General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

Raincoat

Patents

N/A

General Description

Synthetic fibers; plastic buttons; marker ink/dye.

Dimensions

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

Length

151.5 cm

Width

63.0 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

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

Period

During the 1990s.

Canada

Canadian Airlines International was founded when Pacific Western Airlines (PWA) purchased Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CPAL) in 1987. PWA had already acquired Transair in 1977, while CPAL had recently acquired Eastern Provincial Airways and Nordair. In its early years, Canadian Airlines Int. airplanes appeared in a variety of liveries. Initially, PWA and CPAL operations were supposed to remain separate. From 1987 onwards, Canadian Airlines International was the second largest airline after Air Canada. After years of financial difficulties, Canadian Airlines International was purchased by Air Canada in 2001. This is an example of a Canadian Airlines International flight attendant uniform. The women’s uniform, introduced in the late 1980s, included a skirt, trousers, a jacket, a sweater, a sweater vest, a blouse, a long sleeve vest, a short sleeve vest, and a dress. The blouse could be worn with a tie or a scarf. The uniform also included a spring coat and an all-purpose coat.

Function

To identify the wearer as a Canadian Airlines International flight attendant.

Technical

This uniform has many features that suggest it was designed to be functional, as well as stylish. The skirt not only has kick pleats, which make it easier for the wearer to move about, but also pockets. The blazer has an inner pocket as well as functional outer ones. The skirt is of a length that would allow easy movement and the shirt is long enough that it will remain tucked if the wearer has to reach up into the overhead compartment. A flight attendant might work in a variety of environments from day to day as well as over the course of one day, and so the range of clothing options allows the wearer to tailor her dress to suit the destination of the flight or to add or remove layers during the day. The options also recognize that different flight attendants will be comfortable in different types of clothes and that women have different body types suited to different styles. According to the donor, regulations around uniforms were more lenient at Canadian Airlines Int. than they had been at Wardair, where she had previously worked. She remembers, for instance, that the airline was not too concerned if flight attendants neglected to wear their scarf or tie and flight attendants could wear any shoes they wanted so long as they were black and not patent leather. The donor and her husband believe that much of this change was due to the growing unionization of flight attendants.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Lettering on label on inside of collar reads: “H HELLER/FASHION GALLERY”; lettering on label on inside of left interior seam reads: “CO 735/XS/R 120”.

Missing

The artifact appears complete.

Finish

Predominantly dark blue with same color visible stitching, and embroidered buttonholes; black lining and glossy buttons; white labels with blue and black lettering; black lettering in marker on label on inside of collar.

Decoration

No decorations.