PARTY LINES.

Byline: Barbara De Witt 

Most of us know Bob Mackie as the creator of Cher's outrageous gowns, but he's so much more.

As Edie Locke, director of the local chapter of Fashion Group International put it, ``Thanks to Bob, you can now sit on a Mackie sofa reading your Mackie book, lit by a Mackie lamp and surrounded by Mackie fragrance.''

Whatever the L.A. designer does - whether it's streetwear, evening gowns, Barbie doll clothes or home furnishings - it's unmistakably Mackie, which happens to be the name of his recent retrospective exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Now back home, Mackie was honored by Fashion Group with an intimate cocktail and chocolate cheesecake reception at Sotheby's in Beverly Hills.

Mackie, wearing his trademark bowtie, shared with the crowd that his career ideas were planted in a movie theater during World War II. It was there that he saw Betty Grable and other stars in musicals with lavish costumes ... and at first couldn't decide if he wanted to be an actor or designer.

Obviously, he chose the latter, and soon began designing 50 costumes a week for TV's ``Carol Burnett Show.'' And it was on that set that he met a newcomer named Cher. According to Mackie, Cher said that if she ever got rich and famous she'd like to wear his beaded dresses.

Over the years. Mackie has worked as a set designer, a costume designer (for films, plays and even a ballet at the Music Center). He has a signature fragrance, sells scarves and sportswear on television, and continually tries his hand at ready-to-wear collections.

But he's still broadening his horizons. When asked what's next, he said, ``People today are more interested in furnishing their homes than in what they put on their backs.'' So we may be seeing Bob Mackie paint cans on the shelf next to Ralph Lauren.

After his program, guests had an opportunity to see more than 30 Barbie dolls that Mackie dressed for Mattel, which was a treat to Barbie fans like Beth Ruggiero of Encino, who raved about the workmanship of the garments. According to Mackie, those teeny dresses are more difficult than life-size gowns because you have to work on a quarter-inch scale. But Barbie remains his favorite client because her body never changes and she never sweats.

Over at the Southwest Museum at LACMA West, drums were beating and First Nations of the Northwest chief Robert Joseph and artist Simon Dick did a traditional American Indian chant for guests.

It was the black-tie reception for the new exhibit ``Down From the Shimmering Sky: Masks of the Northwest Coast,'' at which numerous American Indian artists and celebrities such as Jennifer Tilly got a first glimpse of the 145 contemporary and historic masks.

Duane King, executive director of the museum, called the exhibit the most comprehensive ever assembled and said he was particularly proud to have masks collected by Capt. Cook in the 1770s.

The ``Shimmering Sky'' exhibit was organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada, with support from the Automobile Club of Southern California. It continues through May 6.

More art lovers gathered at the Beverly Hills home of Merv Griffin for the annual La Quinta Arts Foundation Patrons Party. According to member Rommi Fleishman, patrons paid $750 for an invitation, but the money will be used for scholarships and outreach programs for Southern California schoolchildren. To date, she says, the group's visual arts scholarship program has funded $270,000 to college-bound art students. The La Quinta Arts Festival will be held March 16-19. The fine art show will be held at the Frances Hack Park in La Quinta.

Every year, the Helping Hand organization searches for the perfect Mother of the Year to be honored at its annual Mother's Day luncheon. This year it's going to be game-show sweetheart Vanna White, reports Helping Hands president Kayla Lawrence of Beverly Hills. The reason, she says, is because she truly epitomizes the working mother of the new millennium.

The luncheon is set for May 5 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and according to event committee member Nan Krasne of Valley Village, designer David Hayes will present his spring collection and also speak on fashion trends.

For those not familiar with Helping Hands, it was founded in 1929 and has raised more than $15 million for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Gilda Radner Cancer Detection Program.

For luncheon reservations, call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1) Fashion Group chairwoman Edie Locke, left, with designer Bob Mackie and Andrea Van de Kamp of Sotheby's.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

(2) La Quinta Arts Foundation director Susan Francis, left, with Merv Griffin and LQAF party chairwoman Honey Atkins.

Marc Glassman

(3) Helping Hand president Kayla Lawrence, left, with Mother of the Year honoree Vanna White and vice president Daisy Schott.

Thomas Neerken

(4) First Nations of the Northwest Coast leaders Fred Kelley, left, Phil Fontaine and Robert Joseph at the Southwest Museum gala.Bob Mackie modern-day renaissance man