"Gossamer glamour?" "Shimmering shepherdesses?"

Air India may no longer require women flight attendants to be compulsorily dressed in saris. In April this year, the airline debuted new uniforms, allowing female women crew to choose from the traditional bright yellow sari with a red border, a long black jacket with trousers, and a yellow kurta with black trousers.

But there was a time when the trademark sari wowed everyone. In this footage from the British Pathé archive, two Indian Air India flight attendants can be seen dressed in the newly designed sari introduced as their uniform in, hold your breath, 1962. “This is the latest design adopted by Air India for their stewardesses who fly around the world,” announces the voiceover.