When Bob Mackie first saw Barbie, he was not impressed. So, he revolutionized her style
“I didn’t think she was very fashionable,” he says of the doll, who originally sported a simple black-and-white Chevron swimsuit, hoop earrings and a perky blond ponytail.
By the time Mattel approached Mackie to design his first Barbie in the late 1980s, his entertainment career was firmly established thanks to his costume work on an assortment of Broadway and Las Vegas shows and variety TV programs like Mitzi Gaynor’s. He had dressed celebrities such as Judy Garland, Tina Turner, Cher, Diana Ross and Carol Burnett.
Though Mattel has partnered with several couturiers since the early 1980s — including Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan and Donatella Versace — Mackie is credited as the first designer to create a complete doll. “Not just the fashion, but he was involved with the whole look of the doll, from the hair to the face,” says Bill Greening, principal designer and Barbie brand historian at Mattel.
“When Mattel launched a closed-mouth version of the superstar sculpt, it debuted on the Bob Mackie Neptune Fantasy doll [in 1992], and so that became known as the ‘Mackie sculpt,’ ” says Greening. “It’s a beloved sculpt with Barbie collectors.” Known for his intricately detailed gowns for red carpets and the stage, often adorned with feathers, sequins, gemstones and artfully placed see-through sections, Mackie infused Barbie’s wardrobe — and, by extension, her identity — with the same drama and flair his celebrity clients expected from him.
Mattel says it sells about 100 Barbie dolls a minute. That popularity is due in no small part to Mackie’s contributions over the years. “Whether we’re doing embroidery or sequins or glitter … we’re really trying to capture that Mackie magic in Barbie scale,” says Greening, who first worked with the designer on a series of Cher Barbies re-creating the singer’s memorable outfits over the decades .
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