Look of the Week: Zendaya pays tribute to Cher in shimmering vintage gown

Zendaya and Cher, two fashion luminaries known to the world only by their first name, added another parallel to their relationship during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. At the event, Zendaya introduced Cher — the Cleveland museum’s newest addition — on-stage dressed as her doppelganger.

The “Dune” star wore a shimmering vintage 2001 Bob Mackie gown with an open bodice and straps across the midriff. The dress bore a striking resemblance to a Bob Mackie design Cher wore in 1972. Zendaya’s dark hair was styled pin-straight with a middle-part and worn long down her back — another nod to the music titan.

“Thank you Cher,” Zendaya said at the ceremony. “Thank you for being an advocate, for being an ally, for painting the way for so many humans of all kinds to live in and speak their truth.”

American costume designer Bob Mackie has long been associated with Cher and her glittering music career. Mackie created countless high-octane, ab-exposing looks for the artist over six decades — from the sheer embellished jumpsuit worn to the 1974 Met Gala to Cher’s notorious 1986 Oscars frock, complete with sky-high feather headdress. Mackie even made Cher a custom, ultra-glamorous Cleopatra Halloween costume in 1988. “Every time (Cher) wore one of those get-ups, it would be in the paper the next day — all over the country,” Mackie said in an interview with Fashionista in 2019.

Zendaya isn’t the only celebrity to have taken fashion cues from the “Believe” singer. Kim Kardashian used Cher’s 1974 Met Gala jumpsuit as inspiration for her 2015 Met Gala look. And in 2019 Dua Lipa — who performed alongside Cher at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony over the weekend — also wore a replica of the same outfit during a performance in Paris.

Yet while Cher and Mackie’s artistic relationship continues to inspire many A-listers today, it’s unlikely the duo will collaborate again. When asked if she was planning to wear Mackie during her performance at the Victoria’s Secret show earlier this month, Cher responded with a resounding no. When an Entertainment Tonight reporter enthused that the superstar still “could bring it,” Cher reminded us all that she’s been there, done that. “I’ve brought it, baby,” she said.