Designer Bob Mackie Shares Funny Behind-the-Scenes Moment With Cher

Bob Mackie has revealed what it’s been like working with Cher for almost six decades and shared an amusing behind-the-scenes encounter he had with the singer at the start of her career.

The celebrity designer is the mastermind behind historical fashion moments of stars including Tina Turner, Miley Cyrus, Pink and Zendaya. Many celebrities dream of working with Mackie, who has a decades-long friendship with Cher. Together, they pushed the limits of what was thought acceptable in mainstream fashion, changing it forever.

During a conversation with Newsweek, Mackie shared how he and Cher, often called the “Goddess of Pop,” first met.

“She says [she was] 19 [when we met]. I don’t know how old that makes me. I’m a little older than her. But it was like a miracle,” Mackie said about meeting on the set of The Carol Burnett Show in 1967. Mackie was the costume designer and Cher and Sonny Bono were guest stars at the time.

He continued: “I looked at this girl who was in her bell-bottom pants and her fur vests and her kind of gothy-looking attitude, which was not her at all. She was more Audrey Hepburn than any goth girl I’ve ever known.”

Mackie explained that the day they were first introduced, Cher looked completely different from what she looked like on the show, as she was wearing “little pigtails” and a “cute little sun dress.”

“She came to see me and I thought, ‘Well, where’s the girl that was coming?’ And it was her. And she expected some old, old guy—I was pretty young then,” he explained.

“She liked me because I was young, because all the people that were getting television in those days was, you know, they were much older. And she just always felt like the kid. And Sonny was way older too, so that’s just an interesting time in our lives.”

Mackie said producers of The Carol Burnett Show were confused by Cher and questioned what they would do with her. It was the designer who knew the singer was going to be a big star, and it was here that their friendship was formed.

It wasn’t long before the two started collaborating to create jaw-dropping looks that would go down in history. Many of these designs are still referenced today, with the two inspiring designers to take risks and embrace their creativity.

“I said, ‘You don’t have to play anything special. She could be anything, anything in this world that girl could come and she will be wonderful because she loves getting dressed up.’ And I said, ‘If anybody can get their picture in the paper the next day, she’s it,’” he told Newsweek.

Mackie’s prediction about Cher being a star was right, as the “Believe” singer has dominated pop culture for the past 60 years. During our conversation, Mackie was beaming with pride for his longtime friend. He adores the fact that Cher is still an icon—and their working relationship and friendship are both stronger than ever.

He added: “She always listens to me and I’m so grateful when she does that and goes with my ideas.”

They’ve continued to collaborate to this day, with Mackie receiving his first Tony Award for Costume Design for Broadway’s The Cher Show in 2019.

Mackie is currently looking back on his impressive career while on the promotional trail for his new documentary, Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.

The film follows Mackie’s early career as a sketch artist for Paramount Studios to his current status as one of Hollywood’s most renowned designers. He rose to prominence by creating show-stopping ensembles, filled with sequins and flair, for popular variety shows such as The Judy Garland Show, Cher and The Carol Burnett Show. It didn’t take long for him to be approached by a variety of well-known figures who wanted to collaborate with him.

Cher features in the documentary, discussing their fashion highlights over the years. It also includes exclusive interviews with the likes of Pink, Tom Ford, Miley Cyrus, RuPaul and Carol Burnett.

Mackie develops deep connections with his clients, with some becoming lifelong friends. He explained: “I had the best clients ever. My first star client was Mitzi Gaynor and I loved her, she’s one of those people that you know was singing and tapping and doing cartwheels when she came out of the womb. I mean she’s just an enormous talent and funny and she’s gone, we lost her last month, and it hurts because it’s like part of your life it’s over.

“You tend to celebrate holidays and things often with them and especially, well, especially with Mitzi, who always had a big party at her house no matter what the holiday was or what the event was. She loved to give parties and people would dance and laugh and tell jokes and it was like, ‘This is what show business is supposed to be like.’”

Another client that he said was singing the moment they were born was the legend Tina Turner, who he called “amazing.” Mackie designed the costumes for the late singer’s last tour, which ran from October 2008 to May 2009.

“She was not in great shape but a fabulous performer, you would never know that she was failing in any way at all. She was amazing and funny and the thing that she used to do, she’s saying, ‘My feet hurt,’ so just before she’d go on, she’d take a couple of Tylenols and put her Louis Vuitton’s on and hit that stage and never stop for a couple of hours,” he shared.

“You know, it’s people like that to just keep you going. And it makes me know exactly what to put them in. I always check performances before I design for anybody. But lately, some of the younger girls have been going on the internet, seeing pictures of outfits [and asking] ‘Do you still have that? Can I borrow that?’”

Mackie’s dresses have proven to be incredibly popular with the new generation of stars. Often, celebrities or their stylists approach him directly to recreate one of his older designs. Cyrus recently purchased the silver beaded dress designed by Mackie that she wore while performing her song “Flowers” at the 2024 Grammy Awards in February. Zendaya paid homage to Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction while wearing a piece from Mackie’s archive.

“Miley and Zendaya are sort of new, newcomers. I mean, they were baby girls over at Disney. And if you came out of the Disney College or whatever that is, when they put them in there and they give them a show, they just know how to do everything. They know how to dance, they know how to sing, they know what lighting’s best for them, they’re looking at the costume and think, ‘Well, if I don’t do this, that’ll work,’” Mackie said, singing both women’s praises.

“It’s just so funny to see them working because they’re like adults that have been in the business for 20 years or more. I love the fact that they’re so confident in what they do and what they know.

“Miley Cyrus has been watching my stuff for quite a few years and she borrows things and she looks amazing and she performs amazing. That’s what I love—oh, she does so much and has so much confidence—and I love that in a performer.”

Mackie also said he knew Zendaya was going to be a star ever since he watched her on Dancing with the Stars when she was only 16 years old.

He added: “I looked at that girl and I said, ‘Watch out, here she comes.’”

Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion is showing in select theaters and will stream on major platforms from January 10, 2025, to coincide with its debut at The Palm Springs Film Festival.