How Tina Turner got Bob Mackie to help create her classic look

When Tina Turner reinvented herself as a solo artist, she knew who to turn to for help bringing her vision to life.

Bob Mackie recalls working with the late singer during a pivotal moment in her life and career in the new documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.

“She was in Hollywood, and she was guest-starring by herself. And I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ Obviously she had left (her ex-husband and musical partner) Ike at the time and she was like hiding from Ike and moving from hotel to hotel with her assistant doing these guest shots on The Sonny & Cher Show or The Cher Show and various things. And she tried to make a career for herself,’ he says.

Turner, who died in 2023 at the age of 83, worked with Mackie through her appearances on these shows and her friendship with Cher, and she enlisted his help.

“She got to know me because I was doing things on those variety shows and dressing her, and she was kind of like, ‘Oh, somebody’s actually doing this,'” he says.

Never miss a story – sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“She would buy cheap evening dresses in Paris in these little shops. And they weren’t good, but she wanted the fabric and brought it in like, ‘Can we make it look like a cavewoman?'” he recalls.

“I said, ‘Yeah, sure. Can I cut this a little higher? Can I pull it over here?’ And we would turn these fun, cheap evening dresses into Tina Turner outfits.”

Mackie remembers her time with Turner, recalling that she was “really funny”.

“She’ll have a few glasses of wine and tell you the best stories ever,” he said. “I loved watching her backstage. She threw in a couple of Tylenols and put on her high heels and went on stage. It was just crazy.”

Mackie says Turner’s talent sets her apart from the many who tried to achieve greatness in the industry throughout her career.

“There are certain people in this world who are born to be entertainers. They just are. They can’t help it. They’re just good. And she’s one of them,” he says.

“She just takes the audience and runs with it. Bette Midler is like that — a lot of people are like that. Cher kind of just stands there like, “Here I am. What do you think?” But that’s a whole different attitude to performing.”

Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion now playing in select theaters.