Ahead of Her Performance at Tonight’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, An Ode to Cher’s Outlandish, Inimitable Outfits
There is only one Cher. The Hollywood legend, now 78, will be gracing tonight’s Victoria’s Secret Runway Show as one of three musical performers—a trio that also includes Tyla and Lisa. Hosted in Brooklyn, the winged fashion extravaganza will be live for the first time, streamed on the Amazon Live channel (via Prime Video Home) starting at 6:30 p.m. EST with Pink Carpet coverage and 7:00 p.m. for the live show. Past fashion show performers have included Doja Cat, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, and let s not forget when, in 2001, Andrea Bocelli opened the show with his melodic tenor.
But what can be expected of tonight? We know that Angels Candice Swanepoel, Devyn Garcia, Imaan Hammam, Grace Elizabeth, and Tyra Banks will walk the show, but beyond that, details are scant. It’s safe to assume that we can expect Cher to deliver a major fashion moment—the girl can’t help herself! She s a fashion icon, after all, and one who has remained relevant for six decades.
Born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California, Cher’s journey from unknown to icon is a story of continuous transformation. When she burst onto the scene with then-husband Sonny Bono back in the early 1960s, she embodied the flower child styles of the period. With her long black hair, statuesque physique, and knack for pulling off psychedelic sixties trends, Cher would have stood out on her own, but her look came to life when she was side-by-side with Bono. The couple wasn’t afraid to experiment with their look and had fun coordinating with his and hers versions of the same trends. If Cher could pull off striped bell-bottoms and fringed vests, Sonny was game to try them too.
They took things up a notch with their variety series, The Sonny and Cher Show, which launched in 1971. Having met Bob Mackie years earlier while guesting on The Carol Burnett Show, Cher enlisted his talents for her costumes. A single episode could contain up to 20 different outfits, and Mackie used the opportunity to share fantastical fashion with the American public. Who but Cher would entertain the audience in belly-baring halter tops or marabou feathers and sequins? Each week she and Mackie went bigger and bolder.
The platform of a successful television show and plenty of pop hits made Cher a household name, but she sought to expand her oeuvre by the eighties. Though she’d done guest spots on classic series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Love, American Style, music had always come first. In 1982 Cher began to appear in high-profile dramas like Silkwood and Mask, and audiences who’d grown up on her campy TV persona had to adjust. The reinvention wouldn’t have been successful if Cher wasn’t a skilled actress, but her off-duty fashion helped shape the reinvention narrative. Her wardrobe of leather jackets, mini-dresses, and jeans was a move towards a simpler style, one that connected to the decade’s rock n’ roll aesthetic.
Straightforward fashion is nice, but when it came time to win her Oscar for Moonstruck in 1986, Cher didn’t hold back. By arriving at the ceremony in a custom Mackie crop top, skirt, and feathered headdress, she delivered one of the most memorable Oscar looks ever. An outlandish outlier during a time when actresses were expected to keep their outfits subdued, she picked up her award on her terms, jokingly telling the crowd that she’d received the handbook on how to dress like a serious actress.
Cher’s irreverence is part of her charm. She may be waltzing around in wearable art, but she isn’t self-serious. Her famous wardrobe is an expression of her artistry, but it’s also what she enjoys wearing. To this day, she keeps putting on over-the-top looks that delight her fans and followers. At 75, she’s wearing Rick Owens leather jackets, sequin-laden gowns, and that wild cut-out bodysuit from the “If I Could Turn Back Time” video. Is it any wonder then that her pictures trend on Instagram and Gen-Z stars like Zendaya and Dua Lipa look to her when they need inspiration? Cher remains an icon, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Photo: The Everett Collection1/941960
Photo: Getty Images2/941960