Karl Hab is a renowned photographer and certified aeronautics engineer based in France, infamous for globetrotting and capturing international street style. One would struggle to imagine a project that more cohesively melds his interests than his newest release, 24H Air France—a glossy photo book that fuses aviation and fashion in its documentation of flight attendants’ fashion aboard an Air France aircraft. To commemorate the airline’s 90th anniversary, Air France gave Hab carte blanche to highlight whatever he found most striking about its presence throughout the decades. What followed was a union of the nostalgic and the modern.
© Karl Hab, Production Studio Palatin.
There are dark, warm photos of sunlight spilling into otherwise unlit cabins and mid-motion shots of planes just lifting their wheels off the runway against a pitch-black night. Mostly, though, this is a book that honors the archival designer looks that have outfitted flight attendants of generations past; Dior, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci, and Christian Lacroix are among the distinguished fashion houses in question.
In 24H Air France, flight attendants are seen wearing highly tailored dresses and skirt sets which are timelessly graceful but indicative of a more modest time. There are white gloves and pale blue caps, red and blue houndstooth skirts that fall to the knee. It’s a fitting commemoration of the airline’s anniversary, juxtaposing ultra-modern aircraft settings with uniforms that feel straight out of Mad Men.
© Karl Hab, Production Studio Palatin.
24H Air France is the newest installment of Hab’s travel book series, following 24H Los Angeles (2016), 24H Hong Kong (2018), and 24H Paris (2022). The book is available for purchase here.
© Karl Hab, Production Studio Palatin.
