Fashion was easy, but Travilla's foray into the commercial side of aviation travel began as a complete surprise. Gina Cord, his fashion director (and former house model), read in the newspaper that Trans World Airlines (TWA) sought a designer to create the new uniforms for the 1965 season. Travilla only found out when Gina informed him that the airline had set an appointment in his salon to discuss the project. Travilla quickly created a series of sketches to present.
Winter featured 4) 100% worsted wool in black with flecks of
turquoise. The jacket is shaped to the front of the body and straight back. The
narrow slot marks the front closure. Four pleats in the skirt. Glove-length
sleeves have slot seam detailed cuffs. The blouse is draped at the neckline to
assimilate the look of a sports neckline. 5) 100% worsted wool in black with
flecks of turquoise. The cropped jacket is slightly fitted in front with a
plastron front with black braid cording that outlines the sleeve with its
artificial sleeve cuff. The skirt has four pleats and is high-rise with silk
suspenders worn under the cropped overblouse. The TWA emblem is suggested as a
cut-out embroidery revealing the blouse color underneath.
TWA chose French designer Givenchy to promote their international destinations, which was a blessing. Chicago clothing manufacturers Hart, Schaefer, and Marx somehow got a hold of his designs and wanted Travilla to update United Airlines Summer flight attendant uniforms for 1965. As the largest airline in the United States with 2400 flight attendants, Travilla's design would be seen by a larger audience than TWA.
Since their introduction in 1930, United's stewardess uniforms have always been fashionable. Still, they retained a military or business-like influence that, by the mid-1960s, needed a rejuvenation of youthfulness, which Travilla was able to provide, according to the November 1964 edition of United's in-flight magazine The Shield:
"Fashion will fly high next summer as UA Stewardesses go aloft in a brand-new outfit. Frankly feminine & at the same time, practical, it was designed especially for them by Travilla, a nationally recognized California stylist. The new ensemble was previewed in L.A. on Nov. 20 during California Fashion Creators Press Week. Worn by Travilla model Gina Cord, it received an enthusiastic reception from fashion editors & others attending the showing."
Both made from a Dacron polyester/worsted wool mohair material in "Blue Frost," the jacket had a softly rolled V-neck collar, with a lightly fitted, boxy style that fell a little below the waist, 3/4 length sleeves with detachable, white drop cuff trims that snapped in place. The skirt was smartly flared with 2 pleats in the front & 2 in the back and a back zipper with a button closure at the top of the zipper. A white crepe Dacron blouse with short sleeves & an "avril" round neck with an untied ascot drape. The outfit was topped by a perky "sugar scoop" style hat with an optional white sheer scarf for windy days.
Flight attendant Connie Balls of Charlotte, North Carolina, told journalist Christine Anderson, "The movement of the skirt is wonderful for a job like outs -- even though sometimes a bit disconcerting coming down the steps from the plane on a windy day." Pat Daly of Providence, Rhode Island, loved how "we could reach up with no tuck-back-in problems from the white overblouse.
Nancy Simmons recalled, "But I did wear the Summer uniform that Travilla designed, and that was my favorite out of the five I had in my eight-year career. The material was wonderful, and we always looked fresh!"
Diane Baker told me, "I wore this uniform when I first started flying for UA in the summer of 1965 out of the JFK base. It was often called "the cheerleader skirt uniform" since the skirt "flared" as we walked. It was "fun" to wear the uniform, and we often received compliments from passengers. The color was most attractive, and the style was quite different from past UA uniforms and from most other airlines' uniform styles, as well."
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