Bob Mackie: Dressing the Divas

American costume designer Bob Mackie in an undated photo.

In my last post, I introduced American fashion designer Bob Mackie (b. 1940), designer to the stars. He is famous for dressing entertainers such as Cher, Carol Burnett, Diana Ross, Barbara Eden, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, Joan Rivers, Whitney Houston, Pink, Sharon Stone, Beyonce, Goldie Hawn, Barbra Streisand, Bernadette Peters, Lucille Ball, Ann-Margret, and Mitzi Gaynor. He also creates designs for collector’s edition Barbie dolls.

Although his designs can be elegant, they can also be outrageous. Many of Mackie’s most spectacular designs have a Vegas show-girl quality. They are flamboyant. The gowns and bodysuits are skimpy, clingy, see-through, and spangled with strategically-placed sequins, crystals, and feathers. Mackie has been referred to as “The Sultan of Sequins,” or “The Rajah of Rhinestones,” for his sparkling and imaginative costume designs. (1)

Often, his gowns leave little to the imagination of the girl underneath. Of this, he has said:

A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed.”

Mackie has enjoyed tremendous success. He has received nine Emmy Awards and been nominated three times for an Academy Award for dressing Diana Ross in “Lady Sings The Blues,” Barbra Streisand in “Funny Lady,” and Bernadette Peters in “Pennies From Heaven.” In 2002, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Here are a few of his most memorable designs.

CHER

Cher wears a sleek Bob Mackie jersey dress for “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.” ca. 1975.

Cher accepts the Best Actress Oscar for her film role in “Moonstruck” at the 1988 Academy Awards. Her costume was designed by Bob Mackie. It made headlines.

PINK

Singer Pink performs at the 2010 Grammy Award Ceremony in her nude sequined bodysuit by Bob Mackie.

 DIANA ROSS

 BEYONCE

 TINA TURNER

ANN-MARGRET

IVANKA TRUMP WEARS MOTHER IVANA TRUMP’S MACKIE

MADONNA

MITZI GAYNOR

RAQUEL WELCH

SHARON STONE

AND, OF COURSE, CAROL BURNETT 

(1) ”Bob Mackie,” Wikipedia.

READERS: For more Bob Mackie posts, click here. 

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Whitney Houston Dead in Beverly Hilton but Grammy Party Goes On

Michael Jackson wraps his arms around Whitney Houston

The Los Angeles Times reports that pop singer Whitney Houston died Saturday in Beverly Hills at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Authorities are trying to determine a cause of death.

Houston, 48, was in the Los Angeles area for a musical tribute to music executive Clive Davis and had performed and spoken to reporters earlier in the week. Clive Davis was the person responsible for launching Houston’s singing career. Appearing on Good Morning America, Davis once said of Houston:

“The time that I first saw her singing in her mother’s act in a club … it was such a stunning impact. To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine.’

Record studio executive Clive Davis poses with singer Whitney Houston whom he discovered singing in a nightclub with her mother.

Whitney’s publicist Kristen Foster told the Associated Press on Saturday that Houston had died but did not provide further details.

The Daily Mail Online reported inaccurately that Whitney was found by her on-off boyfriend Ray J in her hotel room.

It is now believed that Ms. Houston was found by her bodyguard, “Ray.” The Beverly Hills Police Department say that at 3:43 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time), a 911 call was placed from the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The police were on the scene in two minutes. When they got to Ms. Houston’s room on the 4th floor, hotel staff were attempting CPR on her lifeless body. At 3:55 p.m., the singer was pronounced dead. As of 6:10 p.m. PST, Ms. Houston’s body was still in the room. (Radar Online)

Preliminary findings suggest no foul play.

Oddly enough, the Clive Davis preGrammy Award party – the biggest black tie event associated with the record awards ceremony – went on as planned, just hours after Houston’s death. The party was held in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the same hotel where Houston was found unconscious. It was an eerie incongruency, stars stepping out of limos for the party as Houston fans arrived in tears to lay bouquets of flowers in memory.

Shocked to learn of Whitney Houston’s tragic death, fans flock to the scene at the Beverly Hilton, where they lay flowers and light candles in tribute to the fallen singer

Readers: For more on Whitney Houston here on Lisa’s History Room, click here.

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