{"id":6456,"date":"2026-09-15T09:51:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T13:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/15\/write-of-passage-before-she-says-a-word\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T09:51:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T13:51:07","slug":"write-of-passage-before-she-says-a-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/15\/write-of-passage-before-she-says-a-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Write of Passage: Before She Says A Word"},"content":{"rendered":"<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6456-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/215780221\/ecc958f3e8c8d30cb1a71e9a64685e48.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/215780221\/ecc958f3e8c8d30cb1a71e9a64685e48.mp3\">https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/215780221\/ecc958f3e8c8d30cb1a71e9a64685e48.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p><strong>The best dress in the room doesn\u2019t need three paragraphs. Jane Austen can slay it in five words: \u201cTheir dress had every advantage.\u201d Translation: fashionable, confident, ready for the room\u2014but perhaps not much more.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And Bob Mackie? He could obliterate us all, defining a character or a career with carefully sewn sequins.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Before She Says A Word<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>What Bob Mackie Taught Me About Dressing a Character<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir dress had every advantage, their faces were rather pretty, their spirits extremely good, their manner unembarrassed and pleasant; they were of consequence at home, and favourites abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These lines open the fifth chapter of Jane Austen\u2019s <em>Persuasion<\/em>. Our heroine, Anne Elliot, is giving us what she saw of the Musgrove sisters, Henrietta and Louisa, as they entered the room\u2014the cottage in Uppercross. Not once does Austen describe what the sisters are wearing, but the rest of the sentence fills our heads with an image. Austen is a masterclass in dressing for the room and the moment.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not a one-off. Austen uses Catherine Morland\u2019s anxiety as she decides what to wear to a ball to highlight what it means for a young woman to realize she\u2019s going to be looked at the minute she enters the room. In <em>Mansfield Park<\/em>, we get a little bit of color when Fanny Price hopes that her dress, a white dress, is not too fine. Mrs. Norris reassures her, \u201cA woman can never be too fine while she is all in white.\u201d None of this tells us the details, the trimmings of the dress. But again, it expresses the anxiety of a woman wondering if she\u2019s holding up to the rules that society places on her. And it also gives us this very weak reassurance that she\u2019s all right. Yet to the reader, the detail tells us so much about Fanny and Mrs. Norris.<\/p>\n<p>Now, while I love to spill on the details, partially because I\u2019m a fabric-and-notion girly, Austen has made me more conscious of what I want the outfit to say about the person and the moment.<\/p>\n<p>So today\u2019s essay is more about a designer whom Austen, once she got over the shock of the curve-hugging lines, might approve of: Bob Mackie, the gowns he designed, and the messages they spoke to the audience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mackie the Industry Vet<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Robert Gordon \u201cBob\u201d Mackie was born March 24, 1939, in Monterey Park, California. He began his career as a sketch artist, working for major costume designers including Edith Head and Jean Louis. While working for Jean, the young Mackie drew the design sketch for Marilyn Monroe\u2019s crystal-covered \u201cHappy Birthday, Mr. President\u201d gown.<\/p>\n<p>His early breakthrough came when Mitzi Gaynor hired him in 1966 for her Las Vegas revue and television specials. His designs became household legends with his work for <em>The Carol Burnett Show<\/em>. He designed for Burnett throughout the 11-year run, including the legendary green velvet curtain-rod dress for the skit, 1976 \u201cWent with the Wind!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With Cher, Mackie became known in the music industry. His revealing, beaded designs for <em>The Sonny &amp; Cher Comedy Hour<\/em> helped make Mackie a household name; later creations included Cher\u2019s dramatic 1986 Oscars feathered ensemble and the gown she wore to accept her 1988 Best Actress Oscar.<\/p>\n<p>Mackie designed for Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli, Lola Falana, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Madonna, Beyonc\u00e9, RuPaul, and many others. He shared an Oscar nomination for costume design for Ross\u2019s <em>Lady Sings the Blues<\/em> (1972) with Ray Aghayan and Norma Koch.<\/p>\n<p>He never stopped designing, and younger stars like Miley Cyrus, Beyonc\u00e9, Zendaya, and more have taken to Mackie like a rite of passage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mackie and the Light<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019ve studied the designs of the 1600s and the Georgian and Regency periods, I\u2019m fascinated by silhouettes and fabrics. Every article and material indicates not only status but access and even the internals of a character. I\u2019ve studied how candlelight can skip across silk, even change direction based on how the fabric is woven. I\u2019ve learned to notice how the weight of velvet flows differently as a woman comes down stairs. My Lady Worthing mysteries are seasonal, so that is a fun thing to explore.<\/p>\n<p>Mackie knew the importance of light, particularly how beads throw light across a ballroom, how the shimmer can accentuate the length of a leg or arm, how swaying can start before a movement as well as linger when it\u2019s done. His flame dresses, worn by Tina, Cher, Beyonc\u00e9, Miley, and probably more, are perfect examples of this balance.<\/p>\n<p>That is one of the reasons I have always loved Bob Mackie. Mackie understood something fundamental about clothes: the dress does not exist separately from the body. The light is entwined with the camera angles and the music, whether the performer is singing, acting, or offering a joke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mackie and the Entrance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Something that I pay attention to is how a character enters a room. Is it dramatic? Does it follow a confrontation? And for those of us still hung up on the movie <em>Sinners<\/em>, we all understand what it means to be invited in.<\/p>\n<p>The entrance reveals so much. Mackie knew this.<\/p>\n<p>Carol Burnett wanted to spoof <em>Gone With the Wind<\/em>. Mackie knew the iconic green-curtain dress in the movie made Scarlett O\u2019Hara a beauty that Rhett almost couldn\u2019t reject.<\/p>\n<p>The script called for Burnett\u2019s character to come downstairs wearing curtains. Mackie decided simply draping curtains around her wasn\u2019t funny enough.<\/p>\n<p>So the minute Carol had to reveal herself, Mackie knew typical elegance wasn\u2019t the answer. The outfit had to be a part of the joke. Mackie made his curtain dress and insisted the curtain rod remain inside. It\u2019s iconic. It tells its own joke the minute the dress is seen. The resulting green velvet confection\u2014with its sweeping skirt, extravagant tassels, and horizontal rod extending from the shoulders\u2014became one of television\u2019s greatest sight gags.<\/p>\n<p>It is hilarious because it is also gorgeous.<\/p>\n<p>There is volume. There is drape. There are yards of sumptuous fabric. There are tassels and layers and a silhouette that would not be entirely out of place in a nineteenth-century fashion plate.<\/p>\n<p>Until you notice she is wearing the window.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s Mackie.<\/p>\n<p>Fabric could create desire.<\/p>\n<p>Fabric could create glamour.<\/p>\n<p>And fabric could deliver a punch line.<\/p>\n<p>The costume is now in the Smithsonian. It was just that much of the moment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mackie Made Her The Moment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s 1975. Cher is heading for a divorce from TV partner and husband Sonny Bono. Everyone knew Sonny and Cher. Mackie knew the way Cher looked had to show glamour and a woman standing on her own. Bob Mackie was there to dress this new, solo Cher. The internet is littered with reels and videos showing dress reveals, all designed by Mackie. Cher becomes emblematic of sexiness, strength, and beauty while reclaiming the charm and humor everyone knew when she was married.<\/p>\n<p>While working with Cher, Mackie met Tina Turner. Tina and Cher performed together repeatedly, and Mackie was designing the clothes. Mackie later remembered this as an unsettled period for Tina. She\u2019d left Ike and, as Mackie put it, was \u201ckind of hiding out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tina had been working smaller venues to rebuild herself as a solo act. Mackie remembered her as searching for \u201ca different life.\u201d His clothes helped distinguish the emerging Tina Turner from the woman audiences associated with the Ike &amp; Tina Turner Revue.<\/p>\n<p>He designed for her body in motion. Mackie understood that Tina wasn\u2019t going to stand elegantly under a spotlight. She\u2019d strut, kick, and dance around the entire stage. He emphasized her legs with extremely high slits and short skirts, with trunks sewn underneath so she could move freely.<\/p>\n<p>Mackie created a gold-and-silver chain-fringe bodysuit with enormous pleated gold-lam\u00e9 wings for Tina\u2019s solo nightclub performances, including one at Caesars Palace. He made sure the wings would remain behind her until she suddenly extended her arms and opened them to their full span. When Tina did, the world stopped for just a second. She was a beautiful butterfly. In her 2020 memoir, she remembered wearing the winged costume and feeling as though she were about to take flight and soar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Mackie knew what she needed, what Cher needed, and made it happen in sequins and shimmer.<\/p>\n<p>When I write, I have to remember that costume design\u2014the clothing that each character wears\u2014becomes part of the choreography. I have to anticipate what the body will do and make sure that the outfit does not compete with the performer but becomes the performer\u2019s second skin.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My Mackie Moment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 1958, Eunice W. Johnson transformed a charity fashion show into a traveling institution, the Ebony Fashion Fair. Eunice, the powerhouse, went into European and American fashion houses\u2014spaces that had often excluded Black people\u2014and bought couture. She put powerful statement brands on Black models. For fifty years, Ebony Fashion Fair presented Black audiences with an extraordinary proposition: This beauty belongs to you, too.<\/p>\n<p>In 2001, Eunice commissioned Bob Mackie to create an ensemble for the Ebony Fashion Fair. The Chicago History Museum describes the result as a skintight, 1930s-style, heavily beaded gown with a separate face-framing hood and an ostrich-feather coat. The gown was lined with sheer silk selected to match the Black model\u2019s skin tone, creating the illusion of a nude body beneath the beadwork. Virginia Heaven, the costume curator of the Chicago History Museum, described the finished ensemble afterward as \u201cpart fairy princess, part Vegas showgirl, part Barbie doll.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of Barbie dolls, I collect a few. A few years ago, I found out that Mackie designed an \u201cInternational Beauty Collection\u201d for Mattel. <em>Fantasy Goddess of Africa<\/em> originated in 1999. Mackie\u2019s archives describe the Africa doll as being inspired by a \u201cSerengeti sunset.\u201d I had to get one. She\u2019s wearing a fitted, embroidered, and beaded gown, with cinnamon skin, cuffs, neckpiece, and headdress.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her today. Took her out of her box and smiled at the way the light reflected in her gown. I can\u2019t believe I own a piece of Bob Mackie history, and one that is so personal to me:<\/p>\n<p>Fashion. Black beauty. History. Costuming. Storytelling.<\/p>\n<p>And movement. Plenty of movement. The feathers move.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mackie Left the Building<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bob Mackie died September 14, <strong>2026<\/strong>, from pneumonia. He left us with a world of pictures of glamour, moments of joy and beauty, and reclamation of power.<\/p>\n<p>Rest in brilliance, Bob Mackie.<\/p>\n<p>And thank you for the shimmer and the sparkle.<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s booklist includes:<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/82430\/9781982152116\"><strong>The Art of Bob Mackie<\/strong><\/a><strong> by Frank Vlastnik and Laura Ross.<\/strong> This is a comprehensive celebration of Mackie\u2019s career, filled with photographs, original sketches, and stories behind his unforgettable creations.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/82430\/9780062863102\"><strong>Cher: The Memoir, Part One<\/strong><\/a><strong> by Cher.<\/strong> Cher tells the story of her childhood, rise to fame, marriage to Sonny Bono, and the complicated partnership that helped create\u2014and eventually forced her to reinvent\u2014one of entertainment\u2019s most recognizable personas.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/82430\/9781501198250\"><strong>My Love Story<\/strong><\/a><strong> by Tina Turner.<\/strong> Turner recounts her journey from Nutbush, Tennessee, through the Ike &amp; Tina Turner years and into the extraordinary solo career and personal life she built for herself afterward.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/82430\/9780300218725\"><strong>Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion<\/strong><\/a><strong> by Hilary Davidson.<\/strong> A richly illustrated exploration of Regency clothing, textiles, and fashion through Austen\u2019s life and writing.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/82430\/9780913820377\"><strong>Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair<\/strong><\/a><strong> by Joy L. Bivins and Rosemary K. Adams, eds.<\/strong> The book celebrates Eunice W. Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair\u2019s extraordinary role in bringing couture, Black beauty, and a new vision of Black America to audiences nationwide.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/foxtalebookshoppe.com\/RhondaMcKnight\"><strong>Writer in Residence <\/strong><\/a><strong>by Rhonda McKnight.<\/strong> A struggling novelist escapes to the South Carolina Lowcountry hoping to recover her words, only to find romance, buried family secrets, and an unexpected connection to Gullah Geechee heritage that challenges her to reclaim both her story and her future.<\/p>\n<p>And yes\u2014<strong>Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 PM<\/strong> at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/foxtalebookshoppe.com\/RhondaMcKnight\">FoxTale Book Shoppe<\/a>, <strong>Rhonda McKnight and I will be entering the room to discuss <\/strong>her new novel.<\/p>\n<p>RSVP for this conversation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/82430\/9781448317646\"><strong>FoxTale Book Shoppe<\/strong><\/a><strong> has a few signed copies of Fire Sword and Sea and Murder in St. James\u2019s Park.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can also try one of my partners in the fight<\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\"><strong>, bookstores<\/strong><\/a><strong> large and small, who are in the trenches with me.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanessariley.com\/\"><strong>VanessaRiley.com<\/strong><\/a><strong>, under the podcast link in the About tab.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hey. Let\u2019s keep rising and creating together. I need you. That is the truth. Like, share, subscribe, and stay connected to <\/strong><strong><em>Write of Passage<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thank you for being here.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I want you to come again. This is Vanessa Riley.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a public episode. If you&#8217;d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=CTA_2\">vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"vanes-89675947\" class=\"vanes-after-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 3px;margin-right: 3px;margin-bottom: 3px;margin-left: 3px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?fit=1080%2C1350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Listen to the Write of Passage Weekly Podcast\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?w=1080&ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=819%2C1024&ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"540\" height=\"675\"   \/><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The best dress in the room doesn\u2019t need three paragraphs. Jane Austen can slay it in five words: \u201cTheir dress had every advantage.\u201d Translation: fashionable, confident, ready for the room\u2014but perhaps not much more. And Bob Mackie? He could obliterate us all, defining a character or a career with carefully sewn sequins. Before She Says [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[81,793,9,620,756,694],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-stories","category-politics","category-recommended-reading","category-syndication","category-technology","category-tv-and-film"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.1.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The best dress in the room doesn\u2019t need three paragraphs. Jane Austen can slay it in five words: \u201cTheir dress had every advantage.\u201d Translation: fashionable, confident, ready for the room\u2014but perhaps not much more. And Bob Mackie? He could obliterate us all, defining a character or a career with carefully sewn sequins. 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