ON THE RUNWAY

AVIATION AND GLAMOUR HAVE ALWAYS GONE HAND IN HAND. HERE, WE CHART THE EVOLUTION OF IN- FLIGHT FASHION

- ALICE HENDERSON

Stylish ensembles of slanted lapels and silky neckties parade down a carpeted aisle. Some are finished with gilt buttons, others with a shiny brooch. A deft hand has molded each outfit to its wearer: Darts and seams are exact, and cuffs sit neatly around wrists. These garments are the work of expert fashion designers, but instead of heading down a catwalk, they debut at 35,000 feet.

Travel by plane today and you could be in the presence of some of fashion’s best talent, with cabin crew done up in Vivienne Westwood or Pierre Balmain or with tailoring by Savile Row’s Ozwald Boateng—but why is fashion and aviation so entwined?

ALTITUDE WITH ATTITUDE

Turning the aisle into the FROW (the prestigious front row at fashion shows) is nothing new. Airlines have been working with fashion houses since the 1950s. Part of the reason stems from the romance of the Golden Age of travel. Working as an air stewardess (as they were called at the time) was considered an impossibly glamorous profession—so, naturally, the outfits had to match.

Air France was the first to put its fashion foot forward. Parisian fashion house Georgette de Trèze created a brand-new uniform for the Air France crew in 1951. Inspired by Christian Dior’s 1947 New Look collection, the fresh ensemble had a nipped waist and formfitting skirt, which was revolutionary at the time for its celebration of femininity. Pan Am attendants also got a glamorous wardrobe update in 1959 from famed Beverly Hills couturier Don Loper. The sharp-shouldered military styles were replaced with a fitted jacket and cropped sleeves that revealed the wrist.

Of course, there was a reason why airlines were prepared to invest huge sums of money in dressing their cabin crew in the latest threads. What could be better marketing than these stylish, smiling ambassadors? As travel ramped up during the '60s and '70s, airlines increasingly looked for ways to distinguish themselves.