Cher’s 1989 music video looks ’embarrassing’ Bob Mackie

Cher may be one of Hollywood’s most iconic dressers, but not all of her looks were hits from the start. Consider her sheer bodysuit in the 1989 “If I Could Turn Back Time” music video. The designer, who was brought to life by the legendary Bob Mackie, admits he told Cher he was “embarrassed” by the look.

“‘Don’t tell anyone I designed this. Don’t let anyone know. I’m embarrassed,'” he said, recounting the conversation in the documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion. Ta. “And she was okay with that. Now she admits, no, it wasn’t that great.”

The ensemble, dubbed the “Seatbelt” outfit, consisted of a completely sheer bodysuit with a single black band of opaque fabric in a V-shape that ran from Cher’s shoulders to the bottom. She paired the dress with an oversized black leather jacket, a statement belt, and huge ’80s hair.

“We put[Cher]in a lot of wild, sexy clothes at different times,” Mackie said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. “Sometimes I’d say, ‘Well, I can’t wear this to an awards show or something,’ and she’d (regretly) say OK.” But she wanted to wear it. I was wearing bike pants, but the see-through bike pants are really scary.”

In a world where nude dresses cost 10 cents, sheer bike pants may not be considered so “scary” these days. However, at the time, the music video was banned from being played on MTV until after 9 p.m., and caused further controversy because the backup dancers were real sailors from the USS Missouri.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Cher’s music videos weren’t the only things that garnered attention during her long career. Three years before the production of If I Could Turn Back Time, Cher appeared at the Oscars wearing a jewel-encrusted bra top, low-rise skirt, and a large feathered headpiece. Of course, this look is courtesy of Mackie.

“And I went out and said, ‘Look, I received an Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress.’ And that was a moment for me, you know, It was…a “fuck you” moment for the Academy, because the only thing you have to judge me for is my work, not my life. ”