General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Unknown fibers; metal and plastic zipper hardware.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

140.0 cm

Width

62.0 cm

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Aviation

Category

Clothing

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Freda

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Toronto

Context

Country

North America

State/Province

Unknown

Period

From 1980 to 1988.

Canada

Wardair Ltd. was founded by Max Ward in 1953. Wardair started as a small air charter business in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The airline started flying international charters in 1962 and its international charter flights became known for their in-flight service. It moved into flying scheduled routes in 1986. The airline was purchased by Pacific Western Airlines (PWA) in 1989. This is example of a uniform worn by a Wardair flight attendant. This uniform was worn by flight attendants on flights to Hawaii and Caribbean destinations. Starting in the 1960s, it was not unusual for airlines to have special uniforms for particular destinations to promote them. For instance, PWA flight attendants wore the Stampeders uniform for flights travelling between Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. In the 1970s, PWA also had a floral blouse which they wore when flying to Hawaii. The donor recalls that the long dress had to be worn under the normal uniform coat which would not have matched the dress when walking through the airport terminal. She also remembers that the dress was not given to new flight attendants who had not completed their probation period.

Function

To identify the wearer as a Wardair flight attendant during flights to Hawaii and Caribbean destinations.

Technical

The uniform is made of a synthetic fabric that could likely be hand washed and that would dry quickly, which is important for flight attendants who might have to clean a uniform for a flight the next day while away from home. The long dress would have impaired the flight attendant’s movement, if it were not for the long back slit.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Lettering on label on the inside of the collar reads: “EXCLUSIVELY FOR/Wardair Canada/BY/freda’s orginals INC/TORONTO/NAME”; lettering on label on the inside of the collar reads: “9/10”.

Missing

The artifact appears complete.

Finish

Various tones of blue, yellow, and black; blue zipper; brass colored metal zipper hardware; white tags with blue and black lettering.

Decoration

Traditional Hawaiian inspired pattern on fabric, composed of blocks of geometrical and organic shapes in a hand-drawn style.