0 The Bevelled Pageant Pose Minute: Victoria Beckham in China

La Victoria Has Landed!

A Girl and a Car: Victoria Beckham unveils the new "baby" Range Rover Evoque, which she helped design, Beijing China

This past week, Posh Spice aka Victoria Beckham flew to China to promote the new limited edition "baby" Range Rover Evoque which she co-designed. At over $100,000 price tag, it is aimed at the new growing number of well-heeled Chinese clients--where it will be sold first. In addition to showing off her new car design, she is also in China to showcase her collection. Now, before we get to the fashion, Mrs. Beckham had barely landed in Beijing and she was already deep in controversy: she tweeted a cute photo of herself with a Cathay Pacific Flight Attendant pretending to make an announcement.

Please put back your seat trays, adjust your seats, and buckle up! Victoria Beckham and Cathay Pacific flight attendant

Wearing oversized sunglasses and one of her own peach-colored dress designs (very "Flight Attendant Retro" BTW!), Victoria was sitting in the jump seat next to the air hostess, she held the phone to her ear and captioned the pic with "Cabin Crew prepare for landing! Welcome to Beijing!" So cute. Or one would think. That is sooo something I would do!! However after she landed, Cathay Pacific was not amused. An airline spokeswoman said the stunt was harmless but "inappropriate". The photo was not taken at any critical stage of the flight, such as take-off or landing, she added "The passenger only posed for the picture. No public announcement was made" the spokeswoman said "It was inappropriate as ... the crew seats are only for the cabin crew and passengers should not be allowed to touch any of the aircraft equipment". Ooops.

But that was several days ago--let's get to Miss Posh, her fashion, and THAT Bevelled Pageant Pose of hers:

  

Fitted and Bevelled: Victoria Beckham strikes THE SAME fab pose during her "Auto-and-Fashion Line Promotion Tour" in China

At all her appearances, naturally, Victoria Beckham has been  WORKING her clothing line OVERTIME, looking quite sleek and chic, favoring figure-hugging below-the-knee dresses, paired with stacked peep-toe pumps or knee high peep-toe boots. J'adore the fact that IN EVERY POSE, she does the same look!!! 

In the industry, we call this the "Bevelled Pageant Pose"--exemplified by Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2010 above during the Miss Universe 2010 National Costume Parade. Either some former "Miss World" taught her right or she's been getting lessons from FABULOUS Drag Queens!

 

Here is Victoria flanked by some UBER tall Chinese models, while showing her line. Notice the dress style at the far right, it's the same one--different color way--as the her "Cathay Pacific First Class Travel ensemble" in the top of this post.

After Beijing, Victoria then flew to Hong Kong to make some in-store appearances, promoting her line. At the Joyce event, she wore one of her Fall 2012 red with black bands fitted dresses with a V-neckline. And guess who also traveled with her during this trip to China? Her ever-so-cute baby daughter Harper:

Harper is already racking up more Frequent Flyer Miles than some people receive in ten years! And yes, how long will it take until little Miss Harper will make Suri Cruise look like "Child Chopped Liver"? I give it a year! Happy Fashionable Auto-and-Fashion Tour of China Mrs. Beckham!!! Keep them poses comin'!!! Which is your favorite look on Victoria so far?

0 Flight Attendant Love: "Pan Am" Homage--My First Style Muses & my "Connection": UPDATED!

Pan Am Fab!

Ready to Board: ABC's "Pan Am" television series cast

You might have noticed by now (from all those commercials and ads) that a new television series, called "Pan Am" is debuting tonight on ABC. Well, being a person who:
A) Loves flying
B) Was barely 2 months old when I flew my first of many Pan Am flights
C) And who LOVES those Old-School Flight Attendant Uniforms (those Pan Am stewardess of the late 70's/early 80's where my first "Style Muses")

you know I am excited to watch!

The series stars Christina Ricci (above), Kelly Garner, Michael Mosley, Mike Vogel, Karine Vanasse, and Margot Robbie. It focuses around the pilots and flight attendants (then called stewardesses) who worked for that iconic airline, Pan Am during 1963.

A Little History:

Pan Am was founded in 1927 by Juan Terry Trippe as a US-Cuba mail service. And by 1950, when it changed its name to Pan American World Airways, it began the first concept of "economy class" (until then, it was all First Class) and was operating routes all over the world.

In 1958, it brought in the beginning of the "jet age" with its Boeing 707 (above) and the first transatlantic jet service New York to Paris. Of course, this also began the era of the Glamorous and very Fabulous Pan Am Stewardesses. As the new ABC series showed, they lived the life!

Back in the day, it was a much sought after job: The chic uniform, white gloves and pill box hat; the traveling around the world--one day Paris, the next London, the next Beirut! And not to mention, a potential escapade with a traveling diplomat or who-knows-who. They were the "Supermodels" of that era. Little girls wanted to be them and certain little boys who would later be inspired by them (Me!!).

Coffee and Cocktails: Pan Am First Class "lounge", Boeing 707, early 1960's

Caviar and China: Pan Am First Class Service, Boeing 707, early 1960's

Also, traveling was, well, much more of a special experience, as seen from the photos above. Economy Class was much nicer than what it is today (they actually served food!) and the First Class section of that Boeing 707 even had a mini-lounge where passengers could socialize, get their aperitifs or post-dinner coffee.

And yes, can I just say how much I LOVED those uniforms they wore! So fabulous. The light blue Pan Am fitted suit, "glove-length" sleeves, Revere-collar jackets, "respectable" below-the-knee pencil skirts. And THOSE hats: My favorite, I admit is the late 70's/early 80's Bowler style (on the left photo and on the Pan Am flight attendants below)...

Since of course, that's the one I remember. I long for those days of Flight Attendant Uniforms.

Maybe that's why I LOVE those Asiana Airlines (above) and Korean Air flight attendants--their uniforms are so "retro"...

My Connection to Pan Am:

As I said above, I first flew on a Pan Am jet when I was about 2 months old--or so I am told by my mom and dad. I was born in St. Louis, Missouri (because my father was also born there and he wanted his first born to be born in his hometown) but yet, as soon as I was able to leave, I was put on a plane (with my mommie, of course) to fly all the way to my mom's birthplace, Panama so her family could meet her new son! And then, it was off to Caracas Venezuela (all on Pan Am of course!), where my father had gotten a position in the US Embassy. My mom just told me the story that on that Pan Am jet I first flew in (St. Louis to Panama City Panama), her and I flew First Class (very flossy-flossy!) and they actually had a crib (in First Class) for me to sleep in!

Mr. and Mrs. Verreos: My Mom and Dad, early 1960's

Also, several years before my mom married my father and became a "Diplomat's Wife", she almost became a Pan Am Stewardess. Back in the late 1950's, Pan Am went to Panama to recruit some of the first Spanish-speaking flight attendants for their upcoming jet services to Latin America. My mom--who attended an American University and was bilingual in Spanish and English, went to apply, along with some of her girlfriends. She was picked:

Panama's Top Pan Am Stewardess Are: Panamanian President Ernesto de la Guardia invites the first bilingual Panamanian girls to be Pan Am Stewardesses (My mother, Raquel, is to the right of the President in the flower-print dress)

She was then flown to Miami for health tests and training. And guess what happened: She failed the health exam because she didn't have 20/20 vision. So, she returned back to Panama. Imagine if she would have gotten the position, she would have probably not ever met my father and well, I would have not been born...Thank You Pan Am!

Click Below to see a Video from Pan Am "Introduction to the Jet Age", late 1950's:

0 Nick Verreos Fashion Muse # 101: Asian Airline Flight Attendants: FABULOUS!!!

Airport Fashion Show
Welcome Aboard: Korean Air Divas, in the exact uniforms I witnessed at Sea-Tac Airport

As some of you know, one of the first things that inspired my early love of fashion and fashion design, strangely enough, were 1970's flight attendants from airlines like Pan Am and TWA while flying with my family. With that being said...I just returned from Seattle where I shot four segments for Special K and MSN The Victory Project. While standing at a LONG and painstaking security line at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport/Sea-Tac--one of the worst in the nation--a breath of fresh air glided through and I almost heard angels sing: Approximately 20 absolutely doll-like flight attendants, all decked in the most perfectly pressed baby-blue and ivory uniforms, matching chignons with... An accompanying looped ribbon hair "accessory" walked by us through the "special security line". I literally dropped my carry-on and PUSHED David, my traveling partner a la Elaine from Jerry Seinfeld. They were all flight attendants from Korean Air getting ready for a Seoul-bound flight.Then before I could even mutter "You Go Girl!", another group of 20 flight attendants sashayed by. This time in very retro-looking chocolate brown uniforms featuring second-skin fitted jackets, knee-length 4" heels and (wait for it!) pill box hats! They looked like Pan Am flight attendants from 1972!!!

This second group of flight attendant DIVAS were from Asiana Airlines, another South Korea-based carrier. The Asiana flight attendants then proceeded with almost military-like precision and ease, to take off their shoes, scarves, hats and fitted jackets, revealing...A diagonal striped mock-turtleneck 3/4 sleeved top with a back invisible zipper and gold buckle closure. Yes, I was watching them like a fashion-hawk; I didn't miss a thing!Funny enough, the current Asiana Airlines Flight Attendant uniform looks very much like... This uniform from Delta Airlines circa 1958! Retro indeed.

It was all too much Flight Attendant Eye Candy for one fashion designer to take! Under other circumstances, in my Zara trench coat, Marc Jocobs tie, dress shirt and Hounds-tooth pants, I would be "well-dressed" for US airport standards--but darling, I felt cheap and inadequate standing next to these flawlessly dressed creatures! Also, if I was a US-based Airline flight attendant within a ten foot radius of these ladies, I would have run and hid my elastic-waist pleated polyester trousers in the bathroom until the airport fashion show was over.

Here are some more Asian-based Flight Attendant Uniform "Honorable Mentions" which I did not see (but can't wait to catch a glimpse of) while at Sea-Tac Airport: The iconic "Singapore Girl" from Singapore Airlines and their printed ankle-length skirts and scooped-neck tunics. And, how about... The Thai Airways flight attendants and their silk shantung floor-length violet "gowns" with matching fitted jacket and gold sash. What happens in an emergency landing (God forbid) when you are wearing these gowns and dresses? Is there Velcro on the skirt and stretch hot pants underneath? Finally, I love...The China Southern Airlines Flight Attendant Uniform of red and white suits and the accompanying mini-pill box hat and silk printed scarf

I have never flown any of these airlines but trust me, the day I do, you might have to physically restrain me from the uncontrollable emotion I will shower them and their uniforms. What makes these Asian Airline Carriers want their flight attendants to look so chic and "retro" as opposed to their American counterparts? I'm sure there are many reasons, but, I for one would love to see all the US carrier flight attendants look like this! It might make flying just a little bit nicer. Until next time: Safe flying kiddies and I'll be on the look-out for some more fabulous international flight attendant uniforms!