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In the 1960s, Dallas-based Braniff International set out to make commercial air travel more glamorous, with ads that boasted "The End of the Plain Plane." To give this attitude some texture, Braniff hired Emilio Pucci, a former WWII bomber pilot and one of the hottest designers of the time,to create the uniforms for its flight attendants. Pucci's innovative designs were a blend of fashion at altitude and fashion with attitude, serving up bright, bold colors with both style and sex appeal - at a time when sex appeal was still stylish.
The hostess uniforms, named High Fashion Quick Change or QC Costumes, came in four versions, and the complete uniform consisted of several components; Hostesses greeted passengers in an absinthe or apricot colored reversible wool coat accessorized with a Pucci print pillbox hat and velvet scarf.Underneath, the hostesses wore a vibrant pink gabardine suit worn over a blue silk long-sleeved turtleneck tunic and matching culottes.
During meal service, the uniform was augmented by a colorful apron dress called a "Puccino." Hostesses removed the outer layers of the uniform during the flight ultimately ending up in the tunic-culottes combination. A plastic bubble headdress was occasionally worn during inclement weather.Braniff touted this series of clothing changes as the Air Strip. I'm really hoping my mom still has her plastic bubble headdress! I think that could inspire my Halloween costume next year!
I'd love to hear your stories from the AirStrip days? I'm sure there are lots of great stories out there...
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