Couture in the clouds

Fashion has been a big part of Hawaiian Airlines since 1943, and one of the events marking the company’s 85th anniversary is a fashion show of all its flight attendant uniforms from past to present.

The event will open the MAMo Wearable Arts’ fashion show during Hawai‘i Fashion Month at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

In the beginning the airline flew without flight attendants. The first flight in 1929 was from Hono­lulu to Hilo and took three hours and 15 minutes on an eight-passenger Sikorsky S-38 amphibian airplane.

The first "air hostesses" joined the crew in 1943, and their uniform was a war-era fitted gray skirt and jacket ensemble topped off with a military-style cap and black stripe on the sleeve.

The designs became bolder and more colorful in the 1960s in response to the jet-set glamour of the burgeoning tourist industry, which at that time was the domain of the elite.

"All the flight attendants we talked to who were flying then said it was a very glamorous and prestigious profession, and dress was a part of that," said Debbie Nakane­lua-Richards, director of community relations at Hawaiian Airlines. "The passengers dressed up, so the crews had to look just as good or better. The airline wanted to pro­ject an image of moving forward."

The fashion reflected what was happening on a national scale. In 1968 flower power reigned, and the flight attendants wore floral-print minis in a blue-and-yellow pattern that was matched to the formality of yellow hosiery.

Grooming was meticulous, and all elements were considered, down to jewelry and footwear. To go with the flower power dress, David Evins of Evins Shoe Co. of New York designed yellow shoes in a basket weave pattern accented with a stylized plumeria flower ornament on the toe of each shoe.

The uniforms were refreshed or replaced every four to five years. In 1971 San Francisco designer Richard Tam, whose creations were sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, was tapped to create a chic tea-time ensemble of a soft nylon knit dress with high front slit that revealed hot pants underneath. It was accessorized with a matching headscarf, a mix of low-heeled pumps, and gladiator and go-go boots, all in white, and a gold-metal fish pendant that would be called a statement necklace today.

In 1974 Malia International became the first local company to design the airline’s uniforms, creating glamorous long and short dresses in polyester knits. Malia created three collections for the airline, including those incorporating the long-running "Sky" print of hibiscus red, bright orchid and white, to match Hawaiian Airlines classic wahine logo. The uniform will be familiar to those who flew between 1979 and 1988.

Then, as now, uniform selection is a matter of fashion and functionality, Nakane­lua-Richards said. When planes are changed, uniforms may have to be adjusted to take higher carry-on bins into account, which require freedom of movement and a longer skirt.

Dress is also more formal on international flights, to take other country’s more formal sensibilities into account. The current uniform of a Pacific Blue Hawaiian print shirt can be dressed up with a more structured skirt, jacket and pant.

The airline didn’t begin archiving the uniforms until 2009 and were glad to find that many employees held on to their uniforms.

"They were very kind and donated to the airline," Nakane­lua-Richards said. "Some of the employees who are still flying have all the uniforms."

One of them is Caro­lyn Williams, who started flying when she was 21 and this year marks her 50th anniversary with the company. While the 1970s outfits were fun and didn’t feel like wearing a uniform, she said her favorites were the dresses that debuted in 1992 bearing a Hawaiian quilt pattern.

"I liked that they were comfortable, easy to wear and easy to maintain," she said.

Wearing a uniform freed her from the chore of shopping for clothes.

"I never had to think about what to wear, except those occasions I had to go out and had to think, ‘What do I have?’ Which wasn’t much. I don’t buy too many clothes."

In the beginning, uniforms were dictated from the top of the corporate hierarchy, but today the creation of a new uniform is a collaborative effort that involves a committee of flight attendants. The next look is due to debut in 2017.

"I think I’ll still be here," Williams said.