Stewardess: Come Fly with Me!

by Elissa Stein

Stewardess is a high-flying visual celebration of the era when air travel was chic and stewardesses were glamorous, gracious symbols of the international jet set. Taking off with an insightful introduction tracing the history of the air hostess, this stylish book is packed with gorgeous vintage photographs, training and in-flight materials, ads, and stewardess ephemera, plus snapshots and reminiscences from stewardesses themselves. A fun and fashionable fight for travelers without having to check your bags Stewardess pays fitting tribute to being able to maintain perfect poise at 30,000 feet. Welcome aboard.

Genres: Pop Culture

112 pages, Hardcover

First published July 20, 2006

About the author

ELISSA STEIN’S most current book is FLOW: the Cultural Story of Menstruation. She lived her publishing dream-come-true night with a launch party at Rizzoli's on 57th Street that The New Yorker wrote about the next day. Previous projects include NYC adventures with kids, interactive thank you notes, and labor support for parents-to-be, along with visual histories of iconic pop culture—two of which were featured in Entertainment Weekly’s Must Have list. In addition to writing, she runs her own graphic design business. To balance the above, she practices yoga, knits with enthusiasm, and shops for vintage coats on ebay. She lives in New York City with her husband Jon and their two children.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did they have to wear those uniforms? This book looks at the social expectations of consumers and (in particular) the expectation men had of what a stewardess should 'look like.' This is another example of how we 'project' images of femininity onto women: men have been doing this for so long that I can understand why women are tired of it.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all retro/classic things. This book has mostly pictures of old airlines, stewardess, and ads. Two enthusiastic thumbs up, fine holiday fun.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elissa Stein knows how to capture what we all want to know and aren't sure we can live without knowing! Her books are adorable, I just wish they could be about three times longer.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a wonderful fashion book of what airline stewardesses wore........mostly a picture book, very nostalgic....reminds me of what i remember flight travel to be like as a girl.......lots of commercials and ads in the book, and what attendants/ stewardesses said and say on flights.....oh the glamour and promise of an exciting lifestyle.....