The race for the chic cabin crew is credited to advertising executive Mary Wells who launched “The End of the Plain Plane” for Braniff with wildly painted planes — one even with patterns by Alexander Calder — and flight attendants who wore uniforms designed by Emilio Pucci. The uniforms and splashy campaign were credited with raising the airline’s profile, and boosting revenues from $100 million to $1.5 billion. Braniff eventually became the eighth largest airline in the world. Other airlines, meanwhile, scrambled to catch up: American Airlines spent $1 million in 1967 to outfit all 3,000 stewardesses with A-line Dacron shifts. United then announced they would spend $3 million to outfit their crew.
Virgin America’s New Uniforms: A 75-Year History of Fashion In Flight
Virgin America, a brand that prides itself on being on the cutting edge, is taking a gamble with a new line of uniforms that project a more casually stylish look
The Chic Race
Full List
Sky Style
- Virgin America, 2012
- TWA, 1938
- TWA, 1965
- Aeroflot and Pan Am, 1968
- Union de Transports Aériens, 1968
- Mohawk Airlines, 1967
- Pan Am, 1970
- Air West, 1968-1971
- The Chic Race
- Braniff International, 1960’s
- National Airlines, 1971
- American Airlines, early 1970s
- Court Line Aviation, 1970s
- Alitalia, 1990s
- Song, 2003
- Hooters Air, 2003
- Air France, 2005
- Delta, 2006
- Singapore Air, 2012