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Hollywood's Most Daring Vintage Fashion Moments
7.
Barbra Streisand
Ties aren't uncommon at the Academy Awards, but the 1969 split between newcomer Barbara Streisand and two-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn became one of the most memorable ones. Streisand was nominated for Funny Girl and Hepburn was nominated for The Lion in the Winter, but Streisand stole the show thanks to Hepburn's absence.
Since Hepburn wasn't in attendance, all eyes fell on Streisand who donned a sequined bell-bottom jumpsuit by Arnold Scaasi that went sheer in the light. The designer also created her outfits for the 1970 film, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, and the jumpsuit was actually a costume from the flick! In his biography, Women I Have Dressed (And Undressed), Scaasi explained the see-through pantsuit:
"Barbra and I finally agreed on a sketch I had done, using the black net, clear-sequined see-through fabric. The bell-bottom trousers were exaggerated and had many godets flaring out widely from the knee down, almost giving the appearance of a trumpet-shape evening skirt when she stood still," he wrote.
While it was a daring piece, the duo weren't aware the outfit would go sheer under bright lights. "Though we had taken every aspect of the sequin outfit into consideration, we did not know that the flashbulbs used by the press would wipe out the flat surface of the black net... Next morning Barbra was on the phone to me, laughing about the whole episode. The headlines helped make the star's outfit the most famous Academy Award costume ever!" There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?
Since Hepburn wasn't in attendance, all eyes fell on Streisand who donned a sequined bell-bottom jumpsuit by Arnold Scaasi that went sheer in the light. The designer also created her outfits for the 1970 film, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, and the jumpsuit was actually a costume from the flick! In his biography, Women I Have Dressed (And Undressed), Scaasi explained the see-through pantsuit:
"Barbra and I finally agreed on a sketch I had done, using the black net, clear-sequined see-through fabric. The bell-bottom trousers were exaggerated and had many godets flaring out widely from the knee down, almost giving the appearance of a trumpet-shape evening skirt when she stood still," he wrote.
While it was a daring piece, the duo weren't aware the outfit would go sheer under bright lights. "Though we had taken every aspect of the sequin outfit into consideration, we did not know that the flashbulbs used by the press would wipe out the flat surface of the black net... Next morning Barbra was on the phone to me, laughing about the whole episode. The headlines helped make the star's outfit the most famous Academy Award costume ever!" There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?
