No one makes bolder fashion statements—or sets styles—quite like Cher. Lady Gaga? Please. In the '60s the raven-haired half of Sonny and Cher rocked bangs, black eyeliner, bell-bottoms, and bobcat vests, launching the hippie look with cool California style. A decade later she took TV by storm in a variety series that showcased her mannequin-thin silhouette in bare-bellied, bugle-beaded Bob Mackie confections. The '80s and '90s saw Cher in leather jackets, leotards, and fishnets; at the Oscars she dazzled in Mackie ensembles she says are "works of art as beautifully constructed on the inside as they are on the outside."

Now, Cher, 64, is recording a new album in Nashville and returning to the big screen in Burlesque, opposite Christina Aguilera. Cast as the tough but maternal owner of a girlie-show club in Los Angeles, Cher revved up the wardrobe—and character—with items from her own closet.