In Bob Mackie’s world, everyone was meant to shine. His designs could be technically brilliant and completely unserious. They could be sexy. They could be camp. They could be ridiculous. They could even be all three, yet they were always perfect, too. Joy was a prominent word in his vocabulary, evident in how he helped his stars become gloriously unafraid to be themselves.
With his passing at 87, the world has lost one of fashion’s greatest champions of extravagance. There’s comfort, however, in seeing his designs find new life on younger stars, including Sabrina Carpenter, Zendaya, and Miley Cyrus.
The times and faces have changed, yet the desire to look fabulous certainly hasn’t. Cool girls wore Bob Mackie then. Cool girls wear Bob Mackie now.
Zendaya
Of course Zendaya can make a design from 2001 look like it was made yesterday, as she did while honoring Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Sabrina Carpenter
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Before Sabrina Carpenter made vintage Mackie her own at the 2024 VMAs, Madonna had worn a custom version of the silver-beaded 1991 gown to the Oscars. Consider it a very glamorous baton pass from one generation of pop troublemaker to another.
Miley
Fringe flying, hips moving, Miley Cyrus performed “Flowers” at the 2024 Grammys in a Mackie minidress from 2002—and later bought the thing herself at auction. Clearly, returning it was never going to be an option.
Ariana Grande
For Saturday Night Live in 2025, Ariana Grande wore the same Mackie dress Carol Burnett had worn on The Carol Burnett Show in 1973. Its swirls of orange and yellow looked every bit as joyful on another star who knows how to put on a show.
Anya Taylor-Joy
Anya Taylor-Joy knows how to show up for a friend. She wore a dress from Resort 1990 to honor Miley Cyrus at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2026.
Cher
Where does Cher end and Bob Mackie begin? After decades together—and countless feathers, beads, headdresses, and strategically exposed inches of skin—the answer hardly matters, because few creative partnerships have made excess look quite so essential.
Madonna
Madonna channeled Marilyn Monroe while performing “Sooner or Later” at the 1991 Oscars in custom Bob Mackie, diamonds flashing as she committed completely to the Old Hollywood fantasy. Subtlety had absolutely no business being there.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton was one of the larger-than-life entertainers he dressed throughout his long career. Put the king of rhinestones together with someone who has never met “too much” without asking for a little more, and really, what else could happen but magic?
If there’s anything to take from Bob Mackie’s legacy, it’s that we could stand to be less self-conscious about what makes us feel most like ourselves. There’s power in knowing exactly how you want to move through the world and refusing to dilute it for anyone else’s comfort. Judging from the photos of his showgirls alone, freedom is a spectacular sight.
Featured image: SABRINA CARPENTER (via Instagram)
