The Qantas Centenary Past. Present. Future.

As society moves forward, so does Qantas. This month, we explore our inflight style evolution.

Pucci. Yves Saint Laurent. Martin Grant. Though only 10 designers have created Qantas’s crew uniforms in 100 years, the list brims with fashion luminaries.

From the post-war formality of the 1940s – when the first air stewards wore crisp white serving jackets – to Pucci’s 1974 “Spring Collection for high fashion Qantas hostesses” and Grant’s chic, minimalist designs of today, the airline’s style has always reflected the times.

Flamboyant Pucci was the first to bring the fashion catwalk to the Qantas runway. The Italian was known for his kaleidoscopic patterns and his uniform designs came in shades of woodland green and muted orange – his depiction of the colours of “a frontier country”.

In the 1980s and at the height of his acclaim, French couturier Yves Saint Laurent paid homage to the power suit. He was also responsible for introducing the first trousers worn by female cabin crew.

Bringing the Qantas look closer to home, Australians George Gross and Harry Watt took on unisex style and delivered a double-breasted blazer during their 1990s tenure, followed in 2003 by Peter Morrissey’s uniforms that embraced our Indigenous heritage with the distinctive boomerang print known as Wirriyarra – “My Spirit Home”. Today, crew is decked out in Martin Grant’s contemporary trench coat and dress with a tri-colour asymmetric pattern inspired by the former Qantas triangle logo.

While the designers and their vision may be international, look closely at their creations and you’ll find unmistakably Australian details. A map-embossed gold button here, a redback-inspired striped hat there and always a kangaroo – on blouses, skirts, lapels and proudly front and centre on the most iconic (and highly sought-after) item of Qantas style: the inflight pyjamas.