So the two of them [Bob and Cher] would go out and look at things from every angle and create looks that people would just be wowed by. After a couple of years working in Vegas, doing stand-up, and singing, and making jokes and whatever, CBS hired them to do a weekly show. She said, No ones seen me dressed up for a couple of years,because she had stopped and done a play and some moviesand I said, Okay, what would you like? Well, I want a big headdress. A headdress? His comfort was work, and it still is. Mackie has a golden roster of clients, but its his work for Carol Burnett and Cher that is best known. He was just playing in a new sandbox. I dont think camp is a bad term, I think camp is another way of saying they shocked people, and sometimes it made them laugh and sometimes it just left them in awe. He loved fashion because thats where he started, but when it came to designing anything for like a housewife he had no idea; he thought they all dressed like Donna Reed in the perfect shirtmaker dress and starched apron. you know, with her tummy out and showing half of her whatever. I think thats a hallmark of most of the things that Bob has made in his life; he still looks at fashion or costume, or culture really, through a childs wondrous eyes. I dont think there is anyone in the history of costume design who could do what Bob did, and continues to do. He designed all the funny stuff, and all the beautiful stuff. After his parents divorced, the 6-year-old Gov. Joe McFate, design director, Bob Mackie: Ray was Persian and he got himself into the United States, he learned to speak English, and he got himself an education, and directed plays and designed costumes. [I think] he sees the actual construction of [a garment] as part of the aesthetic. Shes a whole different kind of a girl, and she could be anything. She started appearing and wearing, kind of you know, slinky clothes, because her body was perfect and she could wear anythingyou could expose practically anything; it was amazingso we just started doing crazy stuff on her. Hes obviously a brilliant designer, but hes not full of himself and overly dramatic in his regular day-to-day life. boom! make or break you financially? And then all these people, the Kim Kardashians of the world, start copying her. Bob truly does believe that you have to have fun in this life. , and to this day he has retained a childs sense of wonder,pairing itinhis work with craftsmanship, humor, and an instinctive grasp of character. 26 Feb Feb These days you must communicate with people. Some may say [his work is] objectifying women, but when you have women like Cher, Tina [Turner], and Carol [Burnett], their talents are so gigantic that they deserve to be objectified! When I met Cher, I dont know, I just thought she was the cutest thing ever, and then I looked at her figure and I mean I thought, And so thats kind of how it started. And bing-bong, there he was on time, and I opened the door, and he looked like he was 12 (he still does), and I said, Are you Bob Mackie? On this same site in 1850, a large slaughterhouse and meat-packing facility was constructed to serve northwestern Kentucky and nearby Cincinnati, Ohio. . Mallis: When Cher told Bob what she was wanting to wear and how extravagant she wanted it all, he kind of resisted and said, But youre presenting an award, youre going to take the attention away. As it turns out, Don Ameche said he never got more photographed and more publicity than he did when Cher wore that dress to present to himwhich was kind of her way of saying Fuck you to the Academy because she wasnt nominated for Mask. Were going to laugh together. Mackie: You have to do something that you love. Berresse: Bob truly does believe that you have to have fun in this life. This kid and I who are traveling cross-country, we stop at the fictional Bob Mackie Museum in Mt. Somehow the way he looks at costuming enhances the joke of a comedy scene. I want to wear something really fun. I had done several outfits for her over the years, some of them were bare midriff and whatever. hes a genius, thats all. I do have to say spending time in his workshop was one of the greatest experiences of my life. ], he was offered a lot of other [jobs]. Bob Mackie (American, born 1939) 1972. Isnt it Diana Vreeland who said that? Give them what they dont know they want? Well [thats what he did]. Give them what they dont know they want? Well [thats what he did]. Bob Mackie was the engine of an incredible moment: most probably Cher would have not been Cher without his designs. When I first started doing Cher, these starlets were coming out of the woodwork. [It was] just the kind of thing you think never happens; when someone sees you and recognizes you for your own [worth]. I havent even heard that word in 40 years. As a costume designer, he influenced fashion dramatically. . By the way, thats a character she plays. Suarez: Bob was kind of a household name during The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, and Im not even sure how that happened because I dont think any TV designer has ever crossed over in that way to become part of pop culture the way he [did]. When I got famous, the first phone call I made was to Bob Mackie, because I grew up watching, show and I knew that the mark of a superstar was to have Bob Mackie costumes. After a couple of years working in Vegas, doing stand-up, and singing, and making jokes and whatever, CBS hired them to do a weekly show. I think thats how Bob looks at things, that if you just stand something on its head, its not so shocking anymore. Tim Conway wrote those characters, and originally he had Mrs. Wiggins, shes the secretary the IQ fairy never visited. Evening dress. It was truly love at first sight. Theres a great line in the [Broadway] show where a censor complained that there was underboob showing. Bob had the pulse of his clients; he listened to them and he knew what they wanted and he gave the stores what they didnt have. This is beautiful. Its like a dichotomy. She doesnt look like all the blonde girls with the beehive hairdos and the flips that are out here now. He was really a pioneer of branding an American designer. They have also lived in Kooskia, ID and Elk City, ID. In a ceremony held on September 19 at the Tina Turner Museum at Flagg Grove School in Brownsville, TN, officials from Tennessee State joined Tina Turners longtime friend and Executive Personal Assistant Rhonda Graam and Tina Turner Museum Executive Director Sonia Outlaw-Clark, to debut the ensemble which was personally selected by the Tennessee native and international music icon. And then when I was about 10 or 11 years old, I went to see An American in Paris, and when the ballet came on, I just thought it was the most beautiful thing Id ever seen. . I chose [to wear Mackie [to the 2009 Met Gala] because to me it represented all the glory and pomp of a red carpet fashion moment at its best. Movie parodies were always a mainstay of the Carol Burnett Showand her 1976 Gone With the Wind takeoff is unforgettable. Hours: Monday: Closed. and I said, Boy, the costumes shes wearing are really great. And then Alice in Wonderland was on television, and those costumes were just unbelievable, and we saw the creditBob Mackieso we said, Well, maybe well be lucky enough to get him. So we called, and we made an appointment for him to come over to the house. You cant ignore his presence and his success even if hes not your cup of tea. . RED CARPET FOLLIES I always just sort of pray in my life somebody will give me a nice 19th-century movie or a good 1930s Depression film [to do]. McFate: I thought I was meticulous you have no idea how important the fitting process is to him. Mackie is unique. Beautifully. I think there were times where Bob would have liked Cher to be a little more demure, and she would just look at him and go, Nope, were going big here. Gregg Barnes, costume designer: The curtain dress is so, so iconic, I think they should put it in a box of all the most famous things from the 20th century. I want to wear an outfit. Thats Bob: a beautiful meal and then . Posted on 26 Feb in delores winans grandchildren. Bobs response was, Well, if we stand her on her head, it will just be cleavage. Its something he actually said, and we put it in the show and it gets a roar every night. Whats the point in doing it if youre not going to make it perfect?. Can Seventh Avenue . He designed all the funny stuff, and all the beautiful stuff. Berresse: Bob truly does believe that you have to have fun in this life. and so I set up a meeting with Bob Mackie and Judy Garland and violins played, I mean you could see a love affair taking place. His is a singular vision without compromise, and his creations are almost operatic. Thank you for signing up, fellow book lover! Wonderful pieces that look gorgeous in the hand as well as on the body. [On one project] we were getting down to the wire and I was getting really worried about finishing it, and I remember him saying to me, Theres always time to make it perfect. At the time it didnt really help, [but] I do think of that and I think, Yeah, you know what? His designs have been worn by Tina, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Sarah-Jessica Parker, and Kylie Minogue among many others. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Tina as selling more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Cher: I met Bob when I was 19. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: Wonderful museum - See 14,975 traveler reviews, 5,757 candid photos, and great deals for Nashville, TN, at Tripadvisor. I hope that as people walk through the school they see that I set an example for a home town girl that grew up in hard times that made a good life for herself and to follow by example.. Movies are a treasure trove of camp. He is good looking, elegant and has a charming voice. Im not exactly sure why, but it was clear that Seventh Avenue didnt really embrace him and never made it easy for him. Bob Mackie sanctified the voice and the attitudes of the rock stars who are the gods of the 20th century. A true artist and living legend, welcome to the Bob Mackie website. His interest lies less in what a character wears than in why. I think some of the early 1930s films are the campiest things that ever happened, and they still are. Strimple: You know one of my most joyous moments was when the CFDA wanted to give Bob an award and he didnt fit in any category that they had, so they created an award for him, its called the exuberance award, and it sums up everything Mackie, because hes an original. The Art of Bob Mackie is the first-ever comprehensive and fully authorized book showcasing Mackie's work, from his early days as a sketch artist for the legendary Edith Head at Paramount to his . Originally it was written that I would come down the stairs with the draperies just kind of hanging on meand you know Bobs got this wicked, wonderful sense of humorand he said, You know, thats not that funny. So he sketched up [something new] and he called the prop department and said, Send me over the curtain rod and material. When I went into the fitting that Wednesday, he said, I have an idea for the curtain dress. I walked into the room and there it was, and I fell on the floor, I was laughing so hard, and I said, This is going to go down in history as one of the greatest sight gags ever in the history of televisionand it has. It goes hand in hand. There are a lot of young designers coming up that have been inspired by him and appreciate him. Juliet, Tennesse, in search of some sparkle and Bob Mackie's. Traveling six hours of their way, Robert insists on seeing the Bob Mackie museum. He was just playing in a new sandbox. For a long time, that all I know how to do are Cher dresses. And I said, Bob, youre going to have to take it in back there, because Im flat, and he said, No, no stick your behind into it. And I did and that gave me that look, where it looked like she had a big rear end and that funny walk; that gave me her character. In 1982, the Bob Mackie ready-to-wear collection and Bob Mackie Barbie collectable dolls debuted, ushering a groundbreaking time for the Mackie brand. That associated him with television. Mackie: The CFDA gave me an award quite a few years ago, actually. For high resolution images of the Tina Turner Museum (photo credit West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center), click here. Everybody has a different idea [of] what constitutes camp. Burnett: I dont think there is anyone in the history of costume design who could do what Bob did, and continues to do. bob mackie museum tennessee bob mackie museum tennessee. 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