It’s hard to think of a line that Tina Turner hasn’t broken.
She destroyed the dichotomy between R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. She showed that it was not only possible to tell the story of a woman who experienced intimate partner violence, but to transcend victimization and turn it into art.
But with that her (usually wigs, but who cares?), those legsThat growland an endless supply of beaded dresses, Ms. Turner, who died on Wednesday at the age of 83, was also a powerful style icon and enduring sex symbol – one whose peak really didn’t begin until 1984, when at age 44 she released the album “Private Dancer”, and sold five million copies.
Many of her stage costumes were designed by Bob Mackie, the man best known as Cher’s partner in kitsch, but with Mrs. Turner, he achieved something completely different.
Mr. Mackie and Mrs. Turner were introduced by Cher. In 1977, shortly before Tina and Ike Turner’s divorce was finalized, the two divas performed together – in identical, flaming gold dresses from Mr. Mackie – on ‘The Sonny & Cher Show’.
Thereafter, Mr. Mackie became an essential part of Mrs. Turner’s entourage, designing one outfit after another for a touring career that stretched into 2009, when she was about to turn 70.
Denim jackets came and denim jackets went, but beads were ubiquitous: they usually sparkled, there was little looseness, and the legs – just the best – could not be hidden. When she sang in ‘Proud Mary’ that ‘we’re going to do it nice and rough’, she could very well have described her visual style.
Her unique ability to look fierce while being a relentless transmitter of hope and empathy propelled her to become both an author of best-selling self-help books and the villain in two campy cult classics: “The Who’s Tommy” and “Mad Max past Thunderdome.”
It’s impossible to look at electrifying deities like Mary J. Blige and Beyoncé, with their blonde hair, shimmering costumes, and anthems of defiance, without recognizing an influence that may begin, but certainly doesn’t end, with sparkle.