Lavish & Lacy
Marvelous Mackie
BY DEBBIE L. SKLAR
hen all is said and
done, a star is a star
is a . . . True, you may
not have the same
washboard belly as Cher or the power
to make every man in the room lose
his breath when you walk into a room
like Marilyn Monroe. But when you
slip into an original Bob Mackie wed-
ding gown and glide down the aisle,
you may draw a few gasps yourself.
Mackie has dressed some of the
most glamorous stars in show
business and been responsible for
some of their grandest entrances.
Now, he can do the same for you —
if you're getting married, that is.
Mackie's first bridal collection is
debuting for spring 1989, manufac-
tured by The Diamond Bridal Collec-
tion of New York. The collection is
available at Boulevard Bridal and
Lina's Bridal.
Diamond Bridal has won
industry-wide acclaim for combining
the quality craftsmanship of the "old
days" — the finest silks and laces,
finished seams, sewn-in petticoats —
with classic and contemporary
designs, not to mention a brilliant
advertising and promotion campaign.
"Diamond wanted to appeal to
the more sophisticated bride; the
woman who knows what's what," says
Paul Diamond, company president.
Diamond, who has been in the bridal
business for more than 20 years,
formed his company six years ago.
Diamond approached Mackie
after the death of Diamond Bridal's
chief designer almost a year ago. "I
sat down and really thought about
where I wanted this company to go,"
W
70 BRIDES 1989
he recalls. "I knew that I wanted to
introduce more of a celebrity-like
status, in order to keep the momen-
tum going within the company. I
always admired Mackie and knew he
was a logical choice to perform such
a task."
When he eventually caught up
with Mackie in California, Diamond
was delighted to discover that Mackie
was also interested in designing wed-
ding gowns. Mackie designs a couture
collection of day and evening clothes
that has been well received. "Most
people perceive him as being Cher's
designer, and he's so much more than
that," Diamond says. "He's been in
this business for over 30 years, and
he's really best known for his intricate
and lavish beadwork."
Mackie's spring/summer collec-
tion consists of 30 gowns, range in
price from $1,700 to $12,000, but are
not one-of-a kind. Future brides
choose from sample gowns that are
special ordered and, if necessary,
custom altered.
Diamond describes the gowns as
romantic. "There are many girls who
still want to wear a traditional gown;
high collar, longer sleeve," he says.
"But the hot styles are going to be
straight silhouettes, the ballgown
look, and strapless gowns with
jackets."
Mackie's bridal gowns are strict-
ly top-of-the-line. From the finest
fabrics — taffetas, silk satins, shan-
tungs, and silk crepes — to the most
exquisite French Alencon lace,
Mackie's taste is luxurious.
"But it's Mackie's unmistakable
way with ornamentation that sets his
bridal gowns apart," Diamond says.
"This is the one time in a
woman's life when she should and can
stand out in a crowd. It's all right for
her to be a little bit ostentatious,
without looking ridiculous."
For example, one of Mackie's
gowns is an ivory taffeta with a pin-
tucked bodice, Basque-waisted full
skirt, beaded and sequined tulip
peplum, and matching cathedral train.
Another is a silk taffeta Victorian-
stole with exaggerated puffed sleeves,
a deep Basque-waisted apron, and an
underskirt of Alencon lace festooned
with iridescent ribbon lace and silk
roses.
Another confection is Mackie's
pink satin gown with draped waist
band, side sash and overskirt of
elaborate French ribbon lace featur-
ing gold metallic thread and tiny pink
rosettes.
Mackie — never one to exit
quietly — guarantees that "There goes
the bride" will be as awe-inspiring as
"Here comes the bride."
For the shapeliest bride, who has
nothing to hide, Bob Mackie has
created a high-neck, sheer gown with
long sleeves and a sweep train. Sheer
beading covers every inch of this sexy
column. It is worn with a voluminous
chapel-length cape of ivory tulle, so
it seems as if the bride is emerging
from a cloud.
"Any woman who puts on a
Mackie gown for that one glorious day
in her life should feel as if she's a
celebrity who's come to see an open-
ing performance with hundreds of
spectators watching her every move,"
says Diamond. El