evolution of airline fashions

PowerPoint Show by Andrew ♫ Turn on Speakers

The height of fashion: From mini skirts and go-go

boots to Vivienne Westwood creations, the evolution

of cabin crew uniforms from the 1940s to today

Trans World Airline air hostesses attend a course at the TWA headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri in May 1946.  

In the late 1940s flight attendants wore dresses that hung just below the knee and matching shoes and hats completed the look.  

British Airway air hostesses model the 1950s uniform with smart collars and coifs under their caps.

A 24-year-old KLM worker in 1959 shows off the new show-a-leg uniform which hangs just below the knee but has an open pleat at the back.

Exuding smart professionalism, in the 50s, air hostesses wore trademark white crisp collars and white gloves, with curled hair pinned back out off their faces.

Pakistani Airways hostesses (left) with matching hats relax in London in 1957. On board a Pan Am flight, an air hostess with a midi-skirt and suit jacket interacts greets passengers(right).

Air hostesses in 1963 can be seen striding in unison with matching handbags, hats and shoes, with a prominent white collar blouse visible.

Classic tailoring saw skirts rise above the knees, and more adventurous designs, bold brass buttons and scarves were experimented with in cabin fashion.

Pictured here are stewardesses on Southwest Airlines in Texas in 1968 in go-go boots and bold belts to accentuate their waists.

The TWA air hostess present their new uniforms in 1968 with stylish scarves, berets and striped tops.

Paul McCartney is pictured chatting to a flight attendant with hat pinned place on a journey to Liverpool (right). And air hostesses in shorter skirts at a London airport pose in 1969 (left).

In 1973 a group of air hostesses model the new uniforms designed by Mary Quant for cabin crew of Court Line Aviation.

Glamorous Pan Am air hostesses in the 1970s stood out in airports with their bright blue uniforms and A-line skirts.

Six Laker stewardesses make a record dedicated to Freddie Laker called Let Us Fly. They can be seen with high heeled shoes, scarfs and matching hats.

More leg was on show with cabin crew in the 1970s, and certain airlines opted to hire fashion designers to add their magic touches to uniforms.

On Hugh Hefner's jet in the 1970s, Big Bunny, there were no dowdy hats or frumpy skirts, with specially designed uniforms featuring leatherette black mini dresses.

Many airlines in the 1980s started using waistcoats in their uniforms, and they quickly became a popular choice thanks to their versatility.

With the wider options of long-haul flights available in the 1990s, clothing needed to be less restrictive and easier to wear during long hours.

A group of brightly uniformed male and female cabin crew from Britannia Airways at an airport in 1996.

Out with the vests and in with more blazers. Uniforms in the 2000s adopted a more masculine feel with collars jackets with defined shoulder pads.

Because of religious reasons air hostesses of Bahraini airline Gulf Air wear knee-long skirts and a veil as part of their uniforms - and this hasn't changed today.

The Russia's national carrier Aeroflot is known for its eye-catching summer uniforms in its signature shade of tomato red.

Eithad's beautiful uniforms offer a subtle nod to the brand's partnership with Alitalia, having been crafted by an Italian Haute Couturier.