Virgin Atlantic Unveils New Flight Crew Uniforms Designed By Vivienne Westwood
On Tuesday, notable British designer Vivienne Westwood debuted her new line of uniforms for British airline, Virgin Atlantic. Is it just us, or do these outfits look exactly the same as the stock-photo versions before them?
Westwood and Virgin Atlantic's commitment to sustainability is commendable -- the collection features polyester yarn made from recycled plastic bottles and new bags for ground staff that are the product of a United Nations collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative in Nairobi.
But that still doesn't change the fact that they don't look comfortable and aren't flattering.
The preliminary sketches of the garments, however, are amazingly chic. Why does this glamour fail to translate off Westwood's page and into the finished products?
And not just with Westwood, but with other designers as well. It's hard to capture a fashion sketch's drama in the real-life setting where such elements might make a garment appear too overdone.
Maybe such is the case in this Virgin Atlantic scenario. There is a specific functionality these uniforms need to fulfill; we just wish they didn't appear so stiff and dated. But then again, nothing says "Turn off all electronic devices... I mean it" like a polyester blazer.
The 22-piece uniform takes off on Virgin Atlantic flights and in airports starting Sept. 1.
