Bob Mackie reveals what it was like to work with Cher for almost six decades and shares a fun behind-the-scenes encounter he had with the singer early in her career.

The celebrity designer has masterminded historic fashion moments for stars including Tina Turner, Miley Cyrus, Pink and Zendaya. Many celebrities dream of working with Mackie, who shares a decades-long friendship with Cher. Together, they pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in mainstream fashion and changed it forever.

“He says [she was] 19 [when we met]. I don’t know how old that makes me. I’m a bit older than her. But it was like a miracle,” Mackie said of meeting on set 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 wearing bell-bottoms and a fur vest and she had a sort of goth-looking attitude, which she wasn’t at all. She was more Audrey Hepburn than any goth girl I’ve ever known.” known.”

Mackie explained that on the day they were first introduced, Cher looked completely different to how she did on the show, as she was wearing “little braids” and a “cute little sundress”.

“She came up to me and I thought, ‘Well, where’s the girl who was coming?’ And it was her and she was expecting some old, old guy — I was pretty young at the time,” he explained.

“She liked me because I was young, because all the people who were getting TV at that time were, you know, much older. And she always felt like a kid. And Sonny was much older, too, so it was an interesting time in our lives .”

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

It wasn’t long before the two began working together to create a stunning look that would go down in history. Many of these designs are still referenced today, with both inspiring designers taking risks and embracing their creativity.

Mackie’s prediction that Cher would be a star was correct, as the “Believe” singer has dominated pop culture for the past 60 years. During our interview, Mackie beamed with pride in his longtime friend. He adores the fact that Cher is still an icon – and their working relationship and friendship is stronger than ever.

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

They have continued to work together to this day, with Mackie receiving his first Tony Award for Broadway’s costumes 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 traces Mackie’s early career as an illustrator for Paramount Studios to his current status as one of Hollywood’s most famous designers. He came to the fore by creating stunning ensembles, full of sequins and flair, for popular variety shows such as The Judy Garland Show, Cher and The Carol Burnett Show. It didn’t take long before he was approached by various well-known personalities who wanted to work with him.

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

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

“You tend to celebrate holidays and things with them a lot and especially, well, especially with Mitzi who always had a big party at her house no matter what the holiday was or what the occasion was. She liked to have parties and people dance.” and laughing and telling jokes and it was like, ‘This is what show business is supposed to be like.'”

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

“She wasn’t in great shape, but she was a fabulous performer, you’d never know she’d failed. She was amazing and funny and what she’d do was say, ‘My legs hurt,’ so right before she’d go on she’d take a couple of Tylenol and she put on Louis Vuitton, hit the scene and never stopped for a few hours,” he said.

“You know, people like that just keep you going. And because of that, I know exactly what to put them in. Before I design for someone, I always check the performance. But lately, some younger girls have been going online, looking at pictures of clothes [and asking] “Do you still have it? Can I borrow it?”

Mackie dresses have proven incredibly popular with a new generation of stars. He is often approached directly by celebrities or their stylists to recreate one of his older designs. Cyrus recently purchased a silver beaded dress designed by Mackie, which she wore to perform her song “Flowers” at the 2024 Grammy Awards in February. Zendaya paid tribute to Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction wearing piece from the Mackie archive.

“Miley and Zendaya are kind of new, rookies. I mean, they were little girls at Disney. And if you came from Disney College or whatever, when they put them in there and put them on a show, they just know how to do everything, they know they know how to dance, they know how to sing, they know what lighting is best for them, they look at the costume and think, ‘Well, if I don’t do this,'” Mackie said, praising both women.

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

“Miley Cyrus has been following my stuff for quite a few years now and she’s borrowing stuff and she looks amazing and she’s a great performer. That’s what I love—oh, she does so much and has so much confidence—and I love that about an artist.” .”

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

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

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