Althouse: "When Cher went off the air on TV and started doing movies, I said, 'Oh God, I don't have to do anything like that again.'"

October 9, 2025

"When Cher went off the air on TV and started doing movies, I said, 'Oh God, I don't have to do anything like that again.'"

"And then all of a sudden, it all started coming back, because the children were looking on the internet and seeing pictures of people dressed like that, and all of us, we started getting phone calls. So I'm like, okay!... I love it."

Said Bob Mackie, quoted in "Bob Mackie on Taylor Swift, the Spectacle of the Showgirl, and Causing a Rhinestone Crisis/The legendary costumer tells Vanity Fair about the surprise of seeing his archival pieces on the cover of Swift’s newest album, and why showgirls are forever" (Vanity Fair).

19 comments:

rehajm said...: Sorry I like every second of this…Mackie always so optimistic and enthusiastic…a girl friend in my crappy little upstate high school, never any make up but built like Swift, she wore a dress on a date one Saturday like a Mackie creation. It left a few baubles on the floor of my VW. Her mom was a Ford model or some such, a few magazine covers…connected she was. I wonder if the dress was one of his?; 10/9/25, 5:37 AM
Olson Johnson is right! said...: Worth noting Mackie also did Carol Burnett's costumes including the parody Scarlet O'Hara curtain dress (complete with rod and tassels) Show Biz should be over the top and crazy- but he also did Vana White's dresses thru about 3 pregnancies and gave all middle america a touch of class and glamour.; 10/9/25, 5:46 AM
john mosby said...: One of the few benefits of the three-network oligarchy was the huge budget for variety shows. Not just the costumes, but live orchestras, choruses, dance troupes. Every week for ordinary peoples enjoyment.

There's 24 hour Carol Burnett available somewhere, no matter how you get your content. My Vizio smart tv has a channel, for instance. CC, JSM; 10/9/25, 5:50 AM
Dave Begley said...: Travis Kelcee was surprised about Swift’s latest album too.; 10/9/25, 5:50 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: I just looked up the movie Showgirls which I've avoided because of its reputation and now I'm wondering whether pole dancing is still a thing or if, in fact, it ever really was a thing.; 10/9/25, 6:03 AM
hanuman_prodigious_leaper said...: What Happens to All Those Dresses Vanna White Wears on Wheel of Fortune?
“People love watching what I’m wearing,” she said in 2024 Parade interview. “I’ve worn over 8,000 outfits.” Seriously?; 10/9/25, 6:04 AM
tcrosse said...: On The Man Show there was a woman they called Cher, who kind of looked and dressed like Cher, but had a huge pot belly.; 10/9/25, 6:54 AM
Howard said...: I just invested half of my retirement portfolio in Bedazzler Incorporated.; 10/9/25, 7:29 AM
Wince said...: In the movie Showgirls, showgirl Naomi Malone’s roommate is raped by her musical superstar hero Andrew Carver’s security team while Carver simply licks her face, landing her comatose in the hospital with “vaginal tears.”

Sounds like Diddy.; 10/9/25, 7:52 AM
Disparity of Cult said...: It's interesting how people recall the passing of time. It was about half a decade (1977-1982) between the end of Cher's TV career and the start of her movie career.; 10/9/25, 8:09 AM
Temujin said...: Things I never thought I'd read the morning after Trump arranged the start of a peace plan in the Middle East: "Showgirls are forever."; 10/9/25, 8:22 AM
Aggie said...: There is probably no greater compliment for a fashion designer than to see one's creations come back into style for a new generation, with such enthusiasm. Good for him.; 10/9/25, 8:22 AM
Joe Bar said...: I heard a catchy tune during a transition of the talk radio show I listen to at breakfast. Turns out it was "Wood" by TayTay! Interesting.; 10/9/25, 9:11 AM
Bill Peschel said...: Love Bob Mackie. There's a doc about him "Naked Illusion" in which he talks a lot about his creations.; 10/9/25, 9:47 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: There was a song called "Rhinestone Cowboy", so I guess C/W singers were wearing them too.; 10/9/25, 10:28 AM
Josephbleau said...: As I recall Cher dressed like an Indian version of Clint Eastwoods man with no name, kind of stringy and fringy.; 10/9/25, 10:51 AM
PM said...: He's been around since God was a boy. Glad he is.; 10/9/25, 11:33 AM
MadTownGuy said...: My Mom met Bob Mackie when he was selling Karmelkorn at a store in El Monte, California. She had some of her clothing designs along with her and showed them to him. The he showed her what he'd been working on. Oh my.; 10/9/25, 11:38 AM
Joe Bar said...: Cher's original "Half Breed" outfit; 10/9/25, 2:13 PM