CATHAY Pacific's uniforms have traditionally followed - if not led - contemporary fashion trends. From the functional, military-style outfits of the post-war years to the Parisian haute couture of Nina Ricci's designs for the 1990s, the airline's staff have always been in tune with the times. On March 16, Cathay takes a look at these fashions when it stages its ''Walking on Air'' shows in Pacific Place.
The 35-minute historical fashion show - at 1.30 pm and 6 pm - will be part of a ''Spring is in the Air'' promotion, in which top fashion houses will display their latest spring-summer merchandise.
The Cathay show includes a history of the airline from its beginnings in 1946 to international status in the 1990s.
There have been eight different uniforms, each reflecting the fashion trends of the era; from the stylish and formal blue dresses of 1946 to the racy, red mini-skirts of the 1960s.
Pierre Balmain was the first fashion designer enlisted by the company. In 1975 he came up with the tung hoi, or ''eastern seas'', uniform with an orange flowery pattern.
Hermes then designed the red and blue uniform of the 1980s, which was replaced by the distinctive Nina Ricci uniforms, to much international acclaim.