THE JOURNAL
Mr Marlon Brando, Paris Orly, 1959. Photograph by Mr Roger Viollet via Getty Images, courtesy of Rizzoli
If you can cast your mind back to the last time you boarded a plane (don’t worry, we can wait), it probably wasn’t actually all that pleasant. The 0.01 per cent of us who can glide through a private airport to a private jet aside, being packed into a relatively small space that hurtles through the sky at high-speeds is more like a stuffy, smelly endurance test: how long can you keep your cool before you lose it at the small child repeatedly kicking your seat?
Nowadays (or, at least, in the near past), air travel is the necessary evil we must endure before we can begin our well-deserved summer breaks. But it wasn’t always so. In the 1960s and 1970s – otherwise known as the golden jet age – flying was a decadent and downright luxurious experience. To remind us of that fact is new tome by Ms Jodi Peckman, which aims to showcase the era in all its champagne-soaked glory.
A former picture editor at Rolling Stone magazine, Peckman has long been fascinated by snaps of celebrities arriving at or departing from airport terminals, which fill the bulk of the book’s pages. “My interest in these kinds of images started with a photo of Paul and Linda McCartney arriving at the airport in the early 1970s,” she writes in the preface. “I loved everything about it. A look at a famous family in such a public space, they seem so natural. They are not posing, they don’t look overly self-conscious, and their style is fabulous.”
Indeed, the subjects’ sense and sophistication of style is the most striking thing while flicking through these images. When you usually take off clad in your slouchiest sweats and comfiest slip-on shoes, it’s hard not to marvel at the effort these famous sunglass-obscured faces put in with their on-board outfits. Here are just five first-class examples.
01.
Mr Muhammad Ali
Mr Muhammad Ali, London Heathrow, 1967. Photograph by Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy, courtesy of Rizzoli
Long before Mr Barack Obama set the precedent, here’s Mr Muhammad Ali cutting a dash in a summery tan two-piece suit. From the repp tie to the slim briefcase and polished patent Oxfords, this a faultless look. Proper tailoring is a hallmark of the golden age of jet-setting style – a fact you’ll come to realise as you get further down this list. Make a note for next time you fly solo: dressing well is the most dependable way we can think of to bag yourself a free upgrade.
Get the look
02.
Sir Mick Jagger
Sir Mick Jagger and Ms Marianne Faithfull, London City, 1969. Photograph by Mr William Lovelace/Stringer, courtesy of Rizzoli
Checking in in a checked suit? Why not. If we had to hazard a guess, this checkerboard creation looks like it was made by Mr Tommy Nutter, the doyen of Savile Row who opened his shop the same year this snap was taken at London City Airport, and who went on to tailor the iconic three-piece suit Sir Mick wore to his Saint-Tropez wedding. It’s also, evidently, a chillier day in London Town than the one Mr Muhammad Ali visited: hence the nonchalantly draped trench coat about his shoulders. No wonder the background onlookers are gazing at him and his equally well-dressed companion Ms Marianne Faithfull, in awe.
Get the look
03.
Mr Paul Newman
Mr Paul Newman, London Heathrow, 1977. Photograph by AP Photo, courtesy of Rizzoli
If your first thought when glancing at this picture was “why the hell is Mr Paul Newman toting around that frankly enormous box?”, we’re right there with you. But our attentions were quickly diverted to more pressing sartorial matters. The pinstriped tailored trousers as well as the snug-looking rollneck sweater, are certainly worthy of note, but its undoubtedly the bold blackout sunglasses that steal the show here. Like his co-star (and fellow style deity) Mr Steve McQueen, Newman nurtured a passion for racing and, it seems, aviators.
Get the look
04.
Mr Marlon Brando
Mr Marlon Brando, Paris Orly, 1959. Photograph by Mr Roger Viollet via Getty Images, courtesy of Rizzoli
Could Air France ask for a better poster boy than Mr Marlon Brando? The godfather of rebellious style (he notoriously popularised the leather biker jacket after his turn in 1953’s The Wild One), this look is smart but still subtly subversive. The slightly dishevelled suit, buttoned atop a shawl-collared knit, plus the trench casually draped over one arm equals one hell of a look. It might also be the first and last time anyone has managed to make airline swag appear chic, too.
Get the look
05.
Prince
Prince, London Heathrow, 1989. Photograph by Mr David Parker/Alamy, courtesy of Rizzoli
Ding, ding. If this was a competition, we’d have a winner. And it would always be the artist formerly known as Prince, pictured here when he was just plain-old Prince, FYI. Striding confidently, almost bullishly, through London Heathrow’s carpeted terminal in his wide-shouldered, razor-like peak-lapelled windowpane double-breasted suit with a dark shirt and sunglasses to match, he looks untouchable, not least because he’s gloved his hands to avoid any and all contact with the outside world. It goes without saying, don’t even bother trying this at home. We lesser mortals are not his equal.
