L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano dants exited the planes onto the tarmac. Not surprising- ly, the impractical design w a s d i s c a r d e d a f t e r a month. In a different vein are the designs of Valentino, born in 1932 as Valentino Gara- vani. Known for his haute c o u t u r e , V a l e n t i n o , w h o d i e d t h i s p a s t J a n u a r y , e x p r e s s e d a n i n t e r e s t i n d e s i g n a s a b o y . H e p r e - miered his first collection in 1962 in Florence, which was then the capital of Italian design. Actress Elizabeth Taylor had seen his designs when she was in Rome film- ing Cleopatra and chose a Valentino creation to wear t o t h e 1 9 6 0 p r e m i e r e o f Spartacus. After this publici- ty boost, other actresses, and even royalty, sought out Valentino fashions, includ- i n g P r i n c e s s M a r g a r e t , J a c q u e l i n e K e n n e d y a n d Audrey Hepburn. I n t h e e a r l y 1 9 7 0 s , Valentino was hired by TWA t o d e s i g n a s e t o f f l i g h t attendant uniforms; Run- way to Runway has one of these on display. The suite of individual pieces, made of knit polyester and available in multiple color combina- ued to work with the airline until 1974, creating six fash- ion collections in all. His 1971 collection mixed bright colors such as acid y e l l o w , l i m e g r e e n , turquoise and sunset pink – sometimes as many as 16 colors in one outfit. These "groovy" flight ensembles perfectly captured the color- ful trends of the time. The Pucci-designed uni- form on display centers on a mod-pink empire-waisted dress, offset with his signa- ture swirl of colors. The base piece could be customized by wearing it with hot pants or wide-legged pants, with a lace collar or a square neck- line. And he did not stop t h e r e : h e c o o r d i n a t e d a n umbrella to match the out- fit. S o m e l o o k s w e r e m o r e successful than others. Also on display is a rare bubble helmet Pucci designed for Braniff. Looking like some- thing an astronaut would wear on the moon, this clear plastic dome was meant to protect hairstyles from wind and rain when flight atten- tions, could be mixed-and- m a t c h e d , d e p e n d i n g o n whim, function or climate. B a s e c o l o r s w e r e p l u m , brown or beige, and from t h e r e , a t t e n d a n t s c o u l d choose a dress suit, safari shirtdress, pantsuit, winter coat or scarf. T h e u n i f o r m ' s b u t t o n s carry a "V" for Valentino, and the outfit's matching scarf has his name promi- nently displayed in one cor- ner. Even 50 years later, the V a l e n t i n o o u t f i t a t t h e Museum of Flight still looks fashionable, elegant and au courant! Also on display are acces- sories from nearly a dozen other airlines, including 11 b a g s a n d p u r s e s , 1 7 h a t s ranging from yellow bucket hats to faux-fur caps, and 13 s c a r v e s w h o s e p a t t e r n s resemble works of art. The opening of Runway to Runway coincided with a n o t h e r e x c i t i n g p i e c e o f local aviation news: on April 26, Alaska Airlines launched its first-ever daily nonstop flight from Seattle to Rome – b u t d o n ' t e x p e c t t o s e e d e s i g n e r u n i f o r m s . F o r those, a visit to the Museum of Flight is a must. outfits and chic accessories flight attendants wore (Run- way to Runway also touches o n t h e s e x i s m a n d r a c i a l barriers faced regularly by flight attendants). To stay competitive, air carriers hired famous fash- ion designers from Paris, M i l a n a n d N e w Y o r k , i n c l u d i n g I t a l i a n g r e a t s Emilio Pucci and Valenti- no, to create distinctive uni- forms and bold accessories. Emilio Pucci was born to a n a r i s t o c r a t i c f a m i l y i n Naples in 1914. He was an excellent skier and was part of the Italian ski team at the 1 9 3 2 L a k e P l a c i d W i n t e r O l y m p i c s . D u r i n g W o r l d W a r I I , h e s e r v e d a s a b o m b e r p i l o t . W h e n h e began his career in design, some of the first items he created focused on the sport of skiing, including ski team u n i f o r m s a n d a p r è s - s k i wear. In 1965, he was commis- sioned by Braniff to design something exciting and bold t h a t e p i t o m i z e d t h e n e w look and exhilarating poten- tial of air travel. He contin- " Be eclectic!" That's w h a t E m i l i o P u c c i a d v i s e d Braniff Internation- al flight attendants i n 1 9 7 1 w h e n t h e a i r l i n e announced a new collection of designer uniforms from the famed Italian designer. And Pucci's eye-popping creations – with swirls of sunset pink, red, plum and three shades of green – did just that. Known as the Prince of Prints, Pucci is one of the designers featured in a new exhibit at Seattle's Muse- um of Flight called Run- w a y t o R u n w a y , w h i c h opened April 25, 2026. The exhibit includes 100 flight attendants' uniforms and accessories from the muse- u m ' s c o l l e c t i o n , r a n g i n g from classic suits and skirts to color-blocked capes, yel- low go-go boots and a mink stole. It continues through January 18, 2027. "This is our first major e x h i b i t f o r 2 0 2 6 , " s a i d museum President and CEO M a t t H a y e s a t a r e c e n t press preview, "one that tells the story of people, not just the story of things." Comple- menting the uniforms and accessories on display are touchable fabrics, hands-on activities like how to proper- ly tie a scarf, and a look at what flight attendants might pack into their purse. T h e f i r s t f l i g h t a t t e n - dants, known as air host- esses, were hired in 1930 by Boeing Air Transport, later part of United Airlines. In those early years, registered nurses were hired for the job, assuming they would provide a calming presence f o r n e r v o u s p a s s e n g e r s . A p p l i c a n t s h a d t o b e younger than 25, stand less than 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weigh less than 115 pounds. Despite the restrictions, y o u n g w o m e n a p p l i e d i n d r o v e s a n d b y t h e m i d - 1930s, as many as 300 host- esses were serving on US airlines. In the 1960s, when air travel really took off, the a i r l i n e s s t a r t e d s e t t i n g themselves apart through the stylish, sometimes sexy, From groovy to elegant, Italian-designed flight attendant uniforms on display in Seattle RITA CIPALLA A first-class trip through the history of flight attendant uniforms is provided at the new "Runway to Runway" exhibit at the Museum of Flight, through January 18, 2027 (Photo: Museum of Flight) The clear plastic rain dome designed by Emilio Pucci for Braniff Airlines tops the display of other hats on exhibit at the Museum of Flight (Photo: Rita Cipalla) SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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