Retrospective — or retro — flight apparel at TWA Hotel recalls what was arguably the golden age of travel, when Trans World Airlines was one of several major airlines which were based in the United States but no longer exist; and the flight attendants wore stylish uniform that emanated from the imaginations of the top fashion designers at that time.
Retro Flight Apparel at TWA Hotel
Gold epaulets, pins, and jaunty hats completed the look of the pilots, whose uniforms elevated the star status and admiration of customers and airline employees alike as these dashing men — along with the first female pilots for Trans World Airlines who were hired in 1978 — took to their seats in the cockpits of shiny jet airplanes to safely transport passengers through the skies to their destinations.
As the man from Hollywood who fashioned the wedding gown of Shirley Temple, Howard Greer not only designed the uniforms for hostesses — which was the term used for female flights attendants — from 1944 through 1955; but he also created what is known as the blouslip, which is a undergarment comprised of rayon and satin that never bunched.
Although pleats and darts were vanishing from trendy styles in favor of slim, streamlined silhouettes inspired by the military garb of the day, Greer still managed to sneak a creative twist into the uniforms he designed for Trans World Airlines: a triangular flap on the blue gabardine jacket — which was affectionately nicknamed the cutout — could be unbuttoned to cover the monogram of the airline when hostesses engaged in activities that were strictly prohibited. Smoking a cigarette, sipping a cocktail, and even gaining weight or getting married were grounds for permanent dismissal from their employ with Trans World Airlines.
Oleg Cassini was the official designer of the uniforms for hostesses between 1955 and 1960. Don Loper — who designed outfits for flight attendants of Pan American Airlines in 1959 — succeeded Cassini from 1960 through 1965, when Pierre Balmain took over through 1968.
Dazzling bottles of Jolie Madame perfume by Balmain were packaged by Trans World Airlines as free gifts, noting that they were flown direct from Paris by the airline.
In 1968, Dalton of America designed uniforms for the flight attendants of Trans World Airlines through 1971.
1971 through 1975 were the years that Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani — who is a fashion designer from Italy and is more popularly known as simply Valentino — designed uniforms for the flight attendants of Trans World Airlines.
Flight attendants rejoiced when Valentino created uniforms that could be both washed by machine and drip-dried, which meant that taking care of the uniforms was much easier.
Stan Herman — who is a celebrated fashion designer from the United States who created strikingly colorful ensembles for Trans World Airlines flight attendants between 1975 and 1978 — crafted new uniforms for current members of the team at the TWA Hotel. Herman is 94 years young.
Ralph Lauren took over from where Stan Herman left off, designing uniforms for flight attendants of Trans World Airlines between 1978 and 2001. Herman was committed to design uniforms for flight attendants of United Airlines and recommended his friend Lauren — who was based in New York — to continue the mission of ensuring that the flight attendants of Trans World Airlines were stylish until American Airlines completed the acquisition of Trans World Airlines on Saturday, December 1, 2001.
Pilots and flight attendants were obviously not the only employees of Trans World Airlines who wore uniforms of some type, as members of the ground crew also sported their gear.
Final Boarding Call
Although I am a designer who has graduated from the same high school and college as some of the most noted fashion designers in the industry, I am really not all that enthusiastic about fashion design in general — but from a historical perspective, I found the uniforms to be quite interesting during my first time at TWA Hotel.
The TWA Hotel also has other uniforms which have been on display in the past but were not available when I was there — almost as though they rotate some of them in and out at times.
No admission is charged to view the uniforms — most of which are located upstairs in the former Ambassadors Club of what was once the Trans World Flight Center.
TWA Hotel
John F. Kennedy International Airport
One Idlewild Drive
New York, New York 11430-1962fond
1-212-806-9000
info@twahotel.com
All photographs ©2022 by Brian Cohen.
