A Star Is Born Burgundy Suede Cat Vest
Barbra Streisand wore this custom cat pocket suede vest in A Star Is Born (1976). This was one of the several outfits worn during the massive concert scenes shot at Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona. It can also be seen on the bottom half of the key art for the movie.
As Streisand fans know, the wardrobe from the film was famously credited as “Ms. Streisand’s clothes…from her closet.”
Many of the looks in the film were Barbra’s designs which she had made by a seamstress. Others were from her collection of thrift finds. At a fashion event on Oct 14, 1976 models showed three of the looks from the upcoming film for Mayor Bradley’s fashion advisory committee to a standing room audience of 920 people. Regarding the chosen looks, Barbra recalled “It was really fun to use some of my shmattes in the film. I still love those $20 Venice flea-market numbers.”
This was one of the many trendy 70’s looks worn in the film. Suede played a very important part in 1970’s fashion. Clothes in this era were creative, eclectic, free and without rules. According to ’70s fashion expert Anne-Lise Francois, “in the 1970s, people wore clothes that stood out in order to fit in.”
Sleeveless vests like this one were especially popular and a staple in most wardrobes. They were worn often in denim, faux fur and crochet.
This burgundy V-neck vest has some really fun detailing. A whip stitch trims the neck line and arm holes. The suede is scattered with red and clear claw set stones forming several symmetrical designs. There are two hearts descending down the vest on each side with silver arrows below them. Silver rhinestones edge the front of the vest. Two cat head shaped patch pockets feature rhinestoned designs of cat ears, eyes, whiskers and a mouth. Four clear, round faceted crystal buttons form the closure. This vest sold at auction in 2004 for $900.00.
