Thread by @dearvotion

flight attendant uniforms designed by prestigious fashion designers — a thread

marc bohan at christian dior for air france (1962)

entering the jet age, air france’s old uniform no longer suited the more active role of its flight attendant. the company entrusted the uniform’s new design to the house of christian dior under the direction of marc bohan.

in march 1962, the new uniform was introduced, making it the first haute couture uniform. everyone praised its elegance, down to the smallest detail. the summer dress in sky-blue featured a belt with a stitched japanese knot and the winter suit was in navy with a claudine collar.

emilio pucci for braniff international airways (1966)

in 1965, braniff launched a marketing campaign called “end of the plain plane” in a bid to become the sky’s leading airline for providing a glamorous, high-style and unforgettable travel experience for the masses.

braniff’s advertising executive mary wells lawrence hired the italian designer emilio pucci who was known for his distinct colorful psychedelic prints to reconceptualized the airline uniform. the harlequin-print nylon jersey, tights, and striped calfskin boots

his most peculiar design for the airline was these plastic space helmets. the helmets were introduced by braniff as the “raindome” to be worn between terminal and plane to prevent rainwater. however, they were scrapped after only a month because the helmets cracked easily.

pierre cardin for UTA (1968)

the italian-born french designer brought the influences of his recent “cosmos” collection to UTA. the summer dress in beige gabardine edged in white, the winter jersey in blue edged in green. both looks perfected by the helmet shape straw hats.

emilio pucci for braniff international airlines (1968)

on may 1968, pucci unveiled these easy-to-wear, casual, yet stylist uniforms for braniff as parts of his collection titled “pucci classics”.

cristóbal balenciaga for air france (1969)

at the end of the 60s, the spanish couturier opened an air france department within his paris fashion house for the creation of this uniform. after finishing the air france collection, balenciaga closed his fashion house.

emilio pucci for braniff international airways (1971)

emilio pucci called his next collection “747 braniff place” in honor of the airline’s new wide-body jet. his famous print designs appear on the skirt as decorative borders to create a finished appearance.

pierre balmain for singapore airlines (1968-present)

the iconic sarong hasn’t significantly changed since its creation in 1968. balmain’s choice of asian batik print for the sarong kebaya was chosen to reflect the identity and hospitality of the airlines’ cabin crew.

valentino for trans world airlines (1971)

the rome-based fashion designer brought his passion for color to TWA with a business-like look uniform. it marks a transition in airline fashion as age limits were removed and the profession became a longer-term career.

andré courrèges for UTA (1973)

UTA turned to the french designer to bring his trademark futuristic flair to the flight crew. his uniform collection for the airlines had a skirt or flated trousers option, a fitted sweater and courrèges signature short jacket in imitation leather

nina ricci for air new zealand (1976)

nina ricci designed a geometric border print in toning shades of blue and teal with white for use in a long skirt and top to wear on the dinner flights.

ralph lauren for trans world airlines (1978)

the 1978 uniform by the american designer signaled a turn toward the military and more masculine suits of the 1930s.

hermès for UTA (1979)

breaking with the bold, cutting-edge looks of its past uniforms, UTA turned to parisian luxury goods maker hermès for a new design in 1979. signaling a return to the comfort of romantic traditionalism.

yves saint laurent for qantas airways (1986)

marc bohen at christian dior for UTA (1987)

worn from 1987 to 1992, this uniform was created to reflects the “power-dressing” trends in women’s career wear of the 1980s.

christian lacroix for air france (2005)

lacroix created an extensive 100 pieces that could be combined by each woman in their own way, giving staff a chance to show off their individual sense of style.

vivienne westwood for virgin atlantic (2014)

the british designer upgraded the airlines’ iconic red uniform with silhouettes inspired by 40s french fashion. a double-breasted drape coat, an oversized high-collar jacket with a matching pencil skirt and signature hourglass heels

zac posen for delta (2018)

for the collection, posen worked directly with delta employees to design uniforms that addressed particular job needs and requirements. he used innovative fabrics and textile technology to develop uniforms that fit employees' fast-paced environments.

laurence xu for hainan airlines (2017)

the chinese designer created a version of the traditional qipao dress but with western-style draping, aiming to highlight a sense of elegance and femininity. xu showed some of the designs as part of his fw17 haute couture collection.