Re-creating something as legendary as Barbra Streisand’s 1962 Bon Soir recording sessions is no easy task. Yet, director Matt Amato and his team not only succeeded, they had even the biggest Streisand fans doing a double-take. Although no video footage exists from those original performances, Amato revived the magic of the shows using artist Kristin Cassidy as a stand-in for Streisand. Cassidy uncannily embodied Streisand’s unique physicality and features, right down to her signature nails. By blending new footage of actors and musicians alongside archival photos, this lyric video brought the Bon Soir in 1962 to life with remarkable authenticity.

Ensuring that Kristin Cassidy’s silhouette and outfit perfectly matched Streisand’s herringbone suit was a top priority for Amato. With this authenticity in mind, he sought out designer Olivia Jondle who specializes in vintage textiles to recreate the look. Jondle owns a small batch clothing company called The Rusty Bolt where she specializes in making one-of-a-kind pieces from vintage textiles. I was flattered to learn that she referenced my 2020 article on the original herringbone suit as part of her research. To achieve the highest level of authenticity, Jondle explained that she used vintage wool to create the replica. This gave it an aged and lived-in quality that helped to make the suit as quirky as the original.

Streisand’s 1962 Bon Soir outfit showcased a bold blend of masculine and feminine elements that were quite unconventional at the time. It wasn’t until Yves Saint Laurent introduced Le Smoking in 1966 that similar women’s vests and suits gained widespread popularity. As always, Streisand was entirely unique in her style choices and ahead of her time. In one recording from her 1962 Bon Soir shows she can be heard joking with the audience that she is “wearing her boyfriend’s suit.” While some say this was a playful remark, others have said the herringbone fabric used to make it might actually have come from one of her boyfriend’s suits.

Streisand’s Bon Soir original outfit was self-designed and consisted of a fitted button-up herringbone vest, reminiscent of a men’s waistcoat, complete with princess seams running on each side that gave it a contrasting touch of femininity. The matching skirt had a gathered elastic waistband that helped to add some volume to its otherwise straight-falling silhouette. A long-sleeved, white chiffon blouse was worn beneath the herringbone vest. The blouse had a Peter Pan collar that was accented with a pussybow at the neck. The sheer sleeves of the blouse are slightly puffed at the shoulders and feature a slit at each cuff, secured with a button closure. These popular elements helped to add a youthful and modern vibe to the look.

The sole piece of jewelry that Streisand paired with this outfit in 1962 was a striking oval-shaped ring with a tiger’s eye stone. In the video, Kristin Cassidy wore something in the same spirit that she sourced at the STL Rocks Shop in St. Louis, MO.

In her 2010 book, My Passion For Design, Barbra Streisand shared that for her Bon Soir shows, she wore a pair of antique shoes that, by the end of the night had the interior leather completely burned out from the heat of her body. To recreate those, Cassidy wore similar shoes that were also from the 1920s.

Streisand completed her Bon Soir look with her signature side-swiped bangs and a hairpiece that helped support her voluminous beehive. Given that Amato’s recreation video was shot from behind, Cassidy’s updo needed to replicate Streisand’s as closely as possible. Amato estimates that it took hair stylist Gwen Meyer around eight hours to perfect this look. To recreate the volume of Streisand’s hair, a foam bun was placed beneath a hairpiece —exactly how Streisand used to style her hair during this period. In the early 1960s, Streisand’s hair was often slightly tousled, a result of her doing it herself. I appreciated that Meyer captured this detail by intentionally leaving some strands out of place.

No Streisand stand-in would be complete without the long and fabulous nails that Barbra is so famous for. Stylist Jacob David dedicated hours to perfecting Cassidy’s nails, and the end result was so stunning that it’s likely even Barbra would approve.

Amato told me that his entire creative team enjoyed learning about Streisand’s early career, adding, “They admired her style and confidence and everyone felt good working on it! They all wanted it to be perfect. I am blessed!”

For me, Streisand’s herringbone ensemble embodies the unbridled innocence and boldness of her early career and will forever symbolize the journey of an ambitious and fearless Brooklyn girl rising to superstardom. I am thrilled that Amato and his creative team focused so intently on the details of her style and outfit that some fans thought his recreations were unseen footage.

Special thanks to Matt Amato and Olivia Jondle for sharing their photos and creative process with me!