Professional career

Mackie began his career as a sketch artist for legendary French haute couturier, Jean Louis, who is, perhaps, best known for crafting stage gowns worn by screen legend Marlene Dietrich during her career as a cabaret singer. Mackie and future life partner Ray Aghayan worked with legendary costumer Edith Head in 1961 while working as a novice designer at Paramount Studios. In 1969, Mackie was hired to design costumes for Diana Ross, The Supremes, and The Temptations' second television special, "GIT:On Broadway". In 1972, he and Aghayan were nominated for Best Costume Design for "Lady Sings The Blues", starring Diana Ross. Mackie and Ross continued their collaborative efforts well into the 21st Century, with Mackie designing stage costumes for Ross' 2010 "More Today Than Yesterday" tour. Mackie designed costumes for the Las Vegas Strip-based burlesque shows, Hallelujah Hollywood, which was inspired by the Ziegfeld Follies and ran at the MGM Grand (now Bally's Las Vegas) from 1974 to 1980, and Jubilee!, which ran from 1981 to 2016. Both productions involve intricate, elaborate costumes and grandiose sets. Images of many of Mackie’s design drawings for these productions are available in the Showgirls collection from UNLV Libraries Digital Collections.

Two of Mackie's best-remembered creations had a humorous aspect. While working on The Carol Burnett Show, he designed a "curtain dress" (complete with a curtain rod across the shoulders) that Carol Burnett wore in the Gone with the Wind parody: Went with the Wind!. Mackie also designed the exotic ensemble worn by Cher at the March 1986 Academy Awards: black stretch pants, a bejeweled loincloth, knee high boots, a black chainlink top, and a huge feathered Mohawk headdress that was one and a half times taller than her head. Introduced by Jane Fonda with the words, "Wait'll you see what's gonna come out here," Cher was appearing as a presenter after what many considered an Oscar snub (Cher was not nominated for her performance in Mask). "As you can see," said Cher, "I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress."

Mackie is also known for having designed costumes for Whitney Houston, especially splashy evening gowns which she wore for many years during concert tours and award shows and which became a significant element of her appearance.

Mackie is often called the sultan of sequins, or the rajah of rhinestones, known for his sparkling and imaginative costume designs He has won nine Emmy Awards for his designs, and has been nominated three times for an Academy Award.

Mackie has said, "A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed."

Mackie is also known for his exclusive dress designs for collector's edition Barbie dolls.

In 1981, Mackie guest starred as himself on two episodes of the television series The Love Boat.

In 2002, Mackie was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Mackie attended Pasadena City College and Chouinard Art Institute. On March 14, 1960, he married LuLu Porter (née Marianne Wolford), a singer, actress, and later an acting teacher. She had given birth to the couple's only child, a son, Robert Gordon Mackie Jr. (aka Robin Mackie), the previous year. The couple divorced in 1963, and Robin Mackie, a makeup artist, died in 1994 of an AIDS-related illness.

Mackie's life partner was costume designer Ray Aghayan, whom Mackie had started working with as an assistant. The two worked together on projects at least through the 1970s, as well as having separate clients. They were together until Aghayan's death in 2011. In early 1993 Mackie was over a million dollars in debt, which caused him to sell his $850,000 Beverly Hills mansion and Los Angeles studio.

Notable Mackie clothing wearers

Some of the people who have worn Mackie's outfits include:

• Edie Adams
• Anna Maria Alberghetti
• Debbie Allen
• Julie Andrews
• Susan Anton
• Bea Arthur
• Lucille Ball
• Kaye Ballard
• Ann-Margret
• Mikhail Baryshnikov
• Anne Baxter
• Willam Belli
• Beyoncé
• David Bowie
• Carol Burnett
• Karen Carpenter
• Vikki Carr
• Diahann Carroll
• Lynda Carter
• Carol Channing
• Cyd Charisse
• Charo
• Barrie Chase
• Cher
• Petula Clark
• Rosemary Clooney
• Natalie Cole
• Joan Collins
• Mary Costa
• Celia Cruz
• Lila Deneken
• Robbie DeVine
• Angie Dickinson
• Marlene Dietrich
• Phyllis Diller
• Fran Drescher
• Doris Duke
• Barbara Eden
• Cass Elliot
• Nanette Fabray
• Lola Falana
• Sally Field
• Totie Fields
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Peggy Fleming
• Judy Garland
• Teri Garr
• Mitzi Gaynor
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Eydie Gorme
• Robert Goulet
• Betty Grable
• Linda Gray
• Rachel Griffiths
• Deidre Hall
• Shalom Harlow
• Teri Hatcher
• Goldie Hawn
• Rita Hayworth
• Florence Henderson
• Lena Horne
• Dee Hoty
• Whitney Houston
• Anjelica Huston
• The Jackson 5
• Elton John
• Grace Jones
• Shirley Jones
• Lainie Kazan
• Chaka Khan
• The King Sisters
• Labelle
• Patti LaBelle
• Cheryl Ladd
• Padma Lakshmi
• Abbe Lane
• Angela Lansbury
• Carol Lawrence
• Vicki Lawrence
• Cloris Leachman
• Michele Lee
• Janet Leigh
• Annie Lennox
• Liberace
• Eva Longoria
• Jennifer Lopez
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• Shirley MacLaine
• Madonna
• Melissa Manchester
• Barbara Mandrell
• Jayne Mansfield
• Mary Martin
• Steve Martin
• Marsha Mason
• Marilyn McCoo
• Ethel Merman
• Bette Midler
• Ann Miller
• Liza Minnelli
• Kylie Minogue
• Mary Tyler Moore
• Agnes Moorehead
• Sharon Osbourne
• Marie Osmond
• Jack Palance
• Dolly Parton
• Katy Perry
• Bernadette Peters
• Pink
• Jada Pinkett Smith
• The Pointer Sisters
• Jane Powell
• Priscilla Presley
• Juliet Prowse
• Martha Raye
• Sharon Redd
• Helen Reddy
• Debbie Reynolds
• Chita Rivera
• Joan Rivers
• Diana Ross
• RuPaul
• Brooke Shields
• Dinah Shore
• Beverly Sills
• Jean Simmons
• Alexis Smith
• Maggie Smith
• Britney Spears
• Barbara Stanwyck
• Sharon Stone
• Gale Storm
• Barbra Streisand
• Donna Summer
• The Supremes
• Toni Tennille
• Cheryl Tiegs
• John Travolta
• Kathleen Turner
• Tina Turner
• Sylvie Vartan
• Gwen Verdon
• Raquel Welch
• Dottie West
• Mae West
• Flip Wilson
• Oprah Winfrey
• Pia Zadora

Cultural references

• Daffy Duck in episode 9 of season 2 of The Looney Tunes Show explains that he's wearing a Bob Mackie jumpsuit in a photo of himself.
• Bart Simpson in episode 18 of season 5 of The Simpsons ("Burns' Heir") offers to Milhouse Van Houten the blazer he is wearing stating it is a "Bob Mackie original". Milhouse responds "Wow! A Bob Mackie!" before declining the offer.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]