Cher’s dress sells for $101,600 at Bob Mackie auction and more

Illustrations, costumes and more from designer Bob Mackie were featured in the Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies collaboration “Unmistakably Mackie” on Wednesday in Beverly Hills. The live and online event boasted numerous pieces of Mackie ephemera, with designs such as the notable fashion icon created for Cher, Carol Burnett and Diahann Carroll.

“Invulnerable Mackie” attracted more than 1,800 registered bids worldwide, surpassing pre-sale estimates for the White Glove sale. More than 70 pieces of Mackie’s own fashion archive, spanning the designer’s six-decade career, featured a rare trove of illustrations of his masterpieces.

Three key parts were auctioned off at staggering prices. Cher’s 1977 “It Had to Be You” performance she styled on “The Sonny and Cher Show” sold for $101,600. “The Carol Burnett Show” Norma Desmond’s costume illustration drew $25,400, which was 25 times the estimate.

Another piece worn by the “Moonstruck” Oscar winner that sold was her 1975 “Take Me Home” performance ensemble worn by the multi-hyphenate talent on “The Cher Show,” which sold for $95,250.

“I have dressed so many people in so many shows and movies. I don’t know what happened to all those years. They just faded into memory,” Mackie previously told WWD in August, ahead of the premiere of his documentary, “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.”

Of the high-profile stars Mackie had dressed over the years, the designer told WWD, “They’ve just become part of my family. People say, ‘Oh yeah, didn’t you have problems with any of them?’ and I say, ‘Hardly anyone – I really had the best people working with me. They liked what I did and I loved what they did. When you dress someone, you really have to get to know them and in, especially if they’re artists, you have to know what’s good for them and how to make them look their best. It also helps to know their talents.”