Aviator style from 'Amelia' lands on runways, too

NEW YORK — Before they became staples of the runway, bomber jackets, flight suits and protective aviator sunglasses were born in the cockpit of an early — and cold — airplane.

They were necessary in drafty flying machines with metal doors that were a struggle just to keep closed. But as aviation pioneers such as Amelia Earhart brought their style around the world, they sparked fashion trends that have been with us ever since.

The leather bomber jacket shown in the new Earhart biopic "Amelia" starring Hilary Swank marries function and style in a way that finicky fashion has embraced through the years, says Franco DiCarlo, executive vice president of Belstaff USA, the brand that collaborated with the filmmakers on key wardrobe pieces.

"A lot of the aviator jackets are timeless in style and they perform under a great variety of weather. ... They say fashion is cyclical, but this is timeless," he says.

But when the styles landed in the 1920s and '30s, it was uncharted territory, allowing for a woman like Earhart to help craft the image and vocabulary of a flyer's style, says "Amelia" costume designer Kasia Walicka Maimone.

"The whole history of aviation was really being invented and part of that was inventing the new language," she says.

At first pilots borrowed silhouettes from horseback riders, race-car drivers and motorcyclists, later adapting jodhpurs, goggles and the zip-front leather jackets, among other items.

Early on, Earhart wore these things, too, but she had a lifelong interest in fashion so many of the more stylish, more feminine adaptations came from her. At one point, she had her own clothing line — a second career to support her flying.

"She wore clothes with a natural ease and elegance," says Maimone. "I did love her evening gowns as much as I loved the flightwear. I loved the combination of the super practical flight clothing and the elegance of the eveningwear. I loved that it was one closet for the same person."

The movie's director, Mira Nair, says time, effort and money went into capturing the right visuals of Earhart's time. "We wanted to make the costumes seems as modern as they were then. ... We didn't want it to look like a 'costume movie.' We wanted wearable, practical clothes with great style."

She was a fan of a white silk charmeuse tank top and winter-white trousers Swank wore, as well as an open-back, pewter-colored gown. "So often I moved the camera to shoot the dress and the plane. The plane was horizontal but I wanted to show off the full figure of Amelia because there's such enjoyment of her silhouette."