bob mackie

Stunning 1980s Bob Mackie Gold Glass Beaded & Silk Chiffon Strapless Dress

This dress is the twin of the one worn by Miley Cyrus on The Voice in 2017 and is instantly recognizable as having been designed by Bob Mackie. Mackie was best known for dressing Cher and for his undying love of opulence and bead work, both of which he incorporates heavily into the best of his designs. Modern girls are obsessed with his vintage pieces. He worked for both Edith Head and Jean Louis prior to working as a costume designer and co-designing with Ray Aghayan. That led to his incredible journey in designing for stars like Cher and Diana Ross for many years. In some ways he and his creations defined their careers and that era of glamour. I think he secretly always designed for the big screen and the bygone glamor of Hollywood as his work is always over the top and extravagant.

This is an amazing strapless dress that is extremely sexy and flattering. The base of the dress is made of a black silk chiffon that has a pattern made up of beautiful gold curving bands that feel like they are wrapped around you. The designs that you see are made up of gold glass tube beads hand set in curving bands. Scattered within those are little highlights done in a silver sequin with a tiny clear bead at their centers. This combination of the gold glass tube beads and pop of silver sequins give the dress an extra layer of texture and glamour as every inch of it catches the light and sparkles. The dress has a decent weight to it when it is off of the body because of that extensive bead-work, and yet once on the body it drapes in a way that it is balanced and not at all unwieldy. The strapless bodice is cut in a deeply dipped sweetheart neckline. The waist is brought in to create shape but there is no horizontal seam to break the lines of the design. The skirt is incredible and is cut on a curve so the back is longer then the front and it has a high slit at one side of the front. The effect of this is far more dramatic and fabulous on a real body and it really shows off the legs. If you even remotely love it in the photos you will love when you see it in person. Extremely well made and made to demi-couture standards. These were sent to the stores with a full lining made of a second layer of black silk chiffon and you could remove this if you wanted a true nude, semi-see through dress that Mackie is so well known for. Excellent condition.

Fully lined in a black silk chiffon and it closes with a painted metal and nylon back zipper. Hand finished throughout. The bust has built in inner cups and is lightly boned. Tagged a vintage 6

Bust: 16.5" flat across from side seam to side seam with probably a B to small C cup
Waist: 12-12.5" flat across from side seam to side seam of the built in corset
Hips: to 19" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: 51" from peak of bodice to hem

Modern Sizing equivalent: XS-SML

Item# DD3545

Reference Photos: Miley Cyrus, in Bob Mackie, on The Voice, 2017.

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.

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SIZE GUIDE

Please review all measurements carefully. More often than not, vintage garments do not fit any size category exactly. If in doubt, measure a garment of your own that fits and is a similar cut and compare it's measurements to the listed measurements below.