📸:
Trans World Airlines hostess uniform 1965
Pierre Balmain
Hat by Mae Hanauer
SFO Museum
Gift of TWA Clipped Wings International, Inc.
Hat insignia: anonymous lender
2002.113.054-.055, .062, .064
#FashionInFlightFriday
“Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design” was on display, from June 16, 2016 to January 08, 2017 in the International Terminal and the Aviation Museum and Library. See our exhibition catalog online at: bit.ly/FashioninFli...
#FashionInFlightFriday
The semi-beret shell-style hat, trimmed in white piping, has a grosgrain cockade for the insignia.
#FashionInFlightFriday
The worsted wool skirt is matched with a collarless demi-fitted jacket in oyster worsted Dacron. Snap-in cuffs coordinated with the blouse-slip made of a drip-dry synthetic faille with an asymmetrical collar.
#FashionInFlightFriday
A preeminent French couturier, Pierre Balmain (1914–1982) opened his fashion house in 1945. To dress TWA’s 2,400 hostesses, he created this 1965 summer uniform in fabric mill-dyed to specification for the turquoise and white color scheme.
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📸 2/2:
photograph: Pan American World Airways, stewardesses; 1959
Gift of Terry J. Rice
2016.032.001
#FashionInFlightFriday
“Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design” was on display, from June 16, 2016 to January 08, 2017 in the International Terminal and the Aviation Museum and Library. See our exhibition catalog online at: bit.ly/FashioninFli...
#FashionInFlightFriday
The unexpected three-by-three button pattern allowed Pan Am to embrace a bold new direction while remaining loyal to its signature color scheme. Similarly, while the hat is made of the same material, it has been converted to an au courant pillbox style.
#FashionInFlightFriday
📸 2/2:
photograph: Pan American World Airways, stewardesses; c. 1959
Gift of Teresa Damgaard
2010.245.001
#FashionInFlightFriday
📸 1/2:
Pan American World Airways stewardess uniform 1959
Don Loper
Blouse by d'Armigene
Hat by Mae Hanauer
SFO Museum
Gift of Jane Luna Euler
Jacket insignia: Gift of Beatrice H. Springer
Hat insignia: Gift of John J. Dunne
1995.35.07, 2002.108.003, 2004.088.001-.003, .005
#FashionInFlightFriday
“Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design” was on display, from June 16, 2016 to January 08, 2017 in the International Terminal and the Aviation Museum and Library. See our exhibition catalog online at: bit.ly/FashioninFli...
#FashionInFlightFriday
📸:
United Air Lines stewardess uniform 1965
Travilla
Blouse by R.W. McClain & Associates
Hat by Mae Hanauer
SFO Museum
Gift of United Airlines Historical Foundation
Blouse insignia, hat insignia: Gift of Edith Lauterbach
2006.028.136, .187, 2012.100.040-.042, .059 a b
#FashionInFlightFriday
“Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design” was on display, from June 16, 2016 to January 08, 2017 in the International Terminal and the Aviation Museum and Library. See our exhibition catalog online at: bit.ly/FashioninFli...
#FashionInFlightFriday
Smart looking and allowing greater ease of mobility for the demands of jet service, it was issued from 1965 to 1968 and became known as “the cheerleader” because of its flared skirt.
#FashionInFlightFriday
The lightly fitted jacket has a distinct chelsea collar and a three-quarter-length sleeve with a detachable dropped cuff. The short sleeve blouse has a banded waist and an attached jabot neckpiece for the insignia pin.
#FashionInFlightFriday
Well known for dressing Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood costume designer and Academy Award winner, William Travilla (1920–1990) created this synthetic blend, summer seasonal ensemble for United in a new color named Blue Frost.
#FashionInFlightFriday
📸 12/2:
photograph: United Air Lines, publicity photographs for Wing Tips employee newsletter, uniform drive; 1963
Gift of the Family of Joe Monte
2013.125.004
#FashionInFlightFriday
“Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design” was on display, from June 16, 2016 to January 08, 2017 in the International Terminal and the Aviation Museum and Library. See our exhibition catalog online at: bit.ly/FashioninFli...
#FashionInFlightFriday
The notched lapel blouse is in Avoca cotton. The flat-cap style hat, known as the “sugar scoop,” topped off the outfit, which was worn until 1963.
#FashionInFlightFriday
In a specially loomed worsted wool pink-beige color Loewy named Peige, the sleek, fitted suit jacket has a shawl collar, raglan sleeve, and vertical side pockets. A patch with gold thread filigree sets off the jacket insignia.
#FashionInFlightFriday
Considered the father of industrial design and streamlining, Paris-born American Raymond Loewy (1893–1986) created this 1959 uniform for his complete re-branding of United’s identity for the jet age.
#FashionInFlightFriday
📸:
Northwest Airlines stewardess uniform 1958
Hat by Mae Hanauer
SFO Museum
Gift of Mary Patricia Laffey Inman
2005.041.006, .024, .026-.029 a b, .031 a b
#FashionInFlightFriday
“Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design” was on display, from June 16, 2016 to January 08, 2017 in the International Terminal and the Aviation Museum and Library. See our exhibition catalog online at: bit.ly/FashioninFli...
#FashionInFlightFriday
The straight skirt is hemmed just below the knee. The hat, a stylized overseas cap, added to Northwest’s identity as an early trans-Pacific international carrier.
#FashionInFlightFriday
If you would like our 200+ page exhibition catalog, please email us at curator@flysfo.com and we will send you one, free of charge!
bit.ly/FashioninFli...
#FashionInFlightFriday
2026 marks the ten-year anniversary of one of SFO Museum’s most popular exhibitions, “Fashion In Flight: A History of Airline Uniform Design!” This year, on our social media accounts, we will revisit this iconic exhibition and share photos of the uniforms from our collection.
#FashionInFlightFriday
