"Place your seat backs forward, your trays in their
upright position … and keep your hands off my tail."
Standard
flight attendant patter? Not yet, but it could be next year,
at least over the Atlantic, as British Airways flight staff
get fitted for new uniforms from a glamorous young designer
better known for dressing starlets in skimpy, sparkly couture.
Designer
Julien MacDonald, recently tapped as artistic director for
the French fashion house of Givenchy, has been commissioned
by the national carrier to revamp its staff uniforms. The
several hundred-thousand dollar deal will put his uniforms
on some 32,000 airline representatives by 2002.
Although
MacDonald has not yet gone public with his planned design,
he says he has a 21st Century concept in mind. The uniforms
will have "the MacDonald stamp; a tight waist and sharp
silhouette. The main color will be navy and I'll be using
lots of stretch material, which helps define the body."
Macdonald
explained his approach: "I want to bring glamour back
to travel. That's what it's all about. The girls will look
sexy and the men will look like strong heroes. They'll be
the envy of other airlines."
It's
not the first time big-name designers have flown their fashions.
Oleg Cassini did up TWA uniforms as far back as the 1950s.
In the 1960s, Pierre Balmain designed a sarong-style Singapore
Airlines uniform. And in the 1970s, Valentino created a hot
pants outfit for TWA.
But
MacDonald's plans to bring the catwalk to the plane cabin
are hitting turbulence, especially from the union that represents
flight attendants.
"Our
members should not be dressed as sex objects," says a
spokesman from the Transport and General Workers' Union, which
has 44,000 members in the civil air transport section. "Some
female stewards have voiced concern that a too-revealing uniform
would be inappropriate and could lead to an increase in cases
of harassment and 'air-rage' incidents."
The
union argues its members should be dressed in smart, functional
and comfortable outfits. "For us the cabin crew are safety
professionals, not marketing tools for British Airways,"
said the spokesman. "Female stewards are not dollies
with trolleys."
British
Airways is taking the criticism in stride, arguing that MacDonald's
intentions have been misunderstood.
"In
the world of fashion sexy is actually glamorous," Spokeswoman
Camilla Wrey told ABCNEWS.com. "Glamorous is great and
if the staff feel confident every day they come to work then
they are able to offer the best level of customer service.
We don't intend to turn them into sex objects."
Wrey
added that the unions will be involved until the final design
decision is made and that the staff reaction so far has been
very positive.
The
flight attendant has served as a kind of ambassador for the
airlines since the 1950s, notes Keith Lovegrove, author of
Airline. Lovegrove says that a glamourous look can help attract
customers and increase airline ticket sales, citing the dramatic
jump in customer base for Southwest Airlines in the early
1970s, when it dressed its flight attendants in high white
leather boots and hot pants.
But
fashion can go terribly wrong too, adds the author. An example?
The outfits worn by Denim Air flight attendants in the '70s,
made up of neck-to-toe denim, denim shirt, denim trousers
and bright red necktie with the top button of the shirt left
undone to give a casual appearance.
Concluded
Lovegrove: "In the end the stewardess must have authority.
If she looks right then one glance from her will make a grown
man or woman sit down and belt up. If MacDonald does his job
properly then this will be enforced."
(Agencies)