Bob Mackie Says Cher's Style First Shifted When She Became a 'Married Teenage Girl': 'She Was Ready' (Exclusive)

Bob Mackie says Cher always had a strong sense of style – even before she started thinking about it.

Talking to PEOPLE about the new documentary, Bob Mackie: A naked illusionreflecting on his life and career, the iconic designer, 85, tells PEOPLE that Cher was a “simple girl” from the day he met her in 1967. The Carol Burnett Show. (Mackie was Burnett’s costume designer.)

“She has this thing about influencing people who want to know more about her and anything,” he says. “She was a simple girl – just a beautiful but simple girl.”

From the beginning, it was clear to Mackie that Cher had something “special” and a strong sense of style.

“When I first met her, she knew what she looked like. She had her bell rings and fur vests and her little funny, quirky things, but she made it all up,” Mackie recalls.

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Bob Mackie and Cher at the Met Gala in 1985.

Rose Hartman/Getty Images

Cher Recalls ‘Loin Cloth’ Oscars Outfit (and Jane Fonda’s Reaction) After It Was Rejected: ‘My F— You Moment’

“She would dress Sonny [Bono, her first husband] up, and they would come out and sing their songs. She never thought about another type of clothing. She was wearing trendy things that teenage girls wear, but then suddenly she was a married teenager.”

Cher married Bono in 1964 at the age of 18; they divorced in 1975.

When it came to that first style transformation, Mackie says Cher was “just ready to do it.”

“She was ready to dress up,” he adds. “She likes to dress up. It’s interesting how some people don’t really care one way or the other, but she… Give her something fun to wear, and she’s happy. And you can see it.”

Cher and Bob Mackie in May 2024.

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

In the documentary, the two look back at Cher’s 1986 Oscar outfit, explaining that the outrageous look was a response to critics who didn’t believe she was carrying herself as a “serious” actress, despite being nominated two years earlier for her acclaimed performance in Silkwood.

“She said, ‘I’m presenting this award, and they haven’t seen me look like this before.’ Because she made movies and these movies where she played bad and dirty characters. Silkwood and you know, she wasn’t glamorous, so they didn’t see her dress up,” Mackie recalls in the doc.

Cher in a Bob Mackie creation at the Academy Awards in 1986. Getty

She notes that for Cher, “dressing up didn’t mean putting on a nice dress. It meant, you know, good clothes. And I had my sketch pad, so I started drawing. And I drew a little because I knew I probably wouldn’t see her for a month day or two, so I had to start everything.”

Cher recalls being interested in “big feathers,” adding, “I said, ‘I just want—’ and he said, ‘Don’t say anything else.’ We also hung out for a while.”

Mackie continues, laughing: “I said, ‘Should I have a loin cloth?’ And she said, ‘Ooh yeah, I want a loin cloth.’ ”

Cher would win the Oscar for Best Actress two years later Infatuated with the moon.

Bob Mackie: A naked illusion now streaming on Prime Video.

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Source: HIS Education