Cher, Diana Ross, Carol Burnett, Ann-Margaret, Pink, are some of the entertainers that have been blessed to wear the creations of legendary designer Bob Mackie and on Tuesday April 19, surrounded by a bevy of Chicago socialites, Mackie was honored for his talent and accomplishments in the world of fashion. The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum honored Bob Mackie with their Designer of Excellence Award – an honor bestowed upon visionary designers who have left their mark on the fashion world, with past honorees include James Galanos, Christian Lacroix, Sonia Rykiel, Hubert du Givenchy, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, and Ralph Rucci.
The Laurent Perrier VIP reception with the legendary (costume) designer kicked off the night as ladies dressed in their best Bob Mackie creations mingled and took photos with him. Local celeb, formerly of Baton Lounge, Chilli Pepper strutted it in a Bob Mackie original piece honey!
The award for Designer of Excellence was presented to Mr. Mackie by the event’s co-chairs, Robin Loewenberg Tebbe, Linda Johnson Rice and Nina Mariano, before he took the stage for a candid conversation with Hal Rubinstein, author and former founding and editor-at-large of InStyle magazine. They talked about everything from the begining of Mackie’s career, how Edith Head gave him his big break, his first celebrity client Mitzy Gaynor to his thoughts on some of today’s stars, throwing some shade at Jennifer Lopez.
When Hal asked Mackie “What is glamour?” Mackie responded that “it comes from confidence, the thing that makes you feel good about yourself. The Pope is glamorous. There are some people who are just automatically glamorous. Marilyn Monroe is glamorous” and the first person to look glamorous to him was Carmen Miranda. If you follow us on snapchat you will get first hand look at the scene. {sociaLifechi}
When the conversation shifted to the head turning outfit Cher wore to the Oscars, Mackie explained the reasoning why she wore it, she was to have been nominated for “Mask” that year and when she was invited to present an award at the Oscars instead she decided to have something scene stealing, which it did it, was the most talked about thing of the Oscar soon after. There was a time he was also creating 30-40 outfits for Cher’s show while also creating outfits for the “Carol Burnett Show.”
Photo credit: Daniel Delgado/SociaLifeChicago; Bob Carl/Chicago History Museum; Jim Smeal/WireImage.com
