Couturiers in the skies

While the golden age shimmer of air travel has dulled–gone are the days of Concorde, gone are the days of martinis served in real crystal, gone are the days of “dressing up” to fly–Air France makes a strong case for keeping at least a little bit of glamour airborne. For example: La Première, the airline’s First Class offer, is among the best commercial air travel experiences available.

Another aspect that attests to the airline's in-flight elegance? Air France’s history of designer uniforms, worn primarily by its cabin crew. In continuing his “24H” series of photo books, photographer Karl Hab has now lensed the carrier’s fashion legacy in a new title called “24H Air France.”

Diving into the archives, Hab picked uniforms imagined by Dior, Balenciaga, Carven, Nina Ricci, Christian Lacroix and more, and photographed them on models anew over the course of a day. Also front and center: Air France’s signature tri-color tailfins and its unmistakable winged seahorse logo. 

The book celebrates the “French art of travel,” and presents the idea of timeless heritage–that no matter how much time passes, and how the culture around air travel shifts, we’ll always have that golden age in which to bask. 

“24H Air France” is available exclusively on shopping.airfrance.com.

Image credit: ©Karl Hab