Bernadette Peters Recycled a Bob Mackie Gown She Wore in the '80s for 74th Tony Awards

Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
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ANGELA WEISS/getty

Bernadette Peters served a sustainable fashion moment at the 74th Tony Awards that transcended decades.

The Broadway icon, 73, dazzled in a black gown adorned with sparkling metallic stars and off-the-shoulder tulle that ran down the floor-length skirt, which she accessorized with gold and pearl jewelry by David Webb.

Legendary designer Bob Mackie posted a red carpet photo of Peters in the look, along with a photo of her wearing the same gown in the '80s. "How gorgeous did @OfficialBPeters look in a vintage Bob Mackie couture gown last night at @TheTonyAwards?" he wrote, also including his original sketch of the design.

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"It's a timeless Bob Mackie that she thought would be the perfect dress for the Broadway Is Back Special Tony Award telecast," Peters' rep, Judy Katz, tells PEOPLE. "He designed it as a beautiful encore dress for one of her concerts."

Peters has long been a friend of Mackie, 82, accompanying him to the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2019, where she wore one of his creations. She also wore a Mackie gown when she won her first Tony Award in 1986 for her performance as Emma in Song and Dance.

The two-time Tony Award winner — and recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award — also appeared on The John Davidson Show in 1981 with Mackie and his greatest muse, Cher. "I met him because I was on The Carol Burnett Show, and he was doing the costumes, and I fell in love with him. He's wonderful," Peters said of the designer.

"And he did help me, because I was going out at certain times to do summer stock, and he said, 'Oh gee, well you really should look nice. What are you going to wear?' And I said, 'Well, they have a little seamstress there, designing the costumes.' And he said, 'Well, maybe I should just send you off with some costumes just in case.' And he just gave them to me to take with me, to make sure that I would look good," she recounted.

Peters walked the red carpet with Josh Groban at Sunday's Tony Awards, where she took the stage to honor those who've died, including from COVID-19, as part of the In Memoriam tribute.

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"Since the last Tony Awards, we lost a staggering legion of dear friends, far too many of them to the global pandemic. A number of those treasured colleagues were performers and creative artists whose names were familiar far beyond the footlights of Broadway," she said while introducing Brian Stokes Mitchell's performance of "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. "Tonight we do not mourn them in sorrow. Instead, we offer this remembrance, celebrating their lives and their passion for the performing arts."