Cher’s mark on the fashion industry is undoubtable, as the storied musician has had many memorable style moments since she stepped into the spotlight in the 1970s.
Cher, who is celebrating her 78th birthday on Monday, became known for her bold style at the beginning of her music career, where the singer regularly wore highly embellished looks and extravagant headpieces.
A hallmark of Cher’s style is her close relationship with fashion designer Bob Mackie, who dressed Cher in some avant garde looks that have stood out in her sartorial evolution. Two of Mackie’s most memorable fashion looks for Cher came at the 1986 and 1988 Academy Awards, the latter of which Cher won the award for best actress for her role in “Moonstruck.”
For the occasion, Cher donned a Bob Mackie sheer slipdress embellished with black fringe sequined details. She paired the look with a black shawl and matching sequined earrings.
Two years prior, Cher attended the Oscars in another memorable Bob Mackie outfit. The musician attended wearing a midriff-baring black sequined cutout look paired with an extravagant feathered headpiece.
Cher at the Academy Awards 1986.
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Mackie’s relationship with Cher dates back to the early 1970s. The fashion designer first met Cher when she was a guest on “The Carol Burnett Show,” which he designed costumes for. In 1971, he started creating Cher’s costumes for “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.”
While Cher had an affinity for sequins, she also sought out Mackie’s simpler looks. For the 1974 Oscars, for instance, Cher opted for a colorful, floral two-piece set complete with a matching headpiece.
Cher and Mackie’s relationship still reigns to this day. In March 2023, the duo reunited on the red carpet for NBC’s “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter and Love” where Cher wore a Bob Mackie black sequined jacket paired with plaid trousers.
The fashion world also hasn’t slowed down on its embrace of the music icon. In 2022, Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing enlisted Cher to close out his spring 2023 ready-to-wear show. She walked the runway wearing a sculpted silver bodysuit paired with chunky black boots.
Cher and Olivier Rousteing walk the runway during the Balmain spring 2023 fashion show.
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“’Style icon’ doesn’t come close to describing her achievement of defining more than a half-century’s worth of fashion’s trends,” Rousteing said after the runway show. “And, in this challenging age that compels us to fight for long-overdue changes, her impressive, long-term commitment to dedicated activism is an example to all.”
Just this month, Cher continued her style streak with an appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” where she wore a lingerie-inspired bodysuit paired with a black blazer jacket and plaid trousers.
With her bold style sensibility and experimental spirit, Cher’s style is timeless and continues to be highly watched.
