There was something in the air in the early years of commercial aviation. Perhaps more excitement, perhaps more glamorous stewardesses... in any case, it's worth savoring once again. The Mistress once thought of being a stewardess, you know, to bring back the glamour, but was told her look was to campy and the the hair was was to big, in addition to all the hair accouterments. I just though it would be great fun to meet men, serve, and look fabulous!!! Plus I think they were worried I would be sampling the gin! From the 1950s onwards air travel became increasingly glamorous. Being a pilot or an air hostess was cool and everyone wanted to fly but few could afford it. A job where you could be paid to jet around the globe was therefore the envy of all. Popular belief had it, in those far off days, that the cabin crew spent most of the flight smiling amiably at the passengers, and occasionally providing a nice drink or a tray of delicious nibbles. Airlines were all about glamour and new technology. The hostess provided the glamour and jet engines were a modern innovation for passenger planes so publicity shots often combined the two. These days while some of the hostess are very well trained and friendly, alas, the glamour of yester year is gone like every other profession. Just as long as they don't starting wearing sneakers with their business suits. If they do, Ill be appalled!
Needless to say, I can't wait and am curious to see what ABC does with this. It looks like a higly stylized show like Ugly Betty was. It's taking flight tonight!
When I was a girl back in the age of the dinosaurs, there were only a very few career paths for women. The most glamorous one was to be a stewardess. Thank goodness our horizons have broadened since then.
ReplyDeleteNice post! Yes it is hard to believe that it use to be this fashionable. Boy how it has changed. I say you should go for it!
ReplyDeleteawesome posting! I have a stewardess book I picked up from a japanese book store. It featured some of the images above. love your blog.
ReplyDeleteWomen on top of the world – the brilliant and classic flight attendants of the 50s! Thanks for the great post. These images are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYou would be a entertaining stewardess alright! ANYTHING to please the men!
ReplyDeleteHeck they only give peanuts out now if your lucky. Thank God they still serve cockatails!
ReplyDeleteWell done! A thoughtful and insightful array of style when air travel was swank, sleek and sexy….Thank you…
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I can't wait to see the show either!I’d love to hear some of the stories these ladies have about the old days of working as a stewardess!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures and good to see them all together in one place. If only modern air travel could recover some of the glamour of the past.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! My mom was in the original class of stews for Hughes Air West in the mid-fifties, when stewardesses were required to be single and slim…my dad was a career pilot and we had to dress up for every flight we took. Back when travel was fun! I;ll have to tell her to look at this! Looking forward to Pan Am here too.
ReplyDeleteI love these – so fabulously retro!!! The uniforms are so much cooler than you’d find today.
ReplyDeleteYou sense these images are from a ‘Golden Age’ of flying when people dressed up in suits for their journey and flying was exciting and glamourous. Now a days the public is so lazy with their style and appearance!I’m old enough to remember the days of young, attractive stewardesses; unfortunately, as I’ve aged, so have they. Some things don’t improve with time, and not all progress is good. And the whole thing about woman wearing sneakers with suits is very wrong! I agree. Sneakers are active wear and should be worn with such!!!! Us women need to step it up again with style.
These are classic,stewardess outfits. They sure had great style back then, as did women in general.
ReplyDeleteI so can not wait for this! It probably won't stay on, but I give ABC a thumbs up for trying something different, so over reality shows!!! Greart post!Those were the days; when skirts were just below ‘see’ level!
ReplyDeleteLOVE THE POST! I have the feeling you would have made a great stewardess!!!! ALWAYS aiming to please!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I'll be watching too! A Native Californian here, I'm remembering our beloved PSA... You might find this link FUN!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.psa-history.org/flying/stew.php
Love the style!!!! Lets start a all-drag airline!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou as an air hostess Maddie? Now that is an airline I could really get to love. I hope Pan Am lives up to the hype too.
ReplyDeletevery cool post!!! And yes I'm watching the show also!
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