most recently, the “Here We Go Again” tour.

“When I look at his sketches and costumes throughout the course of my career, I am reminded again and again that there is simply no end to the talent and influence that Bob Mackie has had on me,” says Cher when asked about her relationship with Bob Mackie. Though the designer has worked with many icons over the decades, making many historical moments in fashion (he even sketched the famous glittering, souffle silk worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy.) But the collaboration between him and his muse, Cher is one in a lifetime.