Iconic BOAC paper dress on display for Aerospace Bristol’s first-ever fashion exhibition
One of the most talked-about pieces of fashion in aviation and beyond was the BOAC paper dress from 1967. BOAC took a bold leap in style by introducing paper dresses as uniforms for their cabin crew on New York to Caribbean routes.
Manufactured by Joseph Lore Inc. in the USA, these uniforms were made from bonded paper, making them both cost-effective and disposable. The intention behind the paper dresses was to lift passengers into a holiday mood as they jetted off to the Caribbean.
Cabin crew members were permitted to trim the dress to suit their height, though no more than three inches, according to BOAC regulations.
Daphne Oldfield, a retired BOAC cabin crew member and Aerospace Bristol volunteer, shared her experience of wearing the paper dress: “You can imagine some girls wanted it quite short and got told off. Guys in the aisle would be trying to light your dress with a lighter. Those dresses didn’t last long.”
Aerospace Bristol’s Fashion of Flight exhibition now displays the BOAC paper dress uniform alongside 17 other mannequins dressed in British Airways cabin crew uniforms. Spanning from the 1940s to the present day, this exhibition traces the evolution of these uniforms in line with changing fashion trends, exploring how perceptions of the cabin crew role have evolved.
Visitors also have the chance to try on hats and headpieces from selected uniforms and immerse themselves in the life of a British Airways cabin crew member.
The Fashion of Flight exhibition will be on display until Sunday 17th November.
