Not only have we been gifted with tales from the life of Cher to enjoy this holiday season from her memoir, but in a bit of fortuitous timing, there’s also a new documentary on her longtime fashion collaborator Bob Mackie! Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion is playing in select theaters and will hopefully be available to stream soon, because two hours of sequins and beading and feathers is exactly what the doctor ordered. Costume designer Mackie dreamt up iconic looks for Cher, Carol Burnett, Diana Ross, and many more, including relative youngins Pink and Miley Cyrus. If he could turn back time, though, Mackie would firmly say no to Cher’s request for a V-printed sheer bodystocking to wear for her 1989 music video for “If I Could Turn Back Time.” As opposed to what he actually did, which was sheepishly make what he called a “vulgar” outfit, and politely ask Cher never to tell anyone that it was one of his creations.

In the new documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, Mackie reflected on designing Cher’s controversial look for her 1989 “If I Could Turn Back Time” video. In the film, out now, Mackie called the “seat belt” outfit — which was a sheer bodystocking other than two fabric strips forming a V on the front and a small back strip over her tattooed buttocks — “vulgar.”

“We put a lot of wild, sexy clothes on her at different times,” Mackie told Yahoo Entertainment. “Sometimes I’d say, ‘Well, you can’t wear that for this,” … an award show or whatever, and she would [disappointingly reply], ‘OK.’ But she wanted to wear that. Bicycle pants were in, but see-through bicycle pants are really scary.”

Mackie, who had outfitted the singer for more than a decade at that point, including for the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour and the Cher show, said he agreed to design it — with Cher’s agreed-upon silence.

“I said, ‘Please don’t tell anyone that I designed this,’” he said with a laugh. “‘Don’t let anyone know this. I’m embarrassed,’ and she was fine about it. Now she admits that, no, it wasn’t so good.”

…While the “naked dress” has had a huge resurgence in Hollywood over the last several years, Cher wearing a feathered and sequined naked illusion dress, created by Mackie and Ray Aghayan, on the cover of Time magazine in 1975 also caused a kerfuffle.

Cher first wore the dress — made of souffle, a sheer fabric that is no longer in use because it is highly flammable — for a Vogue photo shoot with Richard Avedon and to her first Met Gala in late 1974.

“It was a fabric that actually was against the law in this country, but Marlene Dietrich had brought it in for her gowns and we had the same dress people working for us as Dietrich,” Mackie explained.

As for his creation for Cher, “It’s just one of those crazy, crazy things, but it got a lot of attention.”

In 1975, one of Avedon’s photos was used for a Time cover — “Cher Glad Rags to Riches” — and it received even more attention.

“It was banned in the South,” Mackie said of the cover. “Some people thought [the dress] was just shocking. You couldn’t see anything, but you thought you could. You make them think they’re seeing everything, but they don’t see anything.”

[From Yahoo! Entertainment]

I would just like to have a moment of appreciation for the statement, “Bicycle pants were in, but see-through bicycle pants are really scary.” Those words have and will continue to stand the test of time. Because Mackie was absolutely right in 1989 — it was a vulgar, embarrassing outfit! Only I think the embarrassment is Cher’s, for a) wanting to wear that, and b) not trusting her friend when he clearly thought it was a bad idea. I mean, once someone says, “I’ll do this, but don’t tell anyone, ever, that it was me,” isn’t that a big clue? On the other hand, Cher sticking to her vision and then laughing about it years later also checks out. Clearly their relationship has endured, and they are better friends for it.

As I said earlier, I am so ready for this documentary! A lot of good friends, including Cher and Carol Burnett, showed up for Mackie by appearing in it. I’m glad he’s being honored this way, because my gosh what a sparkling body of work he has! (Pun intended.) Plus I’m hoping for more anecdotes like “Marlene Dietrich smuggled an illegal, highly-flammable fabric into the US just because she liked it.” In the meantime, you can ogle a collection of his pieces that are up for auction at Julien’s. I’m salivating over the sketches alone.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos of Cher and Bob Mackie are from December, 2018 and credit: Joseph Marzullo/Wenn/Avalon and Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Avalon. Turn Back Time photos are from 1989 and credit Getty. Recent photos of Cher with A.E. Edwards are from October and credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon. Here’s a link to the Cher Glad Rags to Riches Time Magazine cover!