FLASHBACK 1968!
The problem: TWA’s advertising agency wanted something new and different for Inflight Services. What might that be?
Their solution: the paper dress!
Noted designer Elsa Daggs came up with four paper dress concepts for TWA. She hoped to match hostess uniforms to our major overseas routes. Wearing one of four paper dress outfits, hostesses would offer meal services matched to the uniform theme.
“Italian Accent” flight attendants wore white and gold togas. Food service included Italian veal dishes. On “British Accent” flights, they wore grey flannel “serving wench” uniforms while serving steak and kidney pie. “French Accent” flights featured a gold lame cocktail “mini-skirt,” while Manhattan Penthouse flights featured crews wearing black-sashed lounging pajamas.
While the uniforms were supposedly constructed of heavy fireproof paper, the ink used to decorate them apparently wasn't. There were complaints of flight attendants suffering mild burns, perhaps from careless cigarette smokers.
Other evolving issues: uniform inventory carried at domicile frequently did not match the “foreign accent” flight scheduled. French Accent flight attendants found themselves wearing Manhattan Penthouse dresses. The manufacturer ran out of the heavy paper stock initially used. A lighter, flimsier substitute was found. And, while flight attendants typically came in different sizes, oftentimes the uniforms did not. “One size fits all” became the order of the day.
Scissors, a stapler, and masking tape became must carry items. Built-in velcro strips often did not match the wearer, making the uniform extremely uncomfortable. Additionally, flight attendants scheduled for foreign accent turnarounds sometimes found themselves reassigned by crew schedule to six-day trips.
While the uniforms looked great on paper (pardon the pun), the execution left much to be desired. One flight attendant recalled wearing the black lounging pajamas on a particularly hot day. Mid-cabin, she noticed streams of black ink running down both arms. Occasional galley mishaps sometimes ripped off the front of the dress. Also, cutting the dress too short often resulted in undignified positions when bending over in the aisle. Uniforms expected to last for several wearings lasted one to two legs. Increasing numbers of flight attendants simply refused to wear them at all.
The program lasted a mere seven months, ending in the fall of 1968. Few flight attendants lamented its end.