The Best of Babs: The Original Red Carpet and Front Row Risk-Taker
Before Rihanna, there was Barbra Streisand—the original red carpet risk-taker who wore a see-through sequin two-piece to the 1969 Oscars, where she tied with Katharine Hepburn for her role in Funny Girl. She was also the original front row fixture at fashion week, wearing a leopard suit to Chanel’s 1966 show. And then there were the accessories: Streisand has been wearing chokers for decades before their death knell sounded, along with a spread of bow-ties, fur, capes, and an array of headpieces that made her the center of attention wherever she went. Mixed in there, too, have been the singer’s fair share of menswear-inspired suits—including a Giorgio Armani tie-studded edition on the cover of W‘s December 2016 issue, which found Streisand, just months before her 75th birthday, sans pants. (“I had no idea that when the lights hit that outfit, it would become transparent!” Streisand recalled to Lynn Hirschberg of her sheer 1969 Oscars appearance, along with more about the red gown she wore for her 1977 win, which turns out to have been of her own design.) Here, a tribute to the one-and-only Babs and her best on and off-duty looks.
1The 1969 Academy Awards
Streisand attends the 1969 Academy Awards ceremony in a see-through, sequined two-piece suit. She tied for Best Actress with Katharine Hepburn for her role in “Funny Girl.”
2Front row at Chanel, 1966
Streisand attends a Chanel fashion show in Paris with photographer Richard Avedon, wearing a leopard skin suit in 1966.
31966
Streisand wears white knee-high lace-up boots in 1966.
41965
Streisand in a three-piece suit, stands in front of a folding screen with her hands on her hips in 1965.
5Sammy Davis Jr. and Barbra Streisand at the 1968 Academy Awards
American singer and actor Sammy Davis Jr. stands with presenter Barbra Streisand, who wore a sequined gown and choker at the 1968 Academy Awards ceremony.
61963
Streisand drinking coffee at a New York restaurant wearing a newsboy cap in 1963.
71976
Streisand wearing a tuxedo and bowtie at the after party for the 1976 New York premiere of “A Star Is Born,” which took place at Tavern on the Green.
8John Wayne and Streisand at 1970 Academy Awards
Actor John Wayne and Streisand at the 42nd Annual Academy Awards in 1970.
91970
Streisand wearing a matching polka-dot dress and headscarf at her townhouse in New York City in 1970.
10Streisand and Jon Peters in 1975
Streisand walks with her boyfriend, Jon Peters, in London Airport before the premiere of “Funny Lady” in 1975 wearing an ensemble that was emblematic of the decade.
11Streisand and Elliott Gould in 1968
Streisand arriving with her husband, actor Elliott Gould, at a party for the film, “Bullitt” in 1968. Streisand wears large sunglasses, and Gould wears a dapper trench.
121966
Streisand looking easy and breezy in 1966.
13At the premiere of “Hello, Dolly!” in 1969
Streisand attends the premiere and after party for “Hello, Dolly!” in 1969 look like the queen of New York in all-white and fur.
141969
Streisand dressed in white with a mink fur hat and trimmings in December 1969.
15A pro-Israel rally in 1967
Streisand stands out at a pro-Israel rally at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, to raise emergency funds for Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967.
161965
Streisand wearing a fuchsia pink silk dress with a scoop neckline and a matching bow around the waist, circa 1965.
171992 U.S. Open Tennis Championship
Streisand attends the 1992 U.S. Open Tennis Championship with Michael Bolton wearing a white bucket hat and round sunglasses.
181991
Streisand at “The Prince of Tides” Los Angeles Premiere in 1991 wearing a white lace busier underneath a white suit jacket.
19Circa 1965
Streisand wearing a red-and-white wool dress and cardigan, circa 1965.
20Circa 1990
Streisand wears a velvet cape and turban in the 90s.
212000 Golden Globe Awards
Streisand attends the 57th Annual Golden Globe Awards wearing a shimmering sweater dress in 2000.
222004 Emmy Awards
James Brolin and Streisand attend the 56th Annual Emmy Awards in 2004, where she wore yet another velvet cape — this time in pink.
232003
Streisand showed some leg at the premiere of “A Guy Thing” in 2003.
242013
Streisand wears her now-signature suit and bowtie to the 23rd annual Glamour Women Of The Year gala in 2013.
25
Streisand is all sparkles in head-to-toe blue at the American Society Of Cinematographers 29th Annual Outstanding Achievement Awards in February, 2015.
26
Streisand heads to the Renaissance fair, aka LACMA’s 50th Anniversary Gala, in yet another choker and a loose head of curls in April, 2015.
27
Streisand puts on a choker and and matching green gown for the 42nd Chaplin Award Gala in New York in April, 2015.
28
Streisand crimps her hair and throws on a tasseled necklace to be honored at the Hollywood Reporter‘s Women in Entertainment Breakfast in Los Angeles in December, 2015.
29
Streisand channels the ’90s in ruffled cuffs and another choker at a town hall with SiriusXM and the cast of School Of Rock in New York in August, 2016.
30
Before spreading out her flowing gown onstage at the opening night of her 2016 tour, “Barbra: The Music, The Mem’ries, The Magic!*, Streisand shows off her beads backstage in Los Angeles in August, 2016.
