Bob Mackie hasn’t been to San Luis Obispo in decades, and then it was just a brief stopover on the road to somewhere else.
Now the famed costume designer will be hitting the town on purpose and in high fashion, so to speak: he’ll be claiming the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival’s biggest honor, the King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking.
Mackie will be in town on April 28 to accept the award and to screen Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, a new documentary at the festival about his life and work.
The designer, who now lives in Palm Springs, says he knew from a young age that he would be an artist, but it’s clear that he never expected a movie to be made about him and his life’s work.
“The director called me,” Mackie says of Matthew Miele, known for the documentaries Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s and Always at The Carlyle. “I was thrilled to have him work on it.”
Making the film turned out to be a revelation of sorts, Mackie says. While concentrating on his work, the film gave him the opportunity to open up about his personal life and background.
“It’s very honest,” he says. “There are some very personal moments in it.”
He claims his childhood wasn’t that unique, but his artistic inclinations were evident early. “At five and six years old I thought I was an artist,” he says. “I never stopped drawing. I was sort of a strange little child.”
Growing up in southern California, living with his grandparents, movies (“whether adventure stories or the Arabian Nights”) were his inspiration. “I built sets and scenery and costumes from a young age, just for myself.”
Around the age of eight or so, his uncle asked him what he wanted to do. “I knew then I wanted to be a costume designer,” he says.
From there to his status today as a cultural icon is a tribute to his natural talent. “I just never stopped working.”
“It’s very serious for me. It’s work.”
His designs are still in demand by celebrities like Zendaya and Miley Cyrus—after decades dressing the likes of Barbra Streisand, Tina Turner, and Cher. “So many of the young girls today have grown up knowing my work. They want to wear things I designed before.”
He’s even dressed Barbie—many, many times, something like 60 outfits over the years from “70s Cher Barbie” to “Madame du Barbie” to “Empress Bride Barbie” and way, way beyond. “I think it might be more than anyone else,” he says. “That’s ridiculous!”
Mackie still does all his detailed and sumptuous sketches by hand, although he says some of the technology available to designers and students today is “absolutely terrific.”
He has spent some time helping design students learn the ropes. “I’d work with students [at Otis College of Art and Design] for weeks to do these huge finales,” making it clear that he didn’t want them “doing Bob Mackie” but being themselves as designers.
“We already have a Bob Mackie. You do who you are.”
Editor’s Note: A screening of Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, is scheduled at 4 p.m. on April 28, 2025, followed by a reception and Q&A at the Hotel San Luis Obispo with Mackie and Joe McFate, design director with the Bob Mackie Design Group. For passes and ticket information visit the SLOIFF website.