See 10 of Bob Mackie’s Most Iconic Designs, from Cher’s Ab-Baring Oscars Gown to Elton John’s Bedazzled Baseball Uniform
See 10 of Bob Mackie’s Most Iconic Designs, from Cher’s Ab-Baring Oscars Gown to Elton John’s Bedazzled Baseball Uniform
Emily BlackwoodMon, September 14, 2026 at 8:43 PM UTC
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Cher at the Academy Awards in 1986 ; Miley Cyrus at the Grammy Awards in 2024Credit: Bettmann; John Shearer/Getty -
Bob Mackie created unforgettable designs for stars like Cher, Tina Turner and Carol Burnett over his decades-long career
His work includes Cher’s 1974 Met Gala dress, Carol Burnett’s curtain dress and Elton John’s Dodger Stadium uniform
The iconic costume designer died of pneumonia on Sept. 14, 2026, at age 87
Bob Mackie’s looks were one of a kind.
Over his decades-long career, the legendary costume designer collaborated with dozens of stars like Cher, Carol Burnett, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Bette Midler, creating unforgettable outfits for television, the stage and the red carpet before his death in September 2026.
Even though his often sequined and feathered ensembles were impossible to ignore, the designer was still surprised by how long they stayed in the spotlight.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Mackie told Tatler in 2022. “Once the Cher show went off the air, everything calmed down for a while. But 10 or 15 years later, all of a sudden, everybody was looking on the internet, and copying things that I had done before. So it’s always a weird thing when that happens, you think, ‘Oh, everybody’s forgotten about that,’ and evidently they hadn’t, or it’s that new people discovered it, whatever it is that I did.”
From Cher’s daring gowns to Carol Burnett’s famous curtain dress, here’s a look back at some of Bob Mackie’s most iconic designs.
01 of 10
Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” gown
Marilyn Monroe in 1962 ; Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress at the ANA Contemporary Museum in 2016Credit: GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty; KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty
While working for designer Jean Louis early in his career, Mackie was tasked with making a dress for Marilyn Monroe. He told PEOPLE in November 2025 that he had no idea at the time that he had sketched the nude gown she would eventually wear to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy during a fundraiser in 1962.
“It was a very early job,” Mackie told PEOPLE. “[Designer Jean Louis] wouldn’t tell me what it was for. He just said, ‘It’s for Marilyn.’ And I went, ‘Oh, okay,’ but he wouldn’t tell me what the deal was.”
02 of 10
Cher’s 1974 Met Gala “naked dress”
Cher and Bob MackieCredit: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Cher caused quite a stir when she showed up to the 1974 Met Gala in a “naked illusion” dress Mackie had created. The Emmy Award-winning designer revealed to PEOPLE in January 2025 that the “Believe” singer chose the sheer, feather-fringed look herself.
03 of 10
Carol Burnett’s 1976 Went With the Wind! curtain dress
Carol Burnett on ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ in 1976Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty
Mackie created over 17,000 designs for The Carol Burnett Showduring its run in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but no costume was as memorable as the curtain dress. Burnett wore the ensemble — which included a brass curtain rod and a hat made from a valence, per the National Museum of American History — to play Scarlett O’Hara in the Went With the Wind! sketch, which parodied Gone With the Wind.
04 of 10
Tina Turner’s 1977 winged bodysuit
Tina Turner in 1977Credit: Harry Langdon/Getty
In 1977, the costumer made a gold-and-silver bodysuit for Turner that featured large, pleated wings and chained fringe, which he told PEOPLE in November 2025 moved “like crazy” when she performed in it during her Caesar’s Palace Residency. The late singer also wore the ensemble for her 1977 Harry Langdon photo shoot and a televised concert the following year.
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05 of 10
Tina Turner’s 1978 flame costume
Tina Turner in the late 1970sCredit: Getty
Mackie’s other showstopping look for Tina was the fiery bodysuit he designed for her nightclub act in 1978. The sequined ensemble was fitted with an orange feathered headdress that went down in fashion history.
06 of 10
Elton John’s 1975 bedazzled Dodgers uniform
Elton John in 1975Credit: Andre Csillag/Shutterstock
When Sir Elton John performed at Dodger Stadium in 1975, he did so rocking a Mackie-made bedazzled Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. They collaborated again for the singer’s farewell tour in November 2022 to recreate the look, including the crystal- and pear-encrusted cap that was lost years ago.
07 of 10
Cher’s controversial 1986 Oscars gown
Cher at the 1986 Academy AwardsCredit: Bettmann
Mackie and Cher collaborated on eye-catching designs many times over the years, including her controversial, midriff-baring 1986 Oscars gown. In a November 2019 interview with Vogue, the pop icon admitted that she wore the jewel-embellished bralette and feathered headpiece to present an award because the Academy “didn’t really like” her.
The designer told PEOPLE in April 2019 that he had advised Cher not to wear it. “Critics said, ‘Well, that’s not fashion,’ ” Mackie recalled. “Well, it wasn’t meant to be fashion. She wanted to do it just because it was fun.”
08 of 10
Madonna’s sparkling 1991 Oscars dress
Madonna at the Oscars in 1991Credit: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The designer told Rolling Stonein May 2019 that Madonna wanted to wear a Monroe-inspired look to the 1991 Academy Awards. So he made her a sparkling, silver-beaded white gown that was “printed everywhere” thanks to her bringing Michael Jackson as her date. Three decades later, Sabrina Carpenter wore the dress to the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.
09 of 10
Pink’s 2010 Grammy Awards sequined bodysuit
Pink performing at the 2010 Grammy AwardsCredit: Jeff Kravitz/Getty
During her jaw-dropping performance of “Glitter in the Air” at the 2010 Grammy Awards, Pink stunned in a bedazzled, sheer, strappy bodysuit that Mackie said had to be “perfect.” He later explained to Rolling Stone, “There can’t be any mistakes because just a little wardrobe malfunction could be disastrous when you’re up in the air like that. It terrifies me when I go see her.”
10 of 10
Miley Cyrus’ 2024 Grammy Awards dress
Miley Cyrus during the 2024 Grammy AwardsCredit: John Shearer/Getty
The vintage Mackie dress Miley Cyrus wore during her performance of “Flowers” at the 2024 Grammy Awards was almost as iconic as her swapping out the lyrics to exclaim, “I just won my first Grammy!” But the fringed look, originally designed for a 2002 Broadway-themed collection, must have meant a lot to the singer, because she purchased it at auction months later.
on People
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