Chouinardian Bob Mackie, the legendary costume designer known for his era-defining creations for Cher, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and even Marilyn Monroe, recently revealed he’s also behind Taylor Swift’s burlesque look for her upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift’s revealing costume, a sparkling demi-bra and matching underwear, was first designed by Mackie and dancer Peter Menefee for the “Jewel Finale” of Las Vegas revue Jubilee!
Donn Arden’s Jubilee! ran from 1981 to 2016, making it the “the longest running showgirl spectacular in history,” as Mackie said on Instagram. Mackie shared two images of Swift in her dazzling showgirl outfit from a photoshoot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, as well as one of a dancer in the same ensemble from the original Las Vegas show. The look, which was handcrafted in France, was an homage to the classic Ziegfeld Follies of the 1920s and 1930s.
Stylist Jose Rodrigo, who worked on Jubilee! as a dresser in the 2010s, and dipped into the show’s archives to outfit Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl, told Page Six, “What truly differentiates Mackie from anybody else is that we’re looking at 40 years of these costumes being actively used, worn and archived—and yet when we dusted them off, the vibrancy, the design and the structure [was still there]. They were built with the best of the best. He is a master at his craft, and his designs have endured decades.”
Mackie, who is now 85, was responsible for some of the most glamorous fashions of the ’70s and ’80s, including the sheer black Oscar dress Cher wore when she won Best Actress in 1988 for Moonstruck. The actress memorably quipped at the time, “As you can see. I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress.”
Mackie began his design career at Chouinard Art Institute, which merged with The Los Angeles Conservatory of Music in 1961 to form CalArts. He left the school in 1960 to take a job as an assistant to Ray Aghayan at Paramount Studios, a role he held for three years.
One of his first assignments proved to be historic: He drew the original sketch of the dress Marilyn Monroe wore to breathily sing “Happy Birthday” to then-President John F. Kennedy in 1962. Kim Kardashian caused a stir when she wore the vintage gown to the 2022 Met Gala, which was nothing compared to the pearl-clutching when Cher wore Mackie’s “naked dress” to the 1974 Met Gala.
Mackie went on to become the go-to designer of the ’70s, fashioning outfits for TV, stage and screen. He has won a career total of nine Emmys, including the very first award given for costume design in 1967 for a production of Alice Through the Looking Glass.
The prolific artist has also been nominated for three Oscars, including 1973’s Lady Sings the Blues, 1976’s Funny Lady and 1982’s Pennies From Heaven.
Last year, Mackie won his first Tony for The Cher Show, in which he dressed three different actresses depicting the singer and actress at different stages in her career. “I just hit 80, and to get your first Tony Award—it’s very encouraging. As Ruth Gordon said when she got her Oscar,” he told Broadway World.
Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl will be released on Oct. 3.
