American fashion designer Bob Mackie was BOTD in 1939. Born in California, he studied at Chouinard Art Institute, before leaving to intern as a costume designer for Paramount Studios. He learned his craft from Hollywood designers Edith Head and John Louis, helping design Marilyn Monroe’s “nude dress” worn at President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 birthday celebration. In 1996, Mackie designed costumes for Mitzi Gaynor’s Los Vegas stage show, starting a partnership lasting for 50 years. Dubbed “the Sultan of Sequins”, he went on to design for Judy Garland, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Whitney Houston. He earned Oscar nominations for his designs for Ross in the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues and for Barbra Streisand in Funny Lady. His designs were notable for their exuberance, liberal use of sequins and sense of fun, notably his 11 years as costume designer for The Carol Burnett Show. His “curtain dress”, worn by Burnett in a Gone With the Wind parody, is now on display in the Smithsonian Costume Museum. He is best known for his collaborations with Cher, designing costumes for her stage and television shows and some truly wild red carpet creations. He became a household name after Cher’s appearance at the 1986 Oscars, dressing her in a chainlink top, bejewelled loincloth, knee-high boots and an enormous feathered headdress. In 1982, he launched a ready-to-wear collection and limited edition designs for Barbie dolls. Now considered one of America’s foremost designers, Mackie’s work has been the subject of retrospectives by the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Continuing to work into his 80s, his most recent success was as costume designer for the 2018 Broadway musical The Cher Show. Mackie married LuLu Porter in 1960, with whom he had a son, Robert. They had an open marriage, in which Mackie had a long-term relationship with fellow designer Ray Aghayan, remaining together until Aghayan’s death in 2011. Mackie’s son Robert became a makeup artist, dying in 1993 of an AIDS related illness aged 33.