FASHION TAKES FLIGHT
The Evolution of the Flight Attendant Uniform
Exhibit extended to February 2023
South Wing
Fashion Takes Flight explores the evolution of flight attendant and stewardess uniforms from their beginnings with the first female flight attendant, Ellen Church, in 1930 to today. The exhibition offers a look at the various uniform styles worn throughout the decades and tells the story of not only the changing designs, but also the transformation of women in the workforce. Through archival photographs, advertisements, and documents and the uniforms worn during the era, the exhibition tells the parallel story of women who worked as flight attendants and American society’s view of women’s place in the professional world. From nursing uniforms to classic suits to hot pants, the perception of airline travel evolved along with the changing fashion of flight attendant uniforms.
"End of the Plain Plane!" Braniff International Ad
Air Strip I Advertisement—Braniff International
Sylvia became a Braniff International flight attendant in 1965, and was the first class to graduate with the Pucci uniform. She served on military charter flights to Vietnam in the late 1960s, and served with "all three Braniffs" from 1965 to 1991. She retired from Braniff and became the third female real estate appraiser in Houston.