Airlines hire designers to spiff up uniforms
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Flying has become so harrowing in recent years, hardly anyone noticed or cared what flight attendants were wearing. And frankly, uniforms were mostly unmemorable.
But fashion is taking off again.
Even as airlines struggle, some carriers have decided it's good to keep up appearances. They have hired top designers to spiff up their images, the Wall Street Journal noted recently.
Last year, Delta Airlines commissioned accessories guru Kate Spade, a Kansas City native, to dress the flight staff of its new low-fare Song Airlines. Her vision included simple retro shirtwaists.
And parent airline Delta hired Richard Tyler, a Hollywood-based designer with a celebrity following, to glamorize its image, beginning in 2006.
Air France has gone with Parisian designer Christian Lacroix, known for his exuberant ornamentation and '80s puffy skirts. Welsh-born Julien Macdonald, who made his name with skin-baring shapes, will deliver uniforms to British Airways this year.
The Wall Street Journal calls it "Really Haute Couture."
The flurry is reminiscent of the '60s, when Braniff Airlines brought in Italian Emilio Pucci to gild its image, adding colorful airplanes, pop-art print uniforms and Space Age bubble helmets.
Once the airlines' staffs are spruced up, let's work on how the passengers dress.