ORIGINALLY POSTED ON 2/10/2017
"There's something so special about a woman who dominates in a man's world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer. Amelia Earhart was such a dynamic force in her industry, setting multiple aviation records in her time. So it was a no-brainer for me to team up with Harper's Bazaar in honor of a woman who held her own with the big boys." —Rihanna
Rihanna covers Harper's Bazaar's 150th Anniversary issue. Chic but sexy, Rihanna channels Amelia's utilitarian look and she is to die for. Amelia Earhart's essay, originally published in Harpers Bazaar in 1929, gave tips on how women could travel fashionably.
Here's an excerpt:
"What does the woman aviator wear? This question is asked me as often as any other connected with aviation. Ten years ago I could have described a flying costume. It would have consisted of helmet, goggles, leather jacket, breeches, and some sort of high boots. There were no traditions but those of wartime flying to follow, and both men and women adopted or modified it to suit commercial needs. Also, flying fields were usually dirty, planes were crude, and there were no refinements in facilities, such as passenger waiting-rooms, and so forth.....
Usually, on a solo flight, I wear low-heeled shoes, because with low heels it is easier to keep my feet braced on the rudder bar… On the Friendship flight I couldn't follow the rule of wearing sports clothes. The trip was a pioneering one, and comforts were not thought of. Clothes suitable for "roughing it" had to be taken. For instance, there was no step from the pontoons to the door, and I couldn't have jumped into the plane in a skirt...."
Words and images: Harper's Bazaar