‘Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion’ at Guild Hall

Guild Hall will host nine-time Emmy and Tony Award winner and costume and fashion designer Bob Mackie for a special documentary screening of Matthew Miele’s film “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion” on Saturday, August 17, at 1 p.m. The screening will be followed by a conversation between Bob Mackie and writer, editor and New York Times best-selling author Derek Blasberg.

Mackie, an icon for the ages, is a visionary costume and fashion designer, a nine-time Emmy Award winner, Geoffrey Beene CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and has three Oscar nominations. He received a 2019 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for his work on “The Cher Show.”

The documentary “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion” showcases the six-decade career of the award-winning costume designer and examines his unique upbringing, those whom he has held near and dear within his inner circle, and the familial surprises in his life that have all contributed to the optimism and audacity present in his work.

The documentary also features original interviews with Bob Mackie’s clients and collaborators, along with those he has inspired, including designers, stylists, comedians and actors. The documentary will also showcase Mackie’s first-person account and some of his most iconic looks from “The Carol Burnett Show’s” Startlett O’Hara Dress to Cher’s 1986 Academy Awards look. Quixotic Endeavors, the documentary film company that made the movie, was given access to the full Bob Mackie archive, which has been meticulously kept and curated with many rare and unseen artifacts, including outfits that didn’t make the cut. The documentary also captures the over-the-top-costumes as they get sequined and beaded from sketch to stage.

Miele’s past films include “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s,” “Harry Benson: Shoot First,” “Always at The Carlyle” and “Alan Pakula: Going for Truth.” Up next for Miele and currently in production are fully-authorized documentaries on the lyricist Bernie Taupin and an inside look at the renowned New York City comedy club, The Comedy Cellar.

Admission is $35 ($31.50 for members). For details and to purchase tickets, visit guildhall.org. Guild Hall is at 158 Main Street, East Hampton.