The Most… Interesting Flight Attendant Uniforms I’ve Seen

A few days ago, I went through vintage airline print ads I liked.  One other thing I love to check out is flight attendant uniforms, whether they are the “regular” style, or one the airline adopts for a special occasion.  Again, you can check some cool uniforms out in the Air & Space museum location in Washington, DC, but I really wish they would expand that section of the museum even more!

Lufthansa

The Munich Based Crew of Lufthansa dressed up in traditional Bavarian Costumes as their “uniform” for Octoberfest one year:

From FlightGlobal:

Luft_Bavarian_Uniforms

While these colors of these dirndls are Lufthansa’s official colors, I can’t help but think about Beauty and the Beast.

"Mehr Bier?"
“Mehr Bier?”

Braniff

Now this actually was the uniform for Braniff for two years!  (1966-1968).

From the Guardian:

Braniff

It looks like perfect camo when trying to escape detection in an over-stylized mod-decorated living room.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific was really excited about these uniforms.

Also from the Guardian:

Cliff Muskiet's uniforms

So excited, they held a fashion show to show them off.

What really gets me about these is look at Cathay Pacific’s more recent uniforms:

(from Jaunted)

Cathay Pacific now

Once, a flight crew for Cathay Pacific walked by my mother and I.  They looked so polished and poised, I found myself leaning over to my mom and saying, “That’s Cathay Pacific,” in a hushed tone and we both kinda looked on in awe.

I can definitely say I would not have that reaction to the first photo 😛

PSA

You can find this 1973 PSA uniform in the Air & Space museum.

From the Huffington Post:

PSA

I actually think the dress part of this uniform is very appropriate for the era.  But the fez?  Really?  The fez?  (but fezzes are cool!)

Hughes Airwest

Not only did Mario Zamparelli design the interior of Howard Hughes’ Vegas Hotels (Tropicana, Sands, etc.), he also designed the exterior of his flight attendants.

From 1972-1977, flight attendants got to wear these designs created by a former Vogue employee.

(From the Huffington Post)

Hughes Airlines

Hughes 2

While the parka has a certain flair to it, I’m disappointed to learn that Carmen San Diego was just hiding out on a Hughes Airwest flight the whole time.  My childhood was a lie!

Do you have any uniforms you like or love to dislike?

 

About Jeanne Marie Hoffman

Former bartender, still a geek. One equal part each cookies, liberty, football, music, travel, libations. Stir vigorously. +Jeanne Marie Hoffman Jeanne on Twitter

Check Also

flight cancellations

How to Handle Sudden Flight Cancellations

How do you handle sudden flight cancellations? A few years back when I regularly flew …

4 comments

  1. Love your posts and the fact you linked a Dr Who clip makes me love them even more.

    • Jeanne Marie Hoffman

      Thanks! I was just watching the Angels in Manhattan Episode last night which features the song: English Man in NY 😀

  2. I lived next to a Hughes flight attendant in 1972 and I can remember her complaining that the new uniforms got dirty quickly and that nobody ask them what worked best at 35,000 ft. Maybe the spill factor is why we see so much dark blue and browns these days for domestic uniforms?

    • Jeanne Marie Hoffman

      That makes a ton of sense. That’s why we all wore black when I bar-tended. If I had a lighter color on, my outfit would get disgusting looking really quickly.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.