Can We Have Some Commotion For The Dress?
How Bob Mackie and The Cher Show reinvented glamour, glitter, and the art of taking up space.
“Can we have some commotion for the dress? Now, can we hear it for the back of the dress?” Cher famously said that on the very first episode of The Cher Show on February 12, 1975 — the perfect quote to kick off a nearly two-year run of straight iconism.
If you don’t know what The Cher Show is (even though I can guarantee you’ve seen a moment or two cross your timeline), here’s a quick rundown: it was a CBS variety program that aired from February 1975 to January 1976 after her split from Sonny Bono. The series became Cher’s stage to establish herself as a solo artist and full-blown cultural force — mixing live music, comedy sketches, and celebrity interviews. It quickly became one of the top-rated variety shows on U.S. television, featuring guests like Elton John, Bette Midler, David Bowie, and Tina Turner. All of them helped cement Cher as a standalone pop-culture titan apart from Sonny & Cher.
But while the banter, acting bits, and musical performances were fabulous, the real reason the show remains iconic is the fashion. With over 600 rhinestoned, feathered, and beaded costumes designed by the legendary Bob Mackie, the show’s wardrobe is still a holy text for fashion lovers everywhere (myself included).
Mackie, who had already proven himself on The Carol Burnett Show and on Cher’s earlier work with Sonny, transformed Cher into the “Queen of Camp.” Take the Flame Dress — designed specifically for The Cher Show — which later inspired artists from Tina Turner to RuPaul to Beyoncé, not to mention countless lesser-known fashion obsessives around the world. A few of my personal favorites: the champagne sequin goddess gowns worn by Cher and Raquel Welch; the diamond-dripping white dresses on Cher and Bette Midler that perfectly complemented Elton John’s oversized top hat and disco-ball suit (can you get any more ’70s?); and the black bodysuits with mirrored blue and pink fringe worn by Cher and Tina Turner. If Sabrina Carpenter’s VMAs afterparty look is ringing a bell right now… exactly.
What makes these looks timeless is how unapologetically extra they were. Nothing on The Cher Show played it safe — not the headdresses, not the slits, not the feathers that stretched across half the soundstage. Mackie wasn’t dressing Cher for the moment; he was dressing her for the future. He built outfits we would be gagging over decades later, and honestly, we’re still chasing that level of fashion fantasy. Every pop girl today pulls from that same drama-soaked well of maximalism, but Cher and Mackie were doing it first — and, frankly, better.
That fearlessness came from Mackie’s craftsmanship. He understood Cher’s body like a sculptor understands marble. His plunging necklines elongated her frame, his fringe amplified every move she made, and his beadwork turned even the gentlest studio light into a spectacle. These weren’t just costumes — they were engineering, architecture, and pure disco-era drama stitched into fabric. Mackie wasn’t designing outfits; he was building moments.
And nearly 50 years later, we’re still referencing The Cher Show because it represents a kind of freedom and theatricality we’re all craving: the freedom to dress big and dream big. Cher didn’t just perform — she expanded what glamour could be. Over the top. Pure camp. Completely divine. Her looks still feel fresh because they remind us that fashion doesn’t have to whisper; it can shimmer, scream, and take up space. Sometimes the most iconic thing you can do is simply show up and shine.