SIA stewardesses can finally save on their pedicure bills, now that their footwear will show no more toes in an upcoming phase-out of the beloved sandals
The much beloved open-toe sandals of the original SIA uniform
They’ve exposed their toes to the flying world close to half a century. In less than three months, they shall no longer have to. Venerable Singapore Airlines will be giving their famed flight attendants toe boxes for their feet. The new shoes will totally replace those recognisable skimpy, double, cross-strapped sandals. When shod in the new footwear, Singapore Girls’ signature red-lacquered toenails would no longer be required. In all likelihood, even a pedicure would be optional. The shoes would be introduced following “a review to enhance safety, comfort and support, while meeting operational requirements,” according to The Straits Times, quoting an SIA spokesperson. The signature slides with batik accents were brought to public attention in 1974, alongside the kebaya-uniform, both designed by the house of Balmain. It is not clear what took the airline this long.
According to ST, toe-shielding shoes were, in fact, rolled out in 2001. Few passengers were aware of them since it is unlikely that they would visually venture so far south. That change was also facilitated by Balmain, ostensibly without the input of Olivier Rousteing. In the latest exercise, 21-year-old Singaporean women’s shoe brand Pazzion was roped in to give the more covered-up version a makeover. Prior to the current refresh, the shoes were slingbacks, but now, as seen in images shared by Lianhe Zaobao, they are modestly high, incredibly un-sexy, wedged pumps. The topline appears relatively high—much like the current slingbacks—presumably to better conceal toe cleavage. Paired with a rounded, widened toe box, the design appears engineered to sustain a distinctly conservative profile. It is reassuring to know that somewhere in a corporate boardroom the podiatric aesthetic of the librarian is having a very good year.
The current closed-toe slingbacks of the SIA female crew’s uniform
It is common knowledge to those who have friends or sisters working as SIA flight attendants that the female crew perform a shoe swap when they leave the aircraft. But unlike other airlines, Singapore Girls do not change into what is commonly known as “concourse courts”. Rather, they slip into airy, almost topless footwear. Recently, while exiting the arrival hall of T2, we spoke to a uniformed Japanese Singapore Girl returning from Osaka, who was shod in the recognisable sandals. We asked her about the upcoming new footwear and how she felt in her sandaru. She said she prefers the open-toe as “they are more comfortable”, but only wears them outside the aircraft since female flight attendants are required to be in the “safety shoes” when onboard. She said, “I have them”, immediately reaching into her duffel bag to pull them out, but we stopped her, saying we already knew how frumpy they look. She giggled. We asked her if she was looking forward to the new shoes. She giggled some more.
As reported by ST, from January 2027, the crew will only be required to wear a single pair of the new wedged courts for all phases of all flights. SIA did not say if an encased shoe can survive a long-haul flight, or if it will simply serve as a holding cell for swollen feet. It is not clear either if SIA truly needed to fix something that has managed to remain gloriously unbroken for decades. If seat pockets can stay torn, surely sturdy sandal straps need not be replaced. One regular SQ passenger told us that it does not bother him that the Singapore Girl will be wearing new shoes with substantial cover. “Whatever shoe they wear oso can,” he said confidently. “SIA girls, hor, will always have a very nice walk. Okay, sexy lah, even when the service is short, like flying to Penang. No matter how rushed they are, they will always look so nice and relaxed. Once you see them, all flight stress will be gone.” Or perhaps it has everything to do with the simple salvation of well-ventilated footwear.
Photos: Jim Sim
