Cher just shared a secret behind one of the most iconic dresses in fashion history. During an Interview with Vogue, the legendary performer opened up about her relationship with designer Bob Mackie (who passed away at the age of 87 in September) and “that” dress.
In 1974, Cher made waves by wearing an almost completely sheer, skin-colored beaded-and-crystal Mackie creation to the Met Gala. When Vogue asked “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer to share her favorite Mackie moment, Cher answered, “There was the one we called The Dress. It was the dress I wore to my first Met Gala. I also wore it on the cover of Time magazine.”
The dress that would eventually make headlines wasn’t the look she had planned on wearing to the annual fashion event. “It wasn’t meant to be that [dress]. Bob, Vogue, and I were doing a decades [photo shoot] of dresses from the 1920s to 1970s. When we were going to the Met, I had no idea what to wear, and we were like, ‘Bob, what about this dress?'”
Photo credit: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
The Moonstruck actress reflected back on “The Dress” fitting, telling Vogue, “I remember coming in for a fitting, and I could see this little kitchen. This woman was taking things out of the refrigerator and putting them into the trash can.” As it turns out, the woman was Marlene Dietrich. According to Cher, “She brought the material that we were making the dress out of. The secret of the dress that people don’t know is that it was made out of a material that was illegal in America, called soufflé.”
The delicate French fabric has a nearly transparent look, making it the perfect pick for Cher’s Met Gala showstopper. But it’s extremely flammable and considered a fire hazard. This led the U.S. to outlaw the material.
Cher’s Met Gala gown wasn’t the only history-maker to feature soufflé. Marilyn Monroe’s Jean Louis JFK 45th-birthday serenade dress was also made from the ultra-sheer same fabric.
This story Cher Reveals the Untold Story Behind Her Iconic 1974 Bob Mackie Met Gala Dress first appeared on Closer Weekly. Follow Closer Weekly on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.