A little while ago, I brought you a fabulous spotlight on one of my very favourite designers and this week, I’m going to come to another. The fabulous, absolutely sparkling Bob Mackie!
Born in California in 1939, Bob has had the pleasure of dressing an almost endless list of icons including Cher, Bette Midler, Elton John, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, RuPaul, Carol Channing, Lucille Ball, Whitney Houston and Pink. The list goes on and on! He really has designed for everyone! Hopefully, my turn in the queue will be soon. Must be patient.
It’s hard to tell with Bob Mackie if he’s a fashion designer or a theatre costumier or a little of both. He’s worked extensively in both fields, but often borrows from each to lend to the other. There’s a definite showy, theatrical quality to everything he designs, but also an amazing amount of elegance. He’s not afraid to play with colour and certainly isn’t afraid to show some skin, often using trademark cutouts and nude-illusion pieces in his designs, with these more often than not embellished with sparkles and beads. In short, you know when you’re looking at a Mackie design. He’s often described as ‘the sultan of sequins’ or the ‘rajah of rhinestones’ and in his own words has said “A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed.” And noticed they are, as his string of awards, including nine Emmy Awards and multiple Academy Award nominations, will attest.
Mackie’s showy, often revealing style is often synonymous with Las Vegas, possibly because so many stars have had shows there featuring his costumes or partly because showgirl-esque revealing costumes dripping with beads and embellished with feathers are a regular fixture in his designs. Bob’s been in the business so long, it’s hard to tell if vegas influenced him or if he influenced Vegas.
As a drag queen, I know that his work has influenced my costume ideas from the start. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that Bob’s work has made its impact of drag culture in general, in particular the pageant scenes and most definitely the showgirl scene. Just a quick look through my sketch book will show a very definite Mackie influence, along with some of the gowns I’ve worn in the past, many covered in dangly sequins and beads, the nude illusions, the feathers and especially items like my beaded wigs. All very classically Mackie inspired. And I have no intention of straying from that. There’s a Mackie for every occasion! Even everyday wear, as he has a range of dress and casual wear on the likes of QVC, making his style and his name available to mere mortals too!
As I said, his influence on the Drag Scene is profound and you’ll often hear him name dropped on shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and in many other places in pop culture from The Simpsons to Daffy Duck to Broadway musicals. The comedy drama ‘AJ and the Queen’ had a whole episode centered around a Bob Mackie museum in a small town on their travels, which of course led to a showcase of some truly stunning outfits, including a famous silver one he made for Ru in the 90s.
Bob’s work may span a great time period, but will always remain timeless. The language of sparkle is eternal, after all! Let’s hope we’re enjoying his work for a long, long time to come.So tell me, are you familiar with Bob’s work? You probably are, even if you didn’t know it. Do you have a favourite Mackie outfit? Maybe you even own some Mackie (in which case I’m incredibly jealous). Tell us all about it in the comments and until next time, stay safe, stay sane and stay… Vidalicious!
