Built to Catch the Light

Bob Mackie's beaded gowns never just dressed a rising star — they made sure the room noticed her the moment she walked in. Every bead and stitch of embellishment was engineered for exactly that: to catch a spotlight and hold it, turning an entrance into an event. That instinct for shine is what separates a costume from a career-making look, and it is the reason his archive still gets pulled out and studied rather than filed away. Decades on, the sparkle still does its job.

With reporting from WWD Fashion.