Over the past 85 years there’s been a fashion show in the clouds. The mile-high catwalk has been filled with clothes from names you know — even if you know nothing about fashion: Cristóbal Balenciaga, Bill Blass, Pierre Cardin, Oleg Cassini, Christian Dior, Halston, Edith Head, Christian Lacroix, Ralph Lauren, Emilio Pucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Vivienne Westwood have all contributed to the sartorial parade.
It’s likely that the audience at this perpetual fashion show wasn’t paying close attention to the garments, primarily because they were impatiently waiting for a bag of peanuts or a Bloody Mary. But as nostalgia for the golden age of aviation grows, so too does an appreciation for the ensembles worn by flight attendants.
At their glamorous height they were known as stewardesses or air hostesses and they wore uniforms that are now celebrated for their style and durability. The felicitous togs were an important part of the early in-flight experience. There may not have been headrests with built-in TVs and 132 channels, but the trade-off was watching ladies in go-go boots and jaunty hats serving Salisbury steak.
The SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport is the latest institution to revisit these halcyon days with its show “Fashion in Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design.’’ It features pieces from over 30 design houses that were challenged by the airline industry to come up with uniforms that could not only handle the stress of long workdays, but also maintain a mod mystique.
But as John Hill, assistant director of aviation at SFO Museum explained, these uniforms didn’t start out as fashion statements.
“The first uniforms had a nurse look about them,’’ he said. “They had a cape and a hat. The beginning was unique. Air travel was unique. The fact that women were hired was somewhat novel in the 1930s. But part of that was to show people ‘Hey, this is safe. You’ll be taken care of.’’’
The nurse uniform style was a logical choice because the first airline stewardess was a registered nurse named Ellen Church. But it didn’t take long for glamour to board a flight. In 1944, Hollywood costume designer Howard Greer, who created onscreen frocks for Katherine Hepburn, Irene Dunne, and Joan Crawford, was recruited by TWA. He created a fitted suit that is more in line with what we now think of as a flight attendant’s uniform.
Despite its utilitarian purpose, Hill said the garb quickly evolved as fashion changed on the ground. The menswear-influenced uniforms were inspired by Coco Chanel’s suiting designs. The wasp-waisted silhouette came in response to Christian Dior’s revolutionary New Look of 1947. If you’re unaware of Dior’s industry-shattering New Look, think of every dress from the mid-1940s to the end of the 1950s, and you have an idea of his influence. The nipped waist and below-the-knee hemlines were an omnipresent part of midcentury life.
“All of the sudden this career type starts to emerge and gain iconic status in the public’s mind,’’ Hill said. “The clothing is there along with it. Glamour has started to set in. You’re getting the Parisian couturiers in there. Marc Bohan does a piece for Air France that’s just magnificent.
The variety of colors and styles grew as more regional carriers emerged. Each needed a way to distinguish itself from the competition, and the air hostesses were some of the most charismatic spokeswomen the airlines could get. A vintage Delta print advertisement sporting four comely stewardesses asked “Why do people say Delta’s the best thing that ever happened to flying?’’ “You’re looking at four good reasons.’’
And then 1965 happened.
According to Hill, it was advertising executive Mary Wells Lawrence who “turned the industry on its ear and changed the look of air travel’’ after hiring Italian designer Emilio Pucci to reinvent uniforms for Braniff International Airways. Its new slogan was “The end of the plain plane,’’ and each of the jets in its fleet was painted a bold color. Suddenly there were solid blue, orange, and yellow jets in the sky.
Hill describes the uniforms as the “un-uniform.’’ Pucci created psychedelic cat suits, capes, Day-Glo green boots, and clear plastic helmets known as RainDomes intended to protect elaborate bouffants, beehives, and flips from the elements.
“The publicity surrounding this was phenomenal,’’ he said. “They got a tremendous amount of attention. These uniforms were photographed and publicized ad infinitum.’’
It didn’t take long for other airlines to play catch up by bringing in their own designers who tried to match Braniff’s boldness. United enlisted celebrated Oscar-winning Hollywood costumer Jean Louis in 1968, Airwest commissioned Cassini, and Air France hired Balenciaga.
These uniforms somehow married functionality with Mary Quant’s swinging 1960s London aesthetic. The looks from the 1950s and 1960s are prized and practically fetishized by both fashion and aviation buffs. Those who were alive during the era see the uniforms as a reminder of a kinder, gentler era of travel. For younger travelers, the look speaks to romanticized nostalgia for a time that was smartly depicted in “Mad Men.’’
The SFO Museum exhibit continues through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s up to the present, but, with few exceptions, the eye is continually brought back to the captivating raiment of the airhostess generation.
Although the uniforms are no longer as bold as they once were, Hill said he still sees the glamour in air travel.
“Just this morning I saw a Lufthansa crew marching across the terminal floor,’’ he said. “Everybody was watching. That spirit is still there, sometimes we just let ourselves get blasé. Fashion is always going to be a part of it. You can still find it.’’
“Fashion in Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design’’ runs through Jan. 8 at the SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport. Admission is free.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther and on Instagram @Chris_Muther.
