Do You Think The New British Airways Female Cabin Crew Uniform Is Disappointing?

[BringBackJulienMacDonaldUniform]

What do you all think of the new British Airways female cabin crew uniform? I think it is awful, too drab, and nowhere near as nice and smart as the Julien MacDonald uniform (hence my Username!)! I especially hate the jumpsuit and red slash on the skirt front.

I created a poll on LinkedIn, and the result echoes what I have just said: the Julien MacDonald uniform should be brought back.

Why do they need to be ‘smart’ and ‘professional’? They’re doing a practical job on an airplane — there’s zero ‘glamour’ about it. The ‘glamour’ was only a perception from the days when air travel was rare and not for the masses.

And why are you singling out female cabin crew? I think the new uniform looks impractical for women, and uncomfortable, certainly, but I don’t think ‘lack of glamour’ is an issue.

@Weepingwillows12 glad to hear the jumpsuit is only one of multiple options! I have no issues with the look of the uniform, just the practicality of that particular outfit, pretty surprised that anyone who’s ever worn one would seriously suggest it for flying in.

Boiler suit can't be easy to get on and off when they need a wee in the tiny loos on normal planes.

Ah the ‘glamour’ of a flight where you have to buy your own sandwich.

For everyone talking about the heels, the rule is that they wear flats once on the plane.

Also, the jump suit is one of three current uniform options I think? There's also a dress and a suit.

"Why do they need to be ‘smart’ and ‘professional’? They’re doing a practical job on an airplane — there’s zero ‘glamour’ about it. The ‘glamour’ was only a perception from the days when air travel was rare and not for the masses"

Of course they don'tneed to be smart. It's like going to a restaurant. You can go somewhere high end or low brow. Some let you wear what you want, some have a McDonalds style uniform, some have a smart, professional uniform. The company tells the client what it thinks of itself via the uniform.

Here, BA are moving to the EasyJet model - cheap and cheerful. They used to be aspirational. I preferred them when they were smart but up to them. Boiler suits as long as flights are really cheap, why not.

They get to choose, that's the point. The jumpsuit will be a good option for those working in roles where they need to be practical, eg a friend works in marketing at Heathrow, climbing on stepladders, putting up signs, etc is all part of her role. I'm also wondering if they put them in slightly too small sizes for the photoshoots because you wouldn't want your blouse that tight, I hope they have some Lycra in them

You seem strangely obsessed with this OP!

The boiler suit is only one of the options available. There are also dresses, skirts and trousers. And heels aren’t allowed on board, flats only.

I mean this warmly OP but you sound unhinged!!
Channel your passion into something worth caring about.

The pilots new uniform is horrible too. Really really cheap fabric, nasty shirt and horrible fitting. My family member is a pilot with them and has had to take it to be altered and he's very normal sized!
Bonkers, the old uniforms were nice.

Might be worth asking your friend how long the buttons stayed attached to the old uniform jacket and also about the quality of the trousers….oh and if you want to start a real debate ask about hats…..🤐

TBH I think many crew would have been happy with the old uniform but an improvement in “build quality”, rather than a complete change..

I don’t think the old uniforms were ‘nice’. they were just uniforms - and not particularly notable ones.

Much of this just feels like standard aversion to change of any kind.

I lived through at least one uniform change at BA (that dates me) and you may be right to some extent, there was certainly some adverse comment to that particular change….some problems got ironed out as a result (SWIDT) but some, such as a couple I mentioned previously, were never addressed and people had to learn to live with them

Have to say though I’m still in touch with former colleagues and there does seem to be more grumbling about this change than last time…then again social media etc is more active now than it was back in the olden days, so the gripes are more easily circulated/publicised.

I read your OP and thought ‘well a bit bland but 🤷‍♀️’
Then read about boiler suit and wondered what it was all about .

Then I saw your second image.

😱😱
Has ANYONE thought that one out? It’s not just it will be very ill fitted on most women. It’s the practicality of it. Imagine having to work long haul with that. It’s not smart at all.

I mean what was the aim there? Saving a few quid?

@notimagain the ties were my personal bugbear as I spent bloody hours reinforcing them! Yes quality was crap but at least they weren't a ridiculous design.

I’d feel really uncomfortable in that. It looks pretty ghastly to me.

Well… I think for the people who have to actually wear a uniform, it is a bit different.

There is always just a bit of standard aversion to change. But people who find that the new uniform is less comfortable, doesn’t fit well, is poor quality, a bit sweaty, and so on may well have legitimate complaints. These should be ironed out - and could possibly have been avoided via better user testing (although, I don’t think that user centred design is embedded in clothing design the way it is - should be - in some other areas of design).

People on internet complaining that it doesn’t look professional enough or isn’t as good are just change averse whingers. It really doesn’t matter to passengers what the person doing the safety checks on their flight is wearing.

@IncomingTraffic

I think that’s a fair point….I think there was often a grumble/perception that the end users were often one of the last groups to actually be consulted on proposed designs.

Crew usually want something that travels well, is suited to the job (pockets….) and is easy to maintain/clean on a short turn round and is robust.

The designer may have other priorities.

I don't agree. Everybody to their own taste. Who the hell wants to see drably dressed cabin crew? Not me, and neither do most people, as a matter of fact. But no more comment, as I can see you are one of these people who wouldn't even care if a crew member came on board in a boile suit.

But that's just YOUR opinion. I assure you, there are MANY people - including a lot of the crew themselves - who DID love the Julien MacDonald uniform. It was smart, it was professional, and it really promoted the BA brand well. It should not have been replaced by such a disappointing, drab style.

Hey, I'm not the only one who doesn't like this uniform, you know. And no, I am NOT Julien MacDonald's mum. I am just an advocate for smart, professional wear, instead of scruffy, casual gear - a trend which, sadly, seems to be becoming more and more prevalent now. Everybody is entitles to their own opinion.

Don't agree. Many people, besides myself, liked the old uniform. You can't criticise people for having an opinion,

But I don't understand why my comments about glamour should be a problem with you. It is an undeniable fact that wearing a smart outfit when serving customers always conveys a professional appearance. It also identifies the crew with the corporate brand they are representing. Look, if I were a boss, I would have a smart dress code, instead of a casual, drab one. So again, what is wrong with liking glamour??

You are totally missing the point. I am NOT singling out female crew. The reason why I am mentioning them and not the men is that the male uniform is very smart and looks really nice, whereas the women's is not so. Have you not read all the comments on the Internet about the new women's uniform? Even a lot of the crew themselves hate it. For goodness SAKE, what is it with all these nasty comments? I can't understand it. I only asked people what they thought of the new BA uniform, and all I get is a lot of unjustified crap from certain individuals on here who don't seem to be fully grasping the argument. There is no need for nastiness like this, no need at all.

This is a quote from the article on their website:

"The collection features a tailored three-piece suit for men with regular and slim fit style trousers and dress, skirt and trouser options for women, as well as a modern jumpsuit – which is an airline first. A tunic and hijab option has also been created for the global carrier."

As I previously stated, all crew have options regarding what to wear.

https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/pressrelease/details/14478