Can you say EGOT? Singer, movie star, stage actor, filmmaker and more, Barbra Streisand is one of the 20th century’s most iconic performers. After beginning her career singing in nightclubs and on Broadway in the early 60s, Barbra rose to national stardom — and Grammy-winning status — with the release of her debut studio album, the self-titled Barbra Streisand Album. From there, Barbra’s star only continued to rise, topping the charts with 1968’s People while breaking into Hollywood (and earning her first Oscar) with 1968’s Funny Girl. Barbra has since been the voice and the face behind some of the century’s most enduring pop culture stalwarts including The Way We Were (the film and the single), Hello Dolly!, 1978’s A Star is Born, and the sweeping, self-produced Yentl.
Across six decades, Barbra has earned a reputation as one of Hollywood’s foremost divas. Of course, Barbra’s wardrobe lives up to that title. Think 1960s ingenue glam in sailor-collared gowns, pillbox hats, and sequinned naked dresses. Or 1970s opulence in fur coats, embellished turbans, and tailored tuxedos. Here, as Barbra releases her 970-page long memoir My Name is Barbra, we look back at some of the performer’s most iconic outfits.
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Performing on My Name is Barbra, 1965
At the beginning of her recording career, Barbra promoted her work through a series of televised concert specials, the first of which coincided with the release of her fifth album My Name is Barbra. Across three acts, the singer took to the CBS soundstage to sing hits like “Happy Days Are Here Again”, “My Man”, and “People” wearing a series of prim floor-length looks — like this sailor-collared gown — fit for an up-and-coming ingenue.
Performing on Color Me Barbra, 1966
Barbra’s seventh studio album Color Me Barbra coincided with another television special from the singer — this time, rather appropriately, her first in colour (rather than the era’s standard black-and-white.) The special took Barbra on a tour through art history, with the singer dashing through galleries and Egyptian tombs wearing powdered wigs and op art frocks, before finally taking to the CBS soundstage in this simple yet sleek empire-waisted gown.
Performing at A Happening in Central Park, 1967
In 1967, Barbra held a concert for an audience of over 125,000 in NYC’s Central Park. The iconic performance — which featured 33 songs — would form the basis of Barbra’s first live album, A Happening in Central Park, yet another CBS special. During the concert’s final act, the singer took to the stage in one of her most iconic ensembles of all time: a flowing Fortuny-esque cape gown designed by Irene Sharaff.
At Heathrow Airport, 1969
Of course, Barbra’s airport attire is every bit as glamorous as her stage costume. Here, she arrives at London’s Heathrow Airport wearing a fur coat and matching pillbox hat.
At the Academy Awards, 1969
Did you know that Barbra is one of Hollywood’s OG naked dress divas? Back in 1969, the singer-slash-actress scooped her first Academy Award — for her star-making turn in Funny Girl — wearing this shimmering netted suit by Arnold Scaasi. Although the two-piece has oft been lauded as one of the chicest naked dresses in red carpet history, Barbra recently admitted in her upcoming memoir that the outfit still “horrifies” her. “When I saw the footage on TV, I was horrified,” she writes. “It looked as if I had nothing on underneath. (It was actually lined in nude georgette.) I was so embarrassed. And I’m still horrified, thinking about it now.” Don’t worry B, we think it’s a slay!
At The Way We Were premiere, 1973
After earning critical acclaim for her musical and comedic film work with Funny Girl, Hello Dolly!, and What’s Up, Doc?, Barbra made the leap to dramatic acting with the 1972 romance The Way We Were. Despite the film not being a musical, the actress-slash-singer still made her sonic mark on the movie, lending her vocals to its theme song, which went on to win that year’s Oscar for Best Original Song. At the film’s premiere, Barbra wears a fur topper and one of her signature embellished turbans.
At the A Star is Born premiere, 1976
In 1978, Barbra starred in Frank Pierson (and Joan Didion’s!) remake of stalwart Hollywood tale A Star is Born. A musical and romantic drama all rolled into one, the film allowed Barbra to flex her acting chops as well as those pipes, earning her the Golden Globe for Best Lead Actress as well as the Oscar for Best Original Song for title track “Evergreen”. Here, at the film’s premiere, she wears a sleek tuxedo every bit as worthy of the maestro she had become.