Barbra Streisand's Fashion Evolution

Today is Barbra Streisand's 70th birthday.

I'm lucky enough to have her #1 fan as my bff. Of course, I'm talking about Jonny. Seven years ago, he introduced me to Barbra's beautiful voice and extravagant style.

He used to sing me her songs and we would have Barbra movie nights, snuggling on the couch and drinking red wine.

I miss Jonny terribly. He's currently in New York City, chasing his dream. Right now, he's in production for an off-Broadway musical and he starts graduate school at NYU this August.

I've decided to show the evolution of Barbra's style over the past 50 years.

This post is dedicated to my sweet Jonny.

Enjoy!


1960s

Barbra Streisand was raised in Brooklyn.

After graduating high school in 1959, Barbra immediately moved to Manhattan to pursue acting.

During these days, Barbra was like a teenage gypsy, traveling around with a cot, sleeping on the floors of friends' apartments, while she pursued her dream of being a star.

The oddly beautiful girl began singing eccentric arrangements of jazz hits in hole-in-the-wall night clubs, dim-lit gay bars, and underground cabaret hot spots in Greenwich Village.

Most people snickered when they caught a sight of Barbra back in the early 1960s. During a time when most girls her age were dolled up in Betty Draper sundresses, Barbra strutted the streets in thrift store chic, and even a few handmade gems. Ironically, today, Barbra's ragtag hipster style would be considered quite cool.

Here she is in 1963, wearing a gown she made out of a cotton gingham tablecloth. Years later, Barbra admitted everyone told her to wear cocktail dresses to her gigs but she ignored them all, preferring to wear her beloved vintage clothes and creative designs.

By the mid-1960s, Barbra's fame had exploded. She was the new Hollywood "it girl" and received a glamorous makeover, while staying true to her style.

Now a pop star and a movie star, she made headlines for sitting front row at a Chanel runway show, wearing a custom-made jaw-droppingly chic leopard skin suit. She hobnobbed with designers like YSL. Women around the globe scrambled to copy her outfits.

1970s

In 1970, Barbra starred in my favorite movie The Owl and the Pussycat and went through a sexy, long-haired hippie transformation.

This is my favorite Barbra era. She was sexy, vivacious, and carefree. She infused boho chic with old-school glam. In a recent interview with Instyle magazine, Barbra said this was her favorite fashion period as well.

By 1976, Barbra had succumbed to the poodle perm popular among American women.

Despite being a global superstar, however, she still held on to her love for ecclectic fashion.
                                    

In this famous publicity photo from A Star is Born, Barbra is wearing a gown she designed herself, by draping her silver and black shawls together.

1980s

Barbra grew out her perm throughout this decade. She also sported a lot of pink pastel sweaters and comfortable slacks.

1990s

By 1991, Barbra was a triple threat: singer, actor, and director. Her style was sleek and modern. Black started to become her trademark.

Check out that gorgeous necklace! It is actually a vintage piece from Tiffany & Co.

2000s

Barbra's style in the past decade can only be described as one word: majestic. Her look is graceful, elegant, and classy. She always looks like a queen, whether she's draped in sparkly antique jewels or wearing a powerhouse suit.

What do you think of Barbra's style throughout the years?