The Fashion of Flight
October 17th - November 17th
Explore eight decades of British Airways cabin crew uniforms, from the 1940s to today. This temporary exhibition highlights how these uniforms have evolved, reflecting the changing trends in fashion and perceptions of the cabin crew role.
Uncover the fascinating journey of these uniforms, each offering insight into how aviation and fashion have influenced one another over the years. From the paper dress to modern-day designs, see how these changes tell a broader story about history, culture, and style.
New beginnings
Launched in September 1946, the first BOAC dark blue female uniforms were designed by the UK designer Maurice Helman. Helman’s take on his brief was to match the need for practicality with a design that was also ‘modern, streamlined and typified a spirit of a new machine age’.
The new London look
With the launch of the Boeing 747 in 1969 came the first truly new design for BOAC uniform in 25 years. The new uniform was very different from its predecessor and reflected both practicality, the new ‘London Look’ and a hint of space-age fashion with its rigid geometric lines.
A dress made of paper
BOAC took its own flight into ‘flower power’ fashion in 1967 with an in-house design of a paper dress for its flights between New York and the Caribbean. Manufactured by Joseph Lore Inc. in the USA, bonded paper clothing was a new idea for cheap, disposable wear and BOAC’s paper dress uniforms were intended to be only worn once and then discarded.
The ‘Caledonian girls’
By 1988 the ‘Caledonian girls’, as the stewardesses became known, were a key element of the British Caledonian Airways brand identity. Although stylish, the tartan uniforms were nothing to do with current fashion but a striking feature of the airline’s corporate identity and tribute to Scottish heritage.
