bob mackie – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

Reflections of Glamour

If you’re even remotely into glamour, camp, or show-stopping fashion, the Reflections of Glamour: Bob Mackie presentation at the Palm Springs Art Museum is basically a must‑see.

It’s not a giant retrospective, and honestly, that’s part of the charm. It feels intimate, almost like you’ve slipped backstage into Mackie’s world for a moment.

I was lucky to have met Mackie on three separate occasions here in Palm Springs. I’m a huge fan of his work, obviously. He was very pleasant in person.

The museum has pulled together five original gowns and costumes, plus a curated selection of sketches spanning the 1970s through the 2000s. It’s a tight edit, but every piece hits.

You get that unmistakable Mackie blend of humor, theatricality, and pure sparkle – the kind of work that made Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Carol Burnett, Elton John, and so many others look larger than life.

One of the funniest skits I’ve yet to see was when Carol Burnett wore this for “Went With The Wind.” “*Just a little something I saw in the window.”*

One of the undeniable stars of the show is the “Scarlett O’Hara” gown from Carol Burnett’s legendary Went With the Wind parody – yes, the one with the actual curtain rod across the shoulders. Seeing the sketch next to the real gown is a delight, especially if you grew up watching that moment and laughing every single time. I did. I used to watch the show with my grandparents.

Because it’s housed in the Jorgensen Gallery on the ground floor, the whole thing feels focused and jewel-box-like – a little shrine to the art of making people gasp.

The presentation runs January 26 – March 30, 2026, and it was created to coincide with the museum’s annual Art Party gala, where Mackie himself was honored – with Carol Burnett presenting, naturally.

The Female Form

Over in the Female Form exhibition, the mood shifts from theatrical sparkle to something almost startlingly intimate. The sculptures are so hyper‑realistic you catch yourself slowing down, leaning in, trying to figure out where the artist’s hand ends and the illusion begins.

There’s a quiet power in seeing the body rendered with that much precision – every fold, freckle, and gesture captured with a kind of reverence that feels both modern and timeless. It’s one of those shows where you think you’re just popping in for a look, and suddenly you’re standing there longer than you meant to, completely absorbed.

Female Form: Tom Wesselmann & Mickalene Thomas from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

Reflections of Glamour: All works are courtesy of Bob Mackie. Special thanks to Joe McFate, Design Director for Bob Mackie. Exhibition support is provided by Revivals and DAP Health.

Photos: d. king

STYLE

An Evening of Wit, Wisdom and a Whisper of Gossip

Susan Claassen is remarkable as “Edith Head” in her one woman theatrical production “A Conversation with Edith Head” presented by Modernism Week, Palm Springs. The show was SOLD OUT and received a well deserved standing ovation.

**Susan Claassen**‘s uncanny resemblance to Edith Head, with friend Bob Mackie.

EDITH HEAD – Trailblazer

Edith Head was a legend. Pardon the pun, but she was a Head of her time. One of the most prolific costume designers of the twentieth century, she received an unprecedented 35 Academy Award nominations and won a record-breaking eight Oscars at a time when the industry and world in general was dominated by men. Her career spanned 58 years of movie making. She liked to call herself a “Magician.” The word is suitable considering the magic she created with her design skills. She raised rear ends, made waists look smaller, legs longer and hid imperfections like no other.

“There’s nothing like a row of Oscars for putting the fear of God into an actress who thinks she knows everything about dress designing.” – Edith Head

Edith Head became as famous as the stars she dressed. With her signature glasses, straight bangs and tailored suits, her distinctive style made her a recognizable personality in her own right.

Looking exactly like Edith Head with trademark glasses and all, Susan Claassen brings us back to the time when Head dressed glamorous movie stars such as Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, Lana Turner, Paul Newman, John Wayne, Bette Davis, Steve McQueen, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich and many more. Some of the original costumes and photographs were on stage. However, preferring never to upstage whoever she was dressing, Head only liked to wear four colors herself: black, white, beige and brown.

Design for **Grace Kelly** in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954).

With wit and intellect, Claassen relives and re tells stories when Head worked with actors like Mae West, Debbie Reynolds, Barbara Stanwyck and a young Elizabeth Taylor. Not gonna lie; it was fun finding out who was naughty and who was nice! A few tidbits: Taylor was fascinated by a signature necklace worn by Head to the point where it was left for her in Head’s will. Funnily enough there were no diamonds in the necklace but it was an eye-catching, original, vintage piece. Head formed special relationships with the famous she dressed and recounted those stories. For instance, when Grace Kelly became princess Grace and moved to Monaco, she would always visit Head when returning to Los Angeles. Kelly always wore white gloves so on one visit Head made little white gloves for her young daughters, Princesses Caroline and Stephanie.

In 1961 Edith Head hired Bob Mackie to be her sketch artist at Paramount Studios. Mackie would later become another famous designer (he designed all of the costumes for the Carole Burnett Show, all of Cher’s costumes and many more including sketching the famous sequined dress worn my Marilyn Monroe when she sang “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to JFK). As luck would have it, I met and spoke with him for several minutes before the show began. He said that the actress (Susan Claassen) was a good friend of his and that he also knew Edith Head and that she helped start his career. I had met him last year at the book store Just Fabulous when I bought his beautiful book “The Art of Bob Mackie” and told him how much I love the book and it brought back so many good memories. Also, he looked just fabulous.

The real Edith Head with a young Bob Mackie. Photo: WWD

Edith Head died in 1981 of a progressive and rare blood disease, myeloid metaplasia, two weeks after completing work on her last film “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.” She left her estate to the Motion Picture and Television Fund and to other charitable organizations aiding Native American children and her beloved animals. Her funeral was attended by hundreds, including not only Hollywood’s stars but also the backlot people. A Paramount security guard dressed in a uniform designed by Edith Head mused, “I remember her real well. At Christmas she took care of every one on the lot. She was the greatest designer in the world. Edith Head was quite a girl.” And that she was.

Head’s no nonsense straightforward personality inspired the character of Edna Mode in The Incredibles.

Outside the Annenberg Theatre before the show with Bob Mackie.

Oscars Won:

The Heiress, 1949

Samson and Delilah, 1950

All About Eve, 1950

A Place in the Sun, 1951

Roman Holiday, 1953

Sabrina, 1954

The Facts of Life, 1960

The Sting, 1973

wearing the necklace Elizabeth Taylor loved.

The show must go on:

Booking Now Through 2025:

https://www.edithhead.biz/

MODERNISM week has ended as of February 26th, but please join us next year for another unbelievable lineup of fabulous events.

Header Photo of set – d. king

STYLE

The Art of Bob Mackie

What does Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday Mr. President” gown, Carol Burnett’s “Went with the Wind” curtain-rod dress and Cher’s show stopping 1986 Oscars look have in common? They’ve all been designed by the one and only Bob Mackie.

Mackie, the true fashion visionary and icon himself was in Palm Springs (actually he lives here) in person for his latest book signing…a first-ever comprehensive and authorized showcase of the legendary designer’s life and work featuring more than 1,500 photos and sketches – many from Mackie’s personal collection.

Duh; of course I was there! I was one of the first to buy his latest book appropriately titled “The Art of Bob Mackie” as soon as I was alerted about it via bookstore email. It’s a fashion lover’s dream book.

It’s just Fabulous! The book signing was at “Just Fabulous” – a suitably named store here in Palm Springs (link below) specializing in extraordinary books, cards for all occasions and other fun items you won’t see anywhere else. I dare you to walk in and come out empty handed – won’t happen!

I also bought a Christmas tree ornament and I don’t even have a tree. You’ll see! Maybe I’ll get a tree just to buy more ornaments. Post to come…for me it’s still too early to be shopping and/or posting stuff to do with Christmas.

But getting back to Bob. Guess I’m not exactly on a first name basis with him after meeting him only once. But I feel like I know him. What I mean by that is I remember watching almost every episode of the Carol Burnett Show in my grandparents’ living room on almost every Saturday night for years. And I remember watching the Sonny and Cher show with my parents. What does this have to do with Bob Mackie? Everything! He was responsible for every costume for the entire production of the Carol Burnett Show and made all of the costumes for Cher after meeting both Sonny and Cher on the Carol Burnett Show. And of course it doesn’t end there. From Broadway to Burlesque, his wide ranging repertoire includes dressing every famous glamour girl and some of the guys for stage, TV, movies and concerts with unique, incomparably stunning and sometimes hilarious creations.

I missed meeting Bob Mackie at the vintage market even though he was there on his own and it wasn’t announced. He was there and I was there ~~but I really wasn’t there because it was after a pride party the night before so don’t ask~~ so I missed meeting him then. But I got to tell him at the book signing that I unexpectedly and surprisingly came across a few of his designs at the market (which has expanded since the last time I was here) which I had never seen before. And to my disbelief, he was completely unaware of that fact. So I felt like we had a “moment.” A Mackie moment that I’ll remember for the obvious, but also for the fun outside the shop while waiting.