Bob Mackie
Bob Mackie and his Life in Entertainment and Design
“Bob” Mackie, Robert Gordon Mackie was born in 1940 in southern California. He is an American designer that is probably most famous for dressing famous faces. Mackie was inspired by the movies and Hollywood glam. He went to school for one year to study illustration and advertising from the Pasadena City College. Then Bob went on to Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles to study costume design. After he was done studying, he got a job as a sketch artist for Jean Louis. Louis is most famous for being a film designer. While Bob was working for Paramount Studios, he was discovered by Edith Head. They collaborated and worked with each other extremely well.
When he started his career, he created some of the classic glamorous styles that are worn by show girls in Las Vegas. He exceled in the entertainment industry and started creating costumes that celebrities could wear on television or on the red carpet. The designer is also sometimes referred to as the sultan of sequins because his designs were so sparkly. He designed the outfits for Caeol Burnett’s show for all of the eleven seasons. The “curtain dress” was a dress that came with a hanging rod. The audience thought that this look was hilarious and they loved his creation for the character, Scarlet O’hara. Judy Garland, who was one of the most talented entertainers of all time, wore Bob Mackie’s clothing to multiple events. Modern celebrities that have been seen wearing Mackie clothing include Beyonce, Pink, Katy Perry, and much more.
A celebrity that Bob loved to work with and dress was Cher. They met each other while they were working on the television set of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour”. People would tune in just to see what Cher was going to have on. Although the singer may not be known for having the best fashion sense, she does always turn heads. The over the top images that people probably have of Cher include Mackie’s clothing, including the sensual cat suit that she wore during “If I could Turn Back Time”. The singer contributed to Mackie’s successful career when she was featured on the cover of “Time Magazine”.
Bob started to venture out into new industries. The debut of his signature perfume “Mackie” was a big success. The Perfume Unmistakable was released in 1991. People who adore the fragrance say that it has a lot of fruity undertones. The next year the Mackie cologne was released. It featured a unique masculine smell that is appropriate for day time wear. Some of the unique notes include basil and nutmeg. Nine years later, the Bob Mackie brand released the fragrance called Masquerade. It is meant for women who want a subtle smell of oriental flowers mixed with some warm scents such as musk. Some top notes in the scent include pineapple and peach. He started an extremely successful home furnishing line. He used his glamorous sense of style to create décor that makes people feel like they are in a high end hotel. Mackie also teamed up with the popular brand, Barbie, in order to create his own signature collection. An example is the Bob Mackie Brazilian Banana Bonanza Barbie Doll. She is a gorgeous girl who is wearing a colorful skirt that is partially made out of bananas. The rest of her costume is full of color, including a head piece that is full of flowers and fruit and a green and white striped sarong.
Bob has been awarded numerous awards over the years for his fashion contributions. The most notable is probably his admittance into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He is the only person in the Hall of Fame for being a costume designer. The Otis College of Art and Design decided to celebrate the designer by giving him the Design Legend Award.