When you consider the history of the jumpsuit, sows ears and silk purses come to mind. After all, how did an unassuming item of workwear became haute couture? The jumpsuit started out, as the name implies, as a one-piece garment designed for parachutists. It had to be form-fitting with minimal openings to stop the force of air ripping it open when hurtling to the ground. It was based on aviator suits, created for the new aeroplanes. During the First World War, when fighter planes were first used, British pilots often wore a Sidcot suit. Most recently it's cropped up in uniforms designed by Ozwald Boateng for British Airways cabin crew, providing an option for a gender-diverse workforce. The jumpsuit therefore highlights the alchemy of design, turning utility into stylistic gold, and showing that silk purses really can be made from sow's ears.