MACKIE BOB, UNMISTAKABLY (HB) [O/P] - Tapa dura

Ask anyone what Cher wore to the Oscars in 1985 and they can describe the Spiderwoman headdress, the exposed navel, and the looks on people's faces when she made her entrance. Ask about Carol Burnett's "Went with the Wind" dress, and they'll say it was a green velvet Southern Belle costume made from drapes--with the curtain rod still attached. Funny and outrageous, these are just two of the many costumes Mackie has indelibly etched into our minds. He has also dressed such celebrities as Elton John, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, and RuPaul; designed for Broadway, Las Vegas, opera, and ballet; and currently runs a couture business with licenses for fragrance, fashion accessories, eyewear, suits, furs, home furnishings, and collectible Barbie dolls.

This spectacularly bright and colorful book is as outrageous as Mackie's designs. In addition to classic photos of marvelous Mackie-clad superstars of the last three decades, glorious gatefolds and specially commissioned color photographs by Gideon Lewin illustrate Mackie's extraordinary achievements.

Unmistakably Mackie demonstrates how this seven-time Emmy Award-winning designer has reached the consciousness of the American masses and turned them on to a stylish fantasy that is purely his own.

Frank DeCaro writes the "Style Over Substance" column for the New York Times and is consulting editor at TV Guide. He is a regular on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the author of A Boy Named Phyllis: A Suburban Memoir.