High (altitude) Fashion

These days every celebrity is a fashion designer.

Gwen Stefani. Justin Timberlake. Mary-Kate and Ashley. John Malkovich.

But you may not know that the first celebrity fashion designer was not a musician or a movie star.

It was Amelia Earhart.



In the 1930s, Amelia Earhart was the most famous woman in the world. She was the first female pilot to soar across the ocean. She was a best-selling author. She was a pretty face. She was an adventurer. She was a fashion designer.





Growing up in Kansas, Amelia was an avid seamstress. As a child, she created elaborate gowns for her dolls. As a teenager, she kept up with the latest fashion trends by sewing her own clothes.



As a pilot, she designed both a jumpsuit she could wear comfortably in the cockpit and a flysuit allowing maneuverability.



Today, we associate Amelia's style with that bad ass leather bomber jacket, aviator sun glasses, and cream-colored scarf. But that look was actually only a taste of it.



Tall, thin, and gorgeous, Amelia was very fashion-conscious. She wore stylish suits and dresses that always garnered her attention in the pages of Vogue and Cosmo.





Despite her insanely busy schedule, Amelia started her own clothing line in 1934, using her very own sewing machine and original designs. Her collection included dresses, pantsuits, blouses, and hats.



Since her line was coming out in the midst of the Great Depression, Amelia made sure her clothing, featured in Macy department stores, was affordable. She used fabrics that were easily washable and durable. Her designs were also available as inexpensive sewing patterns for women suffering from the recession.



Unfortunately, despite her mega-fame, Amelia's clothing line did not catch on with the public. Even though her prices were low, women in the United States simply did not have money to waste on fashion while their husbands were unemployed during the Great Depression.


(one of the last surviving dresses from the collection)

Although Amelia disappeared in the sky forever in 1937, her influence in fashion still lives on today.

Aviator jackets continue to go in and out of style. Her elegant pantsuit look will always remain popular.



Did you know about Amelia Earhart's fashion line before this post? What do you think of her style?