When we started on the NS in the mid-70's we had life jackets under the seat like the pax. The powers that be then decided that we should have the pouch tied around the waist. In Norway meanwhile, these 'once-only' lifejackets taken from their stowage and worn by the crew over their white shirts or blue wooly-pully... later we had flight suits. No goon-suits in those days. I managed to get hold of a military style LJ which was cool but of course, no one knew how to service it.
In BHL we shared jackets but they were all 'medium' size. I had to have a 'large' and some colleagues needed a 'small' but apart from the small band of 'non-mediums', everyone shared jackets that were allocated to airframes.
G.