Fancy dress costume for a girl as an air hostess, probably made in England about 1960.

A boxed 3 piece manufactured fancy dress outfit in the style of an air hostess' uniform in a typical style from around the 1960. It represents the uniform for British European Aiways. The skirt is hemmed and made from a cotton fabric. It has a elasticated waistband and two flat front pleats. The skirt is worn to the knee and has a slight a-line cut. The jacket is a single breasted blazer style with 2 chrome effect buttons. There are two false pockets on the front of the blazer. Each upper lapel has a yellow printed emblem of the "airline" with the initials BEA in a circle with a wing and a crown as a part of the insignia. There is also a stitched on badge on the left side of the front panel of the jacket sewn on and printed with BEA and similar logos in yellow and blue.

The cap for the outfit comprises two sections of the same grey fabric stiffened constructed around a central circular section of the head with an elasticated section to sit at the back of the head. The same insignia in yellow is printed on the left side of the hat with two applied fabric details crests rising above the hat, as feathers. The box is manufactured in the style of a travel case / suitcase, made of brown card with a blue and yellow printed front with an image of a junior airhostess standing at the airport by a plan. the logo of the "airline" is displayed in the top right hand corner - NAPRO

This object was purchased from Mr. W. Adams, 2005

British European Airways was a British airlines present during the 1960s.

This outfit was made around 1960s for a little girl to dress up as an air hostess, modelled on the uniform of the hostess of the British European Airways which operated from 1946 to 1974. It comes with a blazer, skirt and hat all with airline logo details. It is a manufactured object and comes complete in its own box shaped like a suitcase.

Fancy dress outfits have been popular for adults and children for over 200 years but were particularly popular from about the 1850s. In the 1960s being an air hostess would have been an exciting job and many girls would have probably enjoyed wearing such an outfit and imagining themselves jetting off to foreign lands.

B.2:1 to 4-2005