Australian Dress Register

Pucci's family had been amongst the ranks of the nobility for a thousand years at the time of his birth. Like many aristocratic families, by the end of the nineteenth century, they had fallen upon hard times and their palazzo in Florence was in need of repair and refurbishment. For several generations, the family had been selling their artworks and furniture to make ends meet. Family legend says that Pucci's grandfather paid for his honeymoon in the USA by selling a family heirloom  -  a Boticelli. He trimmed the margins of the painting to fit in his trunk and sold it to a New York dealer upon arrival.

According to Emilio, as reported by Noel Barber in the Australian Women's Weekly, April 1st, 1964, he was the first member of the family to work in 1000 years. Pucci describes his parents as strict and distant, claiming that he and his brother had no feelings for them at all. Even so, he believes they were doing their best for him and his younger brother, Puccio.

Both brothers left home to escape their parents as soon as they could: Emilio to Milan to study agriculture and Puccio to the Italian Air Force.

While at university in Milan, Emilio saved every cent he could and after two years accepted an agriculture scholarship to the University of Georgia (USA). While there, he worked his way through college by doing menial jobs that would have horrified his parents, such as washing dishes. After saving enough to fund three months of travel in the US, he transferred to Reed College, Oregon, from which he graduated in Social Science. He also skied, played tennis and fenced for the College.         

Pucci's willingness to work for a living, unlike his forebears, was probably grounded in his experiences as a young man in the USA. Upon entering the fashion world, he was able to capitalise on his status as a Marchese, as his aristocratic rank enhanced the allure of his designs.

Success as a fashion designer meant that Pucci was able to restore the famiy palazzo. More significantly, as the most influential Italian fashion designer of the 1950s and 1960s, he played an important role in the transformation of the Italian economy and society of the postwar era.      

Emilio Pucci: 20 November 1914 – 29 November 1992

Pucci was an Italian aristocrat who inherited the title Marchese di Barsento. His parents were Augusta Pavoncelli & Orazio Pucci di Barsento. He was born in Naples and spent much of his adult life living and working in the Pucci Palace in the heart of Florence. He died of a heart attack at the age of 78 in a nursing home in Florence. 

Emilio had one brother, Puccio, born a year after Emilio.

Emilio married the then 20 year old Roman baroness, Christina Nannini di Carabianca in 1959. Noel Barber, writing for the Australian Wormen's Weekly in April 1964 descibed Christina as "a silky, blue eyed blonde who looks exactly like a Bottocelli venus..." They had one son, Alessandro and one daughter, Laudomia. Alessandro died in a car crash in 1998. Laudomia took over the fashion business after Pucci's death.

The mid 1970s was a period when international air travel was becoming a reality for middle class Australians. Qantas' aggressively marketed low-cost excursion fares to Asia and Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii and North America were popular, and despite competition from Asian airlines, Qantas remained the preferred carrier for most Australians on the London/Sydney 'Kangaroo Route'. The growth in traffic on this route can be seen when passenger numbers from 1971-2 (40,000) are compared with those of the year ending in March 1975 (250,000). At this time, a return economy fare to London was $1,202.85.

While Australians viewed Qantas as the airline that transported them to exotic destinations, in Pucci's eyes, it was the carrier that brought European immigrants from the "old continent and all its troubles ... [to] the young continent to which he was going." Pucci's Eurocentric view of Qantas impacted upon the design and colour pallette of his uniform as he wanted it to convey images of "wool, wheat, beautiful girls on a beach, brilliant flowers [and] brilliant feathers".  (Airways, Dec/Jan 1974/75). He anticipated that the cheerful uniform would put the immigrants in a positive mind-frame as they travelled towards their new lives. 

The vibrant uniform was launched at Mascot aboard a 747B in November, 1974. Pucci compered the event, at which two flight hostesses performed a reverse strip tease, gradually adding uniform components over Pucci-print bikinis.

At this time, a career as a flight hostess was viewed as very glamorous and entry requirements were stringent. In August, 1974, applicants had to be between 20-30 years of age, between 5'3" - 5'10", with weight in proportion to their height, but no more than 64 kgs. An education to Australian School Certificate level (Year 10) or equivalent was required. Applicants were to have no physical disabilities and display a "pleasing appearance, alert, intelligent outlook, [and be] courteous and resourceful." (Qantas Airways Flight Hostess Career Information, August, 1974). Flight hostesses were  in the minority as cabin crew, as male stewards outnumbered them by four to one. 

Remuneration was generous. When the average Australian annual salary was $6,235, first year flight hostesses were paid a base salary of $7,375 per annum which rose to $9,625 after 9 years. Additional payments for shoes, hairdressing and daily travel boosted salaries considerably.        

The Qantas Pucci uniform was conceived during the period of the Whitlam Labor government (1972-75)  - a period characterised by Whitlam's desire to transform Australia from a backward, parochial nation to a progressive state with an international focus. 

The social revolutions that had occurred throughout the western world during the 1960s continued into the Whitlam era and throughout the 70s. In Australia, views about women's roles, sexuality, the environment, immigration and war were being transformed. It was during this period that women received equal pay for equal work, Australian troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, university education became free and indigenous peoples made progress regarding land rights.

While these developments were often viewed as positive, especially by the young, this was also an era characterised by high unemployment and inflation. Many people believed the Whitlam government had tried to do too much too quickly and had mishandled the economy. Whitlam's government was dismissed by the Governor General in November, 1975, to be replaced by a Liberal government headed by Malcolm Fraser. 

Although a vision of the European immigrant was prominent in Pucci's mind as he designed his Qantas uniform, patterns of immigration to Australia were changing. The White Australia Policy, in operaton from 1901 and designed to prevent non-white people from migrating to Australia, was abolished in 1974. This opened the door to Asian immigrants - especially those fleeing from Vietnam after the war and to those escaping conflicts in the Middle East. European immigration actually declined during this period.

Within the aviation world, it was a difficult time because the oil producing countries lifted their prices, which incresed operating costs. Combined with inflation, this placed Qantas under considerable financial strain. The airline tried to overcome this by adding to seat capacity, whereby the number of seats on 747s was increased to 10 across in economy. 

Not only was this a time of financial stress for the aviation industry, it was also a dangerous one, as there were more than 400 hijackings between 1969 and 1978. Although potential hijackings did not influence the Pucci flight hostess' uniforms, they did impact upon the attire of Flight Stewards. Instead of their neckties being secured by the traditional  Windsor knot, velcro was used to keep them in place. The velcro attachment would release immediately if someone attempted to strangle a Flight Steward with his tie.      

Qantas Heritage Collection files

Prudence Black, The Flight Attendant's Shoe, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, 2011

The Australian Womens Weekly, Wednesday 1st April, 1964

Peter Phillips, Qantas Heritage Collection.

Births, deaths and marriages information: 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-emilio-pucci-1560809.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/01/nyregion/emilio-pucci-designer-of-bright-prints-dies-at-78.html

http://www.theflorentine.net/lifestyle/2008/06/emilio-pucci/

Family information:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-emilio-pucci-1560809.html

Average weekly salaries:

ABCDiamond Forum http://www.abcdiamond.com/forum/australian-employment/average-wages-in-australia/ 

Historical overview of the era:

John Stackhouse, "From the Dawn of Aviation - The Qantas Story 1920 - 1995', Focus Publishing, Sydney, 1995.

Squirk online Education: http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-189_t-508_c-1881/1970s-decade-in-context/nsw/history/australia-s-social-and-cultural-history-in-the-post-war-period/social-and-cultural-features-of-the-1970s

This specific garment has been exhibited at the Qantas Heritage Collection, Terminal 3, Mascot, Sydney since 2005.

A Qantas Pucci uniform comprising of a shirtdress, woollen lime green jacket and A-line skirt is currenlty on display at the SFO Airport Museum at San Francisco Airport. The display is scheduled to end in January, 2017. 

The uniform has few trimmings or decorations. However, the thin, navy blue belt around the shirt-dress waist has an intricate gold buckle. The overcoat has 4 x 30 mm buttons in self-fabric down the front centre opening and 2 matching buttons at the top of the back slits. The jacket has 3 x 2.5 mm gold metallic buttons with embossed heraldic crests down the centre front opening and 2 x 1.5 mm buttons of the same material and design on each cuff.        

The shirt-dress is in a printed jersey, resembling silk.

The coral coloured short jacket is in pure Austalian wool in a basket weave. It is fully lined in a coral synthetic fabric.

The coral overcoat is in pure Australian wool. It is fully lined in cream synthetic fabric. 

The entire ensemble is machine-sewn. White cotton thread is used on the shirt-dress, whereas coral thread is used on the jacket and coat.

Although it was designed in Florence, Italy, the uniform was manufactured in Sydney by Amalfi Fashions and Henry Harris. The use of pure Australian wool in the overcoat and jacket reflects Qantas' desire to appeal to patriotism. 

Dress: 'HENRY/HARRIS/SYDNEY' sewn into back collar. Small, double-sided label attached to manufacturer's label: 'POLYESTER'.

Overcoat: No manufacturer's label. A small cloth tag on the left-hand side of the garment: '9452/0-CCAT/SSW/12 O/R'.

Jacket: 'Amalfi/Uniforms' sewn into back collar.

The garments appear not to have been worn and therefore are unaltered.

Shirt dress is fitted at the top and the skirt falls into a gentle A-line

The short jacket is cut close to the waist and has straight sleeves.

The overcoat has raglan sleeves and is slightly A-lined.  

Shirt-dress: 2 x 15 mm self-fabric buttons at neckline (centre front, below the collar). One matching button on each cuff. 

Jacket: 3 x 25 mm buttons down centre front opening. Metallic gold, embossed with heraldry.  

Overcoat: 4 x 30 mm buttons down centre front opening. They have a metal base and are covered in self-fabric. 

The shirt-dress is unlined.

The jacket is fully lined in coral synthetic fabric.

The overcoat is fully lined in cream synthetic.

There is no stiffening or padding in any garment.

The Pucci uniform was a departure from Qantas uniforms of the past. Whereas all five previous uniforms had been designed by Australians, Italian designer Emilio Pucci was a high profile international fashion identity, a favourite of wealthy  European and American women. He was familiar to Australian women as David Jones in Sydney stocked a selection of his collections.

Qantas was concerned about public criticism of the use of an international designer, and dealt with this by ensuring that the uniforms were manufactured locally and used Australian fabrics, such as pure merino wool. For the uniform launch in November 1974, the Qantas publicity team prepared a two point official story to explain the choice of Pucci over Australian designers: 1) Qantas and Pucci have much in common.  Just as Qantas has an international reputation for excellence, Pucci's creations are internationally famous. 2) Qantas discussed a new uniform with designers from Australia, Europe and the United States. Pucci's designs were the most appealing because they were refreshingly original and reflected an enthusiasm for Australia.          

When commissioned by Qantas, Pucci had a well established reputation as a designer of cutting edge, attention grabbing uniforms. He had worked with US airline, Braniff International since 1965 and played a significant role in creating their sexy image. Pucci's Qantas uniforms were less overtly sexy than his earlier Braniff designs. Rather, they represented the freedom of the 1970s and encapsulated a European perception of Australia as a fabled, exotic destination in touch with nature. The ground-breaking patterned fabric of the shift dress and bright green and orange skirt, jacket and topcoat represented this vision.

The freedom and desire to overturn tradition was also represented by the absence of a hat. This was the first Qantas  flight hostesses uniform to omit this accessory. Despite this apparent informality, however, strict guidelines were in place for the wearing of the uniform, which included regulation bras, pantyhose, courtshoes with a 2.5 inch heel, and specially designed beige handbags. In order to encourage the clingy polyester/silk fabric to fall attractively, hostesses were required to wear girdles.

Despite flight hostesses' inital reservations about wearing a uniform designed by an international designer, "the Pucci" soon became a favourite because it was easy to wear and could be washed and dried overnight in a hotel wash basin. Worn for thirteen years, it outlived all other Qantas uniforms.    

The launch of 'the Pucci' at Mascot on November 13, 1974, held on a 747B (registration VH-EHA), provides great insight into the values of the mid 1970s and the impact of "sexual liberation".

The presentation involved a fashion parade of previous Qantas uniforms, worn on a catwalk on the lower deck of the 747. Seats were removed from the centre of the aircraft and the audience sat in the surrounding seats. The event was widely publicised, with cameras from all four Sydney television stations present.

A highlight of the event was the introduction of two models clad in Pucci bikinis*. As they approached the stage, they each kissed the compere on the cheek, paused briefly by his side and then paraded together down the cabin and back, returning to stand on either side of him. This was done to the music of "Something in the Way we Move", an adaptation of the Beatles "Something".  

Pucci was then invited to the stage to take over compering duties while models, Amanda and Cheryl, dressed themselves, layer by layer in the full ensemble - one in green and one in orange.

The grand finale of the parade, which ran for about ten minutes, was a line-up of models dressed in every Qantas uniform to date. Lunch was served after the parade, during which time, the Marchese and his two models were available for interviews and pictures.

Insight into Australian culinary fashions and prices of the mid 1970s can be gained by viewing the proposed catering costs. Sweet and sour prawns ($1.30 per serve), beef stroganoff ($1.55), rice pilaff (14c) and passionfriut pavlova (75c) all featured. These were accompanied by champagne (Verve Cliquot - $4.07 per bottle and Great Western, $2.00) and orange juice (90c for two litres). The entire cost of catering was estimated at $400 for 60 people.

Although the event appears quite politically incorrect by today's standards, Pucci and Qantas Chief Press Officer, Patrick Dunch had discussed an even more risque launch when they met in Florence. At this time, they proposed a shower scene with two girls. However, this was scrapped as "it did not satisfy some of the basic requirements, particularly visual, of newspapers and television." (Letter to Marchese Emilio Pucci from Patrick Dunch, 21st October, 1974, Qantas Heritage Collection).

*Bikinis were never part of the official uniform and were only used for promotions.       

Green Pucci uniform, also on display at Qantas Heritage Collection. This consisits of a tailored green, pure Australian wool jacket in basket weave, a matching A-line woollen skirt and a short-sleeved shirt dress.

Kolotex Sheer Relief pantihose. Kolotex promoted their sheer support pantihose with the instantly recognisable image of a Qantas flight hostess in a Pucci uniform on the packaging. Qantas flight attendants wore Kolotex Sheer Relief in navy blue or beige. 

The Jenny doll. Resembling Barbie, the Jenny doll was made by Toltoys and released in 1976. The doll wore the Qantas Pucci uniform, and also had four outfits for leisure time at Qantas destinations: a safari suit for South Africa, a ski suit for Austria, a kimono for Japan and a hula skirt for Hawaii. Qantas flight hostess, Jenny Tregaskis, who was the model for the doll, was also involved in promoting it on television and in The Australian Women's Weekly.  

The uniform worn by male flight stewards during the Pucci era was designed by Senior Steward Stewart Baker. Introduced in 1973, this uniform presented a dramatic overhaul to the attire worn by male flight stewards. Up until this time, stewards' uniforms had been strongly influenced by naval attire, but this uniform was much more brightly coloured and informal. One of its key characteristics was the colourful jacket, whereby different shades represented rank. For example, a burnt orange wool jacket was worn by Flight Service Directors. This was co-ordinated with a yellow shirt, brown trousers and a wide tie with diagonal burgundy, grey and cream stripes. This was the first men's uniform without a cap. Like the Pucci ensemble worn by flight hostesses, the Stewart Baker uniform represented the freedom and informality of the 1970s.   

Prior to being commisioned by Qantas, Emilio Pucci had designed colourful, informal uniforms for American airline, Braniff International. These uniforms were largely responsible for the modern, fashionable image of the airline during the 1960s and 70s.

This uniform appears not to have been worn. It is therefore in good condition. However, because it has been on display under fluorescent lights at the Qantas Heritage Collection since 2005, some fading has occurred. This is particularly noticable on the collar of the short jacket.    

As the uniform has never been worn, there is no evidence of repairs.