GALLERY: Virgin Australia's new uniforms

Virgin Blue (since this article was first written, the airline has rebranded as Virgin Australia) has revealed a swish new look for flight attendants and crew, with new uniforms playing up the airline’s palette of red, silver and purple.

Created by Project Runway Australia winner Juli Grbac, the upmarket uniforms seem well-suited to Virgin's own push to woo business and corporate travellers, beginning with today’s launch of its new business class seating and a new fast-track Sydney lounge to speed premium passengers from kerbside to check-in gate.

Grbac (above) says she wanted the new uniforms to be about “style, sophistication and old-world glamour.

“I had to work with Virgin’s red, silver and purple, so I decided to make the red a little richer and add the purple as a splash of colour in the silk scarves” Grbac explains.

She claims Virgin Blue CEO John Borgetti even had a hand in choosing the tie worn by male crew, which sports a splash of purple, as Borghetti “wears a lot of designer brands and has an eye for style”.

“I took inspiration from the glamour of flying in the 1960s, and gave it a contemporary edge” she said. “The guys said they actually feel like pilots now.”

Coverage of Virgin Blue's overhaul

Australian Business Traveller's comprehensive coverage of 'the new Blue' also includes:

New business class seats will launch in May on Sydney-Perth flights with 62 inches of legroom and seat-back video screens
Virgin Blue will be opening three new domestic lounges, as well as upgrading the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane lounges, with Sydney getting a special fast-track lounge for premium passengers
CEO John Borghetti says inflight Internet will be available as soon as possible, likely within 2 - 3 years
The Velocity Rewards programme is set for an extensive overhaul, including a points tie-up with Etihad