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Iconic Gowns: ‘Naked Illusion’ Reveals Bob Mackie’s Journey
Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.Directed by Matthew Miele (Always at the Carlyle), the film, available to rent or purchase on Prime, thrives on fabulous clips and sketches of Mackie’s decades-long parade of iconic creations for the likes of Cher, Diana Ross, Elton John, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Mitzi Gaynor, Bette Midler, and Beyoncé, supported by candid interviews with performers and muses who have worn his sequined, beaded, and embroidered designs.Miele presents fresh sit-downs with a few surprising subjects, as well as many of the one-name-only divas you might expect to see in a Mackie retrospective: Cher, P!nk, Elton, Miley (shown dazzling the 2024 Grammys crowd in a sizzling Mackie gown).Lawrence wore Mackie-designed costumes every Emmy-winning week of The Carol Burnett Show, and adds great personal insight in the film, as does Burnett herself, who, apparently, didn’t know her dear friend Mackie designed Marilyn Monroe’s infamous nude-illusion “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress.One thing Burnett does know, she insists, is that Bob Mackie should have an Oscar by now.