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Braniff Airways History:
Emilio Pucci
(b. 1914, d. 1992)
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Italian fashion designer, Emilio Pucci, greeting Braniff hostesses in Dallas. They wear components of his "Gemini 4" uniform first introduced in 1965. Difficult to hear in, and not altogether popular with the hostesses, the space helmet-style bubble headdresses were used primarily for publicity purposes.
V87.38
Gift of the Clipped B's
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 Return to The Air Strip
Mary Wells, advertising executive for Braniff, recommended fashion designer, Emilio Pucci, as the man to create the airline's new image. With inspirations drawn from heraldic symbols and the hues of the Italian landscape, the dashing Italian aristocrat was well known for his rich colors, supple fabrics, and dramatic prints.
Between 1965 and 1974 he produced six distinctive hostess uniforms for Braniff International Airways that revolutionized the airline industry and still affect the design concept of flight attendant uniforms today. This educated and disciplined man never planned a fashion career. Descendent of a noble Florentine family, the Marchese Emilio Pucci di Barsento served as a decorated Italian Air Force career pilot for 14 years. Health problems resulting from war injuries forced him to relinquish his officer's commission.
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Emilio Pucci, "the fashion designer," was discovered on the ski slopes of Zermatt, Switzerland, by legendary Harpers Bazaar editor, Diana Vreeland. Captivated by the sleek ski ensembles Pucci designed for himself and a companion, Vreeland featured his winter resort designs in the December 1948 issue of Harpers Bazaar. The look of ski clothes changed forever and a new fashion empire was established.
Pucci led the post-war emergence of the casually chic, jet-set, Italian style from his boutique on the Isle of Capri. In 1954 and again in 1967, Pucci was recipient of the coveted Neiman-Marcus Fashion Award "for distinguished service in the field of fashion." Trend-setting women in Dallas looped Pucci handbags over their arms and wrapped themselves in vivid Pucci print silk scarves purchased at the Trophy Room. The Marchese's signature clothes were cutting-edge style throughout the Fifties and early Sixties.
The animated creator of jet-set style was the natural choice to design fashions for jet hostesses. He brought playfulness and youthful color to a traditional world dominated by boxy wool suits and military caps.
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