Delta Air Lines Uniforms: Photos Of Past, Present, Near Future

ATLANTA, GA — The next time you take a flight on Delta Air Lines you might be in for a surprise. In just a few days, more than 60,000 uniformed Delta Air Lines employees will sporting a high-fashion look by New York red-carpet haute couture designer Zac Posen.

Posen has redesigned the Delta uniform's style and color. On May 29, the blue you're used to will be gone, to be replaced by "Passport Plum."

Since the announcement of the uniform change, there has been more than three months of wear testing the designs and fabrics on 1,000 Delta employees, leading to more than 165 changes. Among the changes were darkening the groundspeed graphite color of the men's suit and re-examining the women's blouse design and restructuring the cargo pockets.

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The traditional blue uniforms seem like they've been around forever, but that is certainly not the case. They originally took flight in 2006. The uniforms were designed by Richard Tyler, with bold red pops against midnight blue pieces.

These fashion changes are by no means new to the airline, one of Georgia's biggest employers.

"Whether it's the plum, the design or the attention to detail [designer] Zac [Posen] brought forward, the idea isn't to remain in the current or the past," Delta Chief Marketing Officer Tim Mapes said. "It's really about the future of Delta and making a much bolder, fashion-forward statement that all of our people can be proud of for years to come."

Posen designs for upscale stores, outfits celebrities for award shows and is a part of the judging panel in recent seasons of "Project Runway," a reality competition TV show for budding fashion designers.

Since 2008, flight attendants have also worn a pink version of the iconic red dress during the month of October, promoting Delta's partnership with Breast Cancer Research Foundation to raise money for breast cancer research. Pink uniforms are also worn on Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. But don't worry, the beloved pink dress isn't going away.

Customer service agents and flight attendants will have pink options each October like Posen's V-Neck Dress, female scarf, male and female pocket squares, and men's ties; below-wing employees, like technicians and ramp agents, will sport pink hats.

1959-1965 Winter
Delta's first Jet Age uniform was designed by Academy Award winner Edith Head, chief designer for Paramount movie studio. Hat designed by Mae Hanauer of New York NY.

1965-1968 Winter
French blue crepe suit with narrow skirt, semi-box jacket and white overblouse. The "Delberet," a pill-box hat designed for Delta by Mea Hanauer of New York, replaced the traditional overseas cap style.

1968-1970 Winter

Set of two A-line, wool dresses in red and black. Short double-breasted black jacket converted black dress into a suit. Red topcoat and raincoat, black kid gloves, alligator print pumps or boots and handbag finished the look. Black paisley serving smock was made of vinyl.

1969-1970 Summer

Set of three pastel polyester-knit dresses in Aquanox Blue, Grenelle Green and Sunshine Yellow. Accessories and reversible serving smock echoed colors of the dresses, so it was possible to have six color combinations in an aircraft cabin at one time. Tall "huntsmen" hat fit over trendy beehive hairdos! Short white gloves were standard issue.

1970-1973

First Delta flight attendant uniform with pants—navy blue bell bottoms—and hats no longer required. Pleated mini-skirts and tunics of wrinkle-free polyester in orange, navy blue and white coordinated with interior of Delta's new Boeing 747. Serving smock was bright yellow. Accessories included navy blue ribbon beret, patent leather pumps or heeled loafers with gold hardware, optional boots, "tomato red" topcoat, a yellow raincoat and yellow duffel bag purse with red/white/blue striped shoulder strap.

1973-1975

Return to collarless, but more classic blazer in blue banded in red, or red banded in blue. A-line skirts were still short, but slacks were no longer bell bottoms. New item was short-sleeved, ribbed turtleneck. For first time, hat wasn't a part of the uniform. Delta "widget" logo scarf could be worn as a headband, tied around ponytail or draped around neck. Paisley aprons protected uniforms during meal service. Black chunky-heeled loafers completed the look.

1975-1979

Feeling trendy or classic? Female flight attendants could choose sky blue and camel leisure suits and Qiana nylon wrap dresses, or traditional blazers, slacks and skirts. Accent pieces in peach and beige included four types of blouses and three sweaters. Knit T-shirt, scarves and serving smocks in "Delta Cities" print featured names of Delta destinations. Scarves were worn in variety of ways around hair or neck. Brown leather handbag and chunky-heeled loafers finished the look.

1979-1983

This collection was sure to fill a closet! Each of the basic pieces, such as jackets, pants, and skirts, came in three colors—taupe, beige and rose. There were pleated and non-pleated skirts and slacks, silk and gabardine dresses and jumpers, and a variety of sweaters and blouses. Serving smocks came in brown or pink printed in white Delta "widget" logos.

1983-2001

Back to basics with Delta's longest-lived uniform—a professional, tailored suit of tropical wool in navy blue. Designed by Van Lupu for Omniform, this uniform was a classic when it was introduced in 1983. The uniform won the 1984 Image of the Year Award from the Career Apparel Institute. First Delta uniform with maternity wear—a loose navy jumper.

Delta 2001-2006

Professional business casual design by Uniform Solutions. Featured charcoal gray mini-check pants, loose jackets, skirts and skort of tropical weight wool. Blouses, shirts, and twin-set sweater of bright Delta Millennium Blue were accented with maroon/beige/blue checked ties and scarves. Each silver-colored button featured a tiny, raised airplane.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

As for the "Passport Plum," designed by Posen, the flying world will just have to wait a few more days.

Photos and captions courtesy Delta Air Lines