A History Of Flight Attendant Uniforms Through The Years (PHOTOS)

In 1930, Boeing Air Transport hired eight nurses to be present on airplanes to add a feeling of safety for concerned fliers. Uniforms were mostly gray and looked like nurses outfits in the early days of flight. In the 1960s and '70s, fashion designers moonlighted as uniform designers, bringing a distinct look to the skies. Fast forward 81 years and so much has changed, though the toned-down look of flight attendant outfits is similar to the earliest days of air travel.

Which brings us to Seattle's "Style In The Aisle" exhibit, opening on Saturday at the Museum of Flight, a non-profit air and space museum. This is the second time the uniforms will be carted out for exhibit (the original exhibit was displayed in 2008). This time, the history of 12 airlines, including now defunct carriers such as TWA and Hughes Airwest (as in Howard Hughes), will be on display.

Take a walk down memory lane, check out the designs by design icons like Emilio Pucci and remember the glory days of air travel.

 

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1933-1936

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Designed by Fiolel Colangelo, this is the second generation of the early Boeing/United Air Lines uniforms for United Airlines, between 1933-1936. In the years 1935 and 1936, a "United Air Lines" armband was worn by cabin attendants on the left arm to celebrate the birth of United Airlines from the union of four smaller carriers. Copyright The Museum of Flight Collection

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Designed by Fiolel Colangelo, this is the second generation of the early Boeing/United Air Lines uniforms for United Airlines, between 1933-1936. In the years 1935 and 1936, a "United Air Lines" armband was worn by cabin attendants on the left arm to celebrate the birth of United Airlines from the union of four smaller carriers.

Copyright The Museum of Flight Collection

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Comments

[SadDracula]

01:21 AM on 03/13/2011

1973 looked fun.

[jinnyrhodes]

09:35 AM on 02/02/2011

What a shame... no Pan Am uniforms. Designed by Edith Head and worn proudly over the years. They were classy and stylish.

[cavallo]

02:22 PM on 02/01/2011

Excuse me, but PanAm had the first B-747 in Febrary of 1970.

Time to do a little research.

[jinnyrhodes]

09:37 AM on 02/02/2011

Actually, they were the first to fly the B-747 in 1969... just before the new year. They did that on purpose as I was on one of those flights. The coolers leaked freon in the back gallies so badly we had to spread coffee grounds on the floors to gain traction as it was so slippery. All that... just to be first.

[eyrieowl]

03:22 PM on 01/28/2011

In photo 5, the airplane looks *considerably* more luxurious without overhead bins...all that open space.

[mamacat]

08:14 PM on 01/27/2011

Bring back the Burqa, for both men and women. No more fighting over mandatory age restrictions, or who is the best looking, the only concern will be who can get down the aisle without tripping.

[emerson7]

07:53 PM on 01/27/2011

i remember my first flight on psa with the flight attendants in those 'hot pants' and mini-skirts'. ...they really seemed to hate those outfits.

[beauwulff]

07:22 PM on 01/27/2011

Slide 20. The '70's: The decade taste forgot.

[Thumper2]

12:26 PM on 01/27/2011

Boy, do I miss the days when flying was fun, exciting, safe and something to look forward to. Now, I dread all the hassles - not the least of which is unhappy flight attendants and the dumbing down of the entire experience. And don't get me started on the personal hygiene of my fellow passengers...

[Max Shaw]

01:55 PM on 01/26/2011

#20 looks like a Ron Burgundy-esqe thing going on! lol. But regardless, flying looks like it was a lot more fun back in the day...

[learninglife]

11:07 PM on 01/25/2011

I always liked the mid-60s look - #5. Notice how the same piece of prop meat (charbroiled "steak") is used in from the 1940s-50s to 1968?

[StevenWells]

09:36 PM on 01/25/2011

Minor nitpick: if pic #5 was taken in 1966, that "747" was a mock-up. First one flew in 1969.

[aero56]

05:03 AM on 01/26/2011

Right. I was thinking the same thing. I flew on one of the first 747's and that was in 1969.

[Seahurst PlantChick]

03:20 PM on 01/28/2011

H-P dropped the word "mock-up" from the photo caption. In the display at the museum it is captioned correctly. Boeing built a partial full-sized mock-up in 1966 to show potential customers the size of the aircraft and so they could do PR photo shoots for sales-brochures.

[StevenWells]

03:37 PM on 01/28/2011

Aha! Thanks for that.

[bitter sweet]

08:51 PM on 01/25/2011

PSA. wow. short. dress. go go boots. halloween?

[oldgraymare]

05:56 PM on 01/25/2011

Thanks for the memories, and for the proof that I was NOT imagining sleeping in a berth on trans-Pacific flights when I was a little girl. My kids have always asserted that I was, shall we say, making a good story better. I lived in Hawaii with my mother and stepdad, but every summer flew (all alone) to Kansas City to see my dad and stepmom. For the first couple of years, it was an overnight flight and I remember being tucked in by the pretty stewardesses. Yes, I know they are flight attendants, but then and to this 5 year old girl, they were stewardesses and they were the most glamorous ladies I'd ever seen.

[Brutus76]

05:26 PM on 01/25/2011

Ok, this may sound crazy, but does anyone know what kind of plane is in photo 16? I have never actually seen or heard of a configuration like that but I have had dreams that are very similar to it. It's an erie kinda deja vu, haha.

[KevinFletcherTweedy]

05:48 PM on 01/25/2011

I think it's the upstairs on the original 747s that had a spiral staircase (and the photo, I believe, is facing the rear). There is another United "livingroom" upstairs show (in color) later in the set with similar window trims.

[Bozwellian]

01:55 PM on 01/27/2011

...any others remember the PIANO BARS on 747's ?....Used to be to encouraged to "gather round" while one COULD wander around...Or how about ACTUAL space between the seats for YOUR two feet (and underseat carry ons...Think was Western Airlines who had "three feet for YOUR two" in the ads and on their planes..Then came the "need" to herd the crowds in "jammingly". Western also used their Hawaii bound flights for "luau" meal servings..including a "smoking" volcano that served up "punch" and too, Crab legs could be found , fresh from Alaska on certain routes. Western had been split earlier from the carrier that went on to become TWA but Western WAS the actual FIRST commercial PASSENGER carrier, most are unaware of that part of flight history as well. It was swallowed up by Delta back in '86 when the trend was to deregulate and MERGE...NOT in PASSENGERS BEST INTERESTS overall and that too can be tracked..similar happened in telecommunication industries, retailers too..the list is long but SHHHHHHhhh..don't mention "MONOPOLIES", those were outlawed (before further laws allowed FURTHER deregulationings !!)
And YEAH, flying USED to be fun and enjoyable , these days a MAJOR NOT and NO WAY unless an absolute neccessity/need and ain't always the speediest mode either but a stressed out "adventure' !!!

[cavallo]

02:30 PM on 02/01/2011

Yes, it is the upstairs lounge of the 747. Some airlines used them as business class. Some for first class. They changed frequently

[Boobuzuela]

05:25 PM on 01/25/2011

How did things go so wrong in America. I recall my father suiting up for flights, being fed almonds, and bringing home a miniature or two.

Today's flights are almost as bad as being on a Greyhound bus. People fighting for overhead space, seats crammed together, unhappy, unpleasant employees from the ticket counter to the baggage claim.

Is it all because of de-regulation?

Jeez, I remember being able to change flights on the run, provided a seat was available, across carrriers. Now by God they're bound and determined to beat another $100 out of you for any request or change.

I hate flying, I hate airlines, I hate airports, I hate everything about it.

[Aesthete]

05:36 PM on 01/25/2011

Flying used to be "classy" and decidedly more comfortable than it is today. Today a larger number of us are crammed into smaller aircraft, resulting in cranky, disheveled passengers and harried attendants.

[StevenWells]

09:33 PM on 01/25/2011

With you all the way, Boobuzuela. And "buses with wings" is exactly what I call today's passenger jetliners.