After only five years in use, Delta will abandon its Zac Posen designed uniforms and transition to a new color palette. The "Passport Plum" dress has been replaced by a new "Gunmetal Gray" dress in a recent safety briefing video which strikes me as odd considering the airline's new advertising campaign is entitled "Kaleidoscope" and specifically calls out a "graying world".

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/03/10/delta-air-lines-is-retiring-its-passport-plum-uniform-which-was-designed-by-zac-posen-and-first-introduced-in-2018/

Any thoughts on who the new designer might be and what colors may be chosen for the new uniforms?

socalflyer00 wrote:

After only five years in use, Delta will abandon its Zac Posen designed uniforms and transition to a new color palette. The "Passport Plum" dress has been replaced by a new "Gunmetal Gray" dress in a recent safety briefing video which strikes me as odd considering the airline's new advertising campaign is entitled "Kaleidoscope" and specifically calls out a "graying world".

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/03/10/delta-air-lines-is-retiring-its-passport-plum-uniform-which-was-designed-by-zac-posen-and-first-introduced-in-2018/

Any thoughts on who the new designer might be and what colors may be chosen for the new uniforms?

The gray dress was added as part of the Oko-Tex certified collection that a lot of crew members are wearing because of issues with the Posen uniform.

I do think that the US4 will really start incremental uniform changes moving forward, just like DL is doing here where a few items at a time are cutover. It takes longer and doesn't have 100% uniformity (although with so many options - do you ever?) but it really in my opinion helps with employee happiness and adoption.

Without turning this thread too much into everyone's individual personal opinion, I have to say I was never a fan of DL's purple and red uniforms with the pink blouses so light they looked like someone had washed a red sock with a load of whites. It was not professional and made employees look like they belonged at Disneyland or Willy Wonka's candy factory.

To your question, I think if what happened at AA is any indication, functionality is going to trump design and style with airline employee uniforms in the near future. It's going to be all about using fabrics that don't cause rashes or hives or allergies, and if it looks like women are wearing potato sacks for dresses, as is the case with AA's navy uniforms now, then that's a more important trade off than having runway-worthy designs, at least in the U.S.

Wow...they think "gunmetal gray" is going to really convey that premium vibe. The purple is one of the few design decisions Delta has done right in recent years. The other was Alessi, but they seem to have gotten rid of that too.

Only design can give Delta the premium edge that it's looking for. It's like Delta is trying to be United circa 2015 now...

socalflyer00 wrote:

After only five years in use, Delta will abandon its Zac Posen designed uniforms and transition to a new color palette. The "Passport Plum" dress has been replaced by a new "Gunmetal Gray" dress in a recent safety briefing video which strikes me as odd considering the airline's new advertising campaign is entitled "Kaleidoscope" and specifically calls out a "graying world".

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/03/10/delta-air-lines-is-retiring-its-passport-plum-uniform-which-was-designed-by-zac-posen-and-first-introduced-in-2018/

Any thoughts on who the new designer might be and what colors may be chosen for the new uniforms?

Delta has already partnered with GPS Apparel by GAP (like, clothing company gap). They've taken over the manufacturing and fulfilment of the current uniform collection from Land's End. The new uniform will be designed by the Banana Republic people. At the townhall when all of this was announced (none of this is news), the designers and leadership stated that the plumb hadn't worked, but that gray wasn't Delta either, and the "evolution" (introduce a couple new pieces, sunset a couple old pieces) would be back to Delta's traditional palate of Blue and Red.

reasonable wrote:

Wow...they think "gunmetal gray" is going to really convey that premium vibe.

No, they don't. They think it's going to convey the vibe of: this is what's working for the employees until we take our next step. That's how we got to the gray in the first place.

You would think as brand conscious that DL is that uniforms would match the official colors of Blue and Red. To convey a premium image perhaps a tasteful blues with red trim or reds with blue trim. But gunmetal grey will look like they were ordered off Amazon. I hope Delta does not lose a competitive step recovering from the pandemic. They really need to work on their domestic First Class and make it worth the money. Otherwise Economy Comfort is the better buy for flights under 2 hours. With imagination Delta can become a better premium airline.

BTV290 wrote:

socalflyer00 wrote:

After only five years in use, Delta will abandon its Zac Posen designed uniforms and transition to a new color palette. The "Passport Plum" dress has been replaced by a new "Gunmetal Gray" dress in a recent safety briefing video which strikes me as odd considering the airline's new advertising campaign is entitled "Kaleidoscope" and specifically calls out a "graying world".

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/03/10/delta-air-lines-is-retiring-its-passport-plum-uniform-which-was-designed-by-zac-posen-and-first-introduced-in-2018/

Any thoughts on who the new designer might be and what colors may be chosen for the new uniforms?

Delta has already partnered with GPS Apparel by GAP (like, clothing company gap). They've taken over the manufacturing and fulfilment of the current uniform collection from Land's End. The new uniform will be designed by the Banana Republic people. At the townhall when all of this was announced (none of this is news), the designers and leadership stated that the plumb hadn't worked, but that gray wasn't Delta either, and the "evolution" (introduce a couple new pieces, sunset a couple old pieces) would be back to Delta's traditional palate of Blue and Red.

reasonable wrote:

Wow...they think "gunmetal gray" is going to really convey that premium vibe.

No, they don't. They think it's going to convey the vibe of: this is what's working for the employees until we take our next step. That's how we got to the gray in the first place.

So they've replaced Zac Posen with.... 'the Banana Republic people"?

With as premium (or premium interpretive) as DL is getting in its lounges and airports, it's an interesting choice to hand over the reins of one of your most customer-centric design elements to a brand that is known for being pretty bland, inoffensive, and colorless.

The Passport Plum color looked great. The designs and fit however were awful — including the male uniforms which looked like something out of Star Trek.

I’m not faulting Zac Posen. The client’s design objectives plus trying to make it work on thousands of employees — some of whom would probably rather wear sweats to work — was probably quite challenging.

The move to Graveyard Gray is even worse and the flight crews look just as drab as they did in the Leo Mullin era gray uniforms.

Gap/Banana Republic designed the uniforms for Virgin America.

Do they actually ask for staff input?

So what was the problem? The color or fabric causing skin irritation? The Plum was Delta trying to be "international", and IMO it worked.

Pilots are losing their double breasted jackets, so there’s that.

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

Pilots are losing their double breasted jackets, so there’s that.

No they aren’t.

United is introducing new uniforms soon as well. They were supposed to introduce the "new" uniform before COVID happen but that got canceled. A new one is currently being worked on and I heard the purple has been dropped completely.

Attempting to be stylish while forgetting classical looks will create a cheap or unprofessional look. Using subdued colors that look stylish is a much better option and one that would make DL staff much happier. When you see crews outside the US, you usually see a much more basic color palette, yet the look seems very professional. Hair and makeup is also more carefully done. I’m not sure what the problem is with the US4 that keeps them from looking just as good.

The purple/gray combo was the ugliest uniform in the sky. The only thing worse was “burgundy & fawn”, if anyone here remembers that bellhop-ish combination from the early 80’s….

US Labor Laws prevent US4 from imposing professional grooming standards. Used to be a Flight Attendant was a very desirable job and airlines wanted to present a professional polished look to the public. It is too bad that many of the good F/A's who took pride in their job left during the pandemic.

New uniforms unfortunately wont do anything so long as appearance standards are so low. Too many employees just look so sloppy, and not sharp and crisp as intended.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of grooming and dress standards with so many looking disheveled. Appearance matters and seeing poorly presented employees reflects poorly on the brand.

I remember when working for a foreign carrier we had daily supervisory verification for all frontline employees ensuring uniforms were worn as intended and everything from nails to hair was within grooming standards.

LAXintl wrote:

New uniforms unfortunately wont do anything so long as appearance standards are so low. Too many employees just look so sloppy, and not sharp and crisp as intended.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of grooming and dress standards with so many looking disheveled. Appearance matters and seeing poorly presented employees reflects poorly on the brand.

I remember when working for a foreign carrier we had daily supervisory verification for all frontline employees ensuring uniforms were worn as intended and everything from nails to hair was within grooming standards.

Legally prohibited.

TonyClifton wrote:

Legally prohibited.

Nothing stops an employer from having and enforcing uniform dress standards.

Look to other industries be it hotels, or high-end retail, and they manage sharp looking customer facing staff.

I'd agree that appearances matter and sadly too many airline employees look as if they just woke up in their clothes.

UPlog wrote:

TonyClifton wrote:

Legally prohibited.

Nothing stops an employer from having and enforcing uniform dress standards.

Look to other industries be it hotels, or high-end retail, and they manage sharp looking customer facing staff.

I'd agree that appearances matter and sadly too many airline employees look as if they just woke up in their clothes.

I would love to see what the people behind these keyboards look like as they are judging these employees.

Not true. Requiring hair styles, nails, properly fitting uniforms, etc…it is legal. Just the same as hospitals can dictate uniforms and standards for doctors and nurses. United pre-merger, at least during the Tilton years, inflight had a class entirely on appearance standards for men and women. After an overview, supervisors walked around the room and called out those style choices, hair lengths for men and woman, nail appearance, dress shoe styles, pantyhose colors, beard styles, etc. that would not be compliant. Once uniforms arrived, we had to be in compliance. On the line, most bases, esp. ORD, had supervisors walking around randomly inspecting and taking names.

Did everyone follow them? No. People got away with it, but many of us followed the rules. And yes, women had to have their hair pinned up and never below their shoulders like foreign carriers. After the merger, UA inflight pretty much became CO w/their lax standards. It’s gross how UA and DL, among others, have crew with loose, uncombed hair serving food and drinks.

I'm on the side of whatever uniforms that the crew likes the most. I could not care less how "stylish" or "well groomed" the staff are. They could all have uncombed hair and be wearing cargo shorts or sweatpants for all I care. My concerns as a passenger with regards to staff are limited entirely to whether they behave professionally and can handle an emergency situation properly (after all, that is the legally-obligated reason they are there). If the new uniforms are more comfortable, better to work in, and appreciated more by the cabin crew then that is best. I don't need anyone to be uncomfortable for some vague notion of my personal aesthetics. I work from home most days, but when I do go into the office I appreciate that the dress/grooming standards are pretty lax and I can be feel comfortable in my working environment.

Even from a selfish pax perspective one should want that, bad uniforms (uncomfortable, etc.) is likely to put the staff in a worse mood and could lead to poorer service. I'm not as good or attentive with my job if I'm uncomfortable, I have to think it is the same with cabin crews.

LAXintl wrote:

New uniforms unfortunately wont do anything so long as appearance standards are so low. Too many employees just look so sloppy, and not sharp and crisp as intended.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of grooming and dress standards with so many looking disheveled. Appearance matters and seeing poorly presented employees reflects poorly on the brand.

I remember when working for a foreign carrier we had daily supervisory verification for all frontline employees ensuring uniforms were worn as intended and everything from nails to hair was within grooming standards.

I flew AA long haul a couple years ago and you are right, all the F/As looked sloppy and the uniforms were anythng but precisely that -- uniform. It was like they all had their own saying on what to wear and how to wear it. Yet, would that stop me from flying on AA again? surely no, as long as issues like price and connections suit my needs. Does crew grooming affect even the high paying customers? or is it such a minor thing like a sharp livery?

AtomicGarden wrote:

I flew AA long haul a couple years ago and you are right, all the F/As looked sloppy and the uniforms were anythng but precisely that -- uniform. It was like they all had their own saying on what to wear and how to wear it. Yet, would that stop me from flying on AA again? surely no, as long as issues like price and connections suit my needs. Does crew grooming affect even the high paying customers? or is it such a minor thing like a sharp livery?

as long as issues like price and connections suit my needs

Crew uniforms and aircraft liveries--two things Anet obsesses over that 95% of the flying public doesn't give a second thought. Unless the crew is obviously unkempt and sloppy or the aircraft has sections of peeling paint, most pax won't notice new vs. old.

The flying public chooses flights based on price, price, price, and occasionally departure time, but usually price.

"Never mistake motion for action."

New uniforms = yawn (to me). The only people that care about uniforms don't really influence very much, and those who do exert influence don't care about uniforms.

readytotaxi wrote:

Do they actually ask for staff input?

There was a voluntary, company selected committee consisting of representatives from the uniform wearing divisions (In Flight, Airport Customer Service, Cargo, and TechOps) that were supposed to help guide the uniform development process. There are some internal rumors that these representatives were used only as a figurehead, and management ignored most, if not all of the recommendations made by this committee.

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been pleasant and/or helpful.

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been rude and/or unhelpful.

I’ve never once noticed, nor cared about, what an FA is wearing or looks like.

The uniform transformation will be evolutionary.
The ‘battleship’ gray will be replaced with a much darker charcoal, almost black.
Purple will eventually be phased out save perhaps a few accent features.
Details still being worked out.
Remember Delta has a 100 year anniversary coming up.

I take “evolutionary” as being inconsistent.

DL, a brand built on consistency, is becoming more and more inconsistent. For years the airline had all sorts of different uniforms. Some wore the Zac Posen and some wore black outfits that didn’t seem to be consistent with each other.

Furthermore, the product is wildly inconsistent right now. Multiple different first class seat products and multiple D1 seat products. Different entertainment products varying by aircraft type. These inconsistencies didn’t exist a decade ago, or at least were less noticeable.

Uniforms aren’t a “huge” deal but it’s evidence of DL’s straying from consistency in favor of trying to please a growing number of parties.

Wednesdayite wrote:

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been pleasant and/or helpful.

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been rude and/or unhelpful.

I’ve never once noticed, nor cared about, what an FA is wearing or looks like.

Oh come on, looks do matter. If the flight attendants look good and put together then the airline feels professional and they're more likely to act that way too.

Why does it feel like Delta has been changing uniforms every year or two though ?

nbc7 wrote:

Wednesdayite wrote:

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been pleasant and/or helpful.

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been rude and/or unhelpful.

I’ve never once noticed, nor cared about, what an FA is wearing or looks like.

Oh come on, looks do matter. If the flight attendants look good and put together then the airline feels professional and they're more likely to act that way too.

emphasis mine

Those arguments lost out in the mid-90s, when people recognized they were outdated. There's no objective proof. Business casual won out. Grumpy old white guys demanding suits in the office are just dinosaurs - and the asteroid already has struck.

There can be uniform standards, yes, but grooming standards can't be rigid in a multi-racial/multi-cultural world.

socalflyer00 wrote:

it’s evidence of DL’s straying from consistency in favor of trying to please a growing number of parties.

I thought that when they rolled out Economy Basic after they rolled out Economy plus,

Andrew

Amen! The male uniforms in light grey, light purple shirt, gold buttons and styling are hideous.

AtomicGarden wrote:

LAXintl wrote:

New uniforms unfortunately wont do anything so long as appearance standards are so low. Too many employees just look so sloppy, and not sharp and crisp as intended.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of grooming and dress standards with so many looking disheveled. Appearance matters and seeing poorly presented employees reflects poorly on the brand.

I remember when working for a foreign carrier we had daily supervisory verification for all frontline employees ensuring uniforms were worn as intended and everything from nails to hair was within grooming standards.

I flew AA long haul a couple years ago and you are right, all the F/As looked sloppy and the uniforms were anythng but precisely that -- uniform. It was like they all had their own saying on what to wear and how to wear it. Yet, would that stop me from flying on AA again? surely no, as long as issues like price and connections suit my needs. Does crew grooming affect even the high paying customers? or is it such a minor thing like a sharp livery?

I mean, I'll settle for them not wearing the trash bags from the plane as ponchos. I've seen that more than once.

Inflight sups used to come to the plane, line all the FAs up and have them show their required items, and would coach on appearance standards. It always seemed a little silly and like a waste of time - like the Assistant Principal scrutinizing the students before they leave for recess.

Delta's the least bad with this problem. I genuinely wonder what they tell the FA trainees at the Charm Farm - they all come off the assembly line perfectly polished, devoid of any signs of humanity. All smiles and waves, like they did not exist before joining Delta. It's chilling.

That reminds me of the late Interflug of the late GDR which introduced new uniforms for their stewardesses right every year after the other.

This link shows some examples from the 1980-ies, just scroll down until you see colour pictures of women.

https://www.interflug.biz/Uniformen.htm

MIflyer12 wrote:

nbc7 wrote:

Wednesdayite wrote:

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been pleasant and/or helpful.

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been rude and/or unhelpful.

I’ve never once noticed, nor cared about, what an FA is wearing or looks like.

Oh come on, looks do matter. If the flight attendants look good and put together then the airline feels professional and they're more likely to act that way too.

emphasis mine

Those arguments lost out in the mid-90s, when people recognized they were outdated. There's no objective proof. Business casual won out. Grumpy old white guys demanding suits in the office are just dinosaurs - and the asteroid already has struck.

There can be uniform standards, yes, but grooming standards can't be rigid in a multi-racial/multi-cultural world.

Unfortunately for many it isn't the personal grooming that is the problem, it is the lack of care put in to maintaining the garments and accessories. It is extremely noticeable on certain garments if you don't spend the right time taking care of them (or even if you forget to hang it up the night before during your layover).

I would rather a larger choice of garments that allows employees more choice to match their style and level of effort than expect everyone to keep their blazer looking proper.

Why don't they just look to their partner Air France whose beautiful Christian Lacroix uniform still looks stylish almost 20 years later.

Delta's look is the least uniform of the US3 despite the notion they are a more "premium" airline than either United and American (they aren't).

The gray is so dull. I also notice flight attendants can really wear whatever they want nowadays like those Croc style rubber slip on shoes, colored eyelashes, men have painted nails and women with the long Kylie Jenner nails... I guess it looks progressive if that's the point of their "uniform" standard. Also, why do they have so many bags? It can't be easy pulling so many bags from plane to plane.

cv5880 wrote:

You would think as brand conscious that DL is that uniforms would match the official colors of Blue and Red. To convey a premium image perhaps a tasteful blues with red trim or reds with blue trim. But gunmetal grey will look like they were ordered off Amazon. I hope Delta does not lose a competitive step recovering from the pandemic. They really need to work on their domestic First Class and make it worth the money. Otherwise Economy Comfort is the better buy for flights under 2 hours. With imagination Delta can become a better premium airline.

I really miss the blue suits with the red tie look (2007). I thought they were classy on the F/As and the purple ones never made much sense in terms of company color pallet and looked really bad on anyone heavy set in terms of body type wearing a dress. The vests and metal wing pins are classy though. I do like AA more these days and their name tags I've always been fond of.

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

Pilots are losing their double breasted jackets, so there’s that.

Would be nice. Always felt like it had a dated, 1920s British Navy look. Nice to see a more modern, functional look.

flyboy80 wrote:

Delta's look is the least uniform of the US3 despite the notion they are a more "premium" airline than either United and American (they aren't).

The gray is so dull. I also notice flight attendants can really wear whatever they want nowadays like those Croc style rubber slip on shoes, colored eyelashes, men have painted nails and women with the long Kylie Jenner nails... I guess it looks progressive if that's the point of their "uniform" standard. Also, why do they have so many bags? It can't be easy pulling so many bags from plane to plane.

Oh come on. Have you seen AA crew walking through the airport? They look like (and probably feel like) janitors

LAXintl wrote:

New uniforms unfortunately wont do anything so long as appearance standards are so low. Too many employees just look so sloppy, and not sharp and crisp as intended.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of grooming and dress standards with so many looking disheveled. Appearance matters and seeing poorly presented employees reflects poorly on the brand.

I remember when working for a foreign carrier we had daily supervisory verification for all frontline employees ensuring uniforms were worn as intended and everything from nails to hair was within grooming standards.

Agree 100% . Thank God my father always insisted I tuck my shirt in and return from school with my tie still around my neck and not my forehead. And none of this Charlie Chaplin style with your pants! I think that in general, Americans have lost pride in their jobs. In Lat Am, even the employees at McD's are proud of their uniforms and their jobs (regardless of salary)

nbc7 wrote:

Wednesdayite wrote:

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been pleasant and/or helpful.

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been rude and/or unhelpful.

I’ve never once noticed, nor cared about, what an FA is wearing or looks like.

Oh come on, looks do matter. If the flight attendants look good and put together then the airline feels professional and they're more likely to act that way too.

Why does it feel like Delta has been changing uniforms every year or two though ?

Totally agree

fastmover wrote:

nbc7 wrote:

Wednesdayite wrote:

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been pleasant and/or helpful.

I’ve noticed and cared when FA’s have been rude and/or unhelpful.

I’ve never once noticed, nor cared about, what an FA is wearing or looks like.

Oh come on, looks do matter. If the flight attendants look good and put together then the airline feels professional and they're more likely to act that way too.

Why does it feel like Delta has been changing uniforms every year or two though ?

Totally agree

Don’t forget DL and others US carriers operate in a global market, unfortunately US carriers are the standout for lack of grooming at it impacts their brand reputation internationally. Americans may not universally care about appearance of crew - but the Asian, Middle Eastern markets do.

I think a happy medium can be found, no one is suggesting returning to weighing crew, age limits, or sexy outfits. And cultural and gender advancements can be accommodated, whilst being neat and professional. Professional and neat does not mean up tight, or uncomfortable. Front line staff are representing themselves, and the brand - it’s a balance and this may mean clothing and grooming choices one wouldn’t wear outside the workplace.

I could care less about the colors or style of clothing that the cabin crew wears! Heck, half the passengers are wearing sweats! I'd rather see Delta put some effort into a new and exciting livery!!

I work for a fortune 500 company and in the 1990's we changed from business formal to sharp business casual and individuals maintained professional grooming standards. Things went downhill when the dress code was changed again a few years ago to allow jeans and t-shirts in the office unless meeting an outside contact. This clothing change seems to have led to sloppy dressing a less professional atmosphere. Same thing with US carriers flight attendants. I would think Delta would want their front line staff (especially international) to look sharp and professional. Heck ask Air France and ITA for uniform and grooming tips. Have some pride in your job and company.

argentinevol98 wrote:

I'm on the side of whatever uniforms that the crew likes the most. I could not care less how "stylish" or "well groomed" the staff are. They could all have uncombed hair and be wearing cargo shorts or sweatpants for all I care. My concerns as a passenger with regards to staff are limited entirely to whether they behave professionally and can handle an emergency situation properly (after all, that is the legally-obligated reason they are there). If the new uniforms are more comfortable, better to work in, and appreciated more by the cabin crew then that is best. I don't need anyone to be uncomfortable for some vague notion of my personal aesthetics. I work from home most days, but when I do go into the office I appreciate that the dress/grooming standards are pretty lax and I can be feel comfortable in my working environment.

Even from a selfish pax perspective one should want that, bad uniforms (uncomfortable, etc.) is likely to put the staff in a worse mood and could lead to poorer service. I'm not as good or attentive with my job if I'm uncomfortable, I have to think it is the same with cabin crews.

I wholeheartedly agree. I’m most definitely not one of the “good ole days” people. As long as the service is friendly, efficient and safe I don’t even notice the uniform. At my previous job I was required to wear a suit for absolutely no reason other than because “it looked professional” (mind you it was an office job where we never saw clients nor closed deals). I’m happy I bounced for a job with a flexible schedule and no strict dress code. My cardiologist is also a jeans at work kind of guy and I’d call him extremely professional and confidence inducing.

gatibosgru wrote:

argentinevol98 wrote:

I'm on the side of whatever uniforms that the crew likes the most. I could not care less how "stylish" or "well groomed" the staff are. They could all have uncombed hair and be wearing cargo shorts or sweatpants for all I care. My concerns as a passenger with regards to staff are limited entirely to whether they behave professionally and can handle an emergency situation properly (after all, that is the legally-obligated reason they are there). If the new uniforms are more comfortable, better to work in, and appreciated more by the cabin crew then that is best. I don't need anyone to be uncomfortable for some vague notion of my personal aesthetics. I work from home most days, but when I do go into the office I appreciate that the dress/grooming standards are pretty lax and I can be feel comfortable in my working environment.

Even from a selfish pax perspective one should want that, bad uniforms (uncomfortable, etc.) is likely to put the staff in a worse mood and could lead to poorer service. I'm not as good or attentive with my job if I'm uncomfortable, I have to think it is the same with cabin crews.

I wholeheartedly agree. I’m most definitely not one of the “good ole days” people. As long as the service is friendly, efficient and safe I don’t even notice the uniform. At my previous job I was required to wear a suit for absolutely no reason other than because “it looked professional” (mind you it was an office job where we never saw clients nor closed deals). I’m happy I bounced for a job with a flexible schedule and no strict dress code. My cardiologist is also a jeans at work kind of guy and I’d call him extremely professional and confidence inducing.

But I bet your cardiologist has his hair styled, and if not cleanly shaven, has a neat beard/stubble?

The issue isn’t the clothing, it’s presentation- if your cardiologist had shirt and pants that didn’t fit, rolled out of bed hair, and no attempt and beard Maintance - would you be equally confident in his ability to by hygienic in surgery, or his abilities?

If crew don’t have the energy and effort to do the bare minimum ( and I literally mean minimum hair, and uniform fit, which is missed) I don’t have confidence in their effort for preflight checks, nor the effort looking after their pax.

B6SpiritofEWR wrote:

UPlog wrote:

TonyClifton wrote:

Legally prohibited.

Nothing stops an employer from having and enforcing uniform dress standards.

Look to other industries be it hotels, or high-end retail, and they manage sharp looking customer facing staff.

I'd agree that appearances matter and sadly too many airline employees look as if they just woke up in their clothes.

I would love to see what the people behind these keyboards look like as they are judging these employees.

Oh, I'm super model good looking... I can assure you.
Joke aside, I really appreciate it when folks give attention to their appearance. Might seem shallow/superficial, but it inspires a level of confidence because I conclude that perhaps this person cares about details. Am I wrong about that sometimes? yup... But I still appreciate folks making the effort.