Leopard Fur Suit
Barbra Streisand wore this silk and leopard skin skirtsuit and hat which she designed herself on several occasions in the 60’s. She was photographed in this look at the 1966 Chanel Spring show in Paris, and at a birthday party thrown for her by the “Funny Girl” Broadway cast and crew. She also wore this for her “Look” Magazine cover on April 5, 1966.
This outfit was designed by Barbra and made by Reiss And Fabrizio, with it’s matching hat by Louise, New York. Stitched into it’s left inside pocket are the initials “BSG” (Barbra Streisand Gould).
This form fitting suit features a knee length skirt, and a tailored jacket with inside and outside pockets as well as four buttons- two decorative and two for closure.The skirt buttons and zips up on both sides. Reiss And Fabrizio was founded in 1942 and became famous for making luxury fur jackets and stoles. Some of their designs have displayed at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art. The bowler hat was handmade by a Milliner using matching fur, and features a ribbon around the brim.
The Bowler hat was first made in 1849 for Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester. He ordered it from the hatters Lock & Co as a sort of hard hat to be close-fitting and have a low crown so it would protect heads of Coke’s gamekeepers when they rode. The goal was to prevent them from hitting their heads on braches of the trees that hung low. Before bowler hat, gamekeepers wore top hats that were too high, got knocked off a lot and became damaged when they hit the ground. Bowler hats were designed to solve this problem. Lock & Co. gave job to its chief hatters Thomas and William Bowler (hence the name). When bowler hat was finished, Coke came to London in 1849, placed it on the floor and stomped on it two times. When he saw that it withstood the test he was pleased and bought it for 12 shillings.
Barbra’s leopard ensemble sold at auction in 2004 for $6,600.00 USD.
