The story of Braniff Airlines’ rise in the mid-’60s is like Mad Men in the skies, a heady mix of sleek design, romance and commerce that is begging for someone to turn it into a Netflix series. The Dallas-based airlines’ “End of the Plain Plane” campaign launched in 1965 and became the stuff of advertising lore, with candy-colored planes and “space-age” flight attendant dresses so groovy they got their own line of Barbie dolls.
The dresses came courtesy of Italian designer Emilio Pucci, whose vibrant, eye-catching patterns captured the go-go spirit of the times. Pucci was a favorite of Marilyn Monroe’s; his Braniff work could be considered the aviation industry’s first high-profile fashion collab. (Later, in the ’70s, a more muted wrap-style uniform was designed by Halston.) Braniff folded in the early ’80s, but its legend lives on, including at the Braniff Gallery inside the Frontiers of Flight Museum near Love Field, where several original uniforms are on display.
Braniff Pucci-design throw pillows recall the high-flying days of the defunct Dallas airline.
courtesy Braniff Boutique
There is also the online Braniff Boutique, where the company (now called Braniff Airways, Incorporated) keeps high-flying memories afloat. The retail site, which donates part of the proceeds to Braniff preservation projects, features standard nostalgia fare like playing cards and T-shirts and ceramic mugs, but this being Braniff, a few items are wilder. The Pucci throw pillows caught my eye, a lush swirl of purple and green (starting at $57.95), but who could resist the Pucci underpants? They’re available for men and women (starting at $35.95) in a color wheel of hues and psychedelic patterns. Brings to mind another of the airline’s classic ad campaigns: “When you got it — flaunt it.”
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