Kerre Woodham: Humble pie over hostess outfits

I was flying from Wellington to Auckland this week and one of the flight attendants was test driving a prototype of the latest Trelise-designed, Air New Zealand uniform.

The uniforms will become standard next year to coincide with the introduction of the new fleet of Boeing 777-330s. And very fetching Shonagh looked, too.

I owe Air New Zealand - and Trelise Cooper - an apology. When the first photos of the uniforms were released, I was appalled.

The last thing I wanted to see on an early morning flight was a plane full of hosties dressed in fluoro pink splashed with psychedelic approximations of Maori art.

But, in reality, the dresses are lovely. Colourful without being clownlike. Fun but not fluoro. Flattering and feminine with a real eye for detail.

The linings of the coats have Kiwiana motifs - among them the old-fashioned 10 cent pieces, L&P bottles and a more topical exhortation to "always blow on the pie".

Best of all, according to Shonagh, the uniforms are easy to work in, they're suitable for all body shapes and they're wash and wear. Having seen the new uniform, I like it.

And I'll try not to jump to quick judgments next time. Although as a talkback host and columnist, that's going to be a challenge.