How to dress for.... flying

It’s possible that Lulu and I have some kind of psychic connection as I had planned to post on how to pack for summer holidays. But since she got in first with that idea, I’m going to cover another important part of holiday fashion: How to dress for the flight.

Sadly, the days when flying was the epitome of glamour and people would dress in their finest clothes for the occasion are long gone, but that doesn’t mean we need to forgo all sense of decency and head to the airport in grubby track pants. Of course, comfort is important, but if like me flying instills in you a bizarre mix of boredom, indigestion and mortal fear, then looking good could be your only hope of maintaining sanity.

These tips are most suitable for long flights and those where the destination is warmer that the departure point. This is BRIT ugly after all.

Things to bear in mind

Wear the heavy stuff – As a member of Chictopia, you’re probably passionate about clothes. Which means you probably want to take a whole load of them on holiday. A good way to save suitcase space and weight – should you need to – is to travel wearing your bulkiest items. If you’re taking one big cardigan for the evenings, it makes sense to actually wear it on the flight. As long as it doesn’t conflict with the next tip…

Loose tailoring – You’re going to be sitting in these clothes for a LONG time, so it’s common sense to avoid stiff materials like denim and tight fitted garments. Give yourself room to breathe. However, anything too baggy and saggy is likely to stretch and end up misshapen and leave you feeling crumpled and scruffy. How depressing. Loose tailored items like this dress are ideal. It’s a couple of sizes too big, so comfortable, but won’t stretch and lose its shape. Comfort wise, a good rule is, if you’d be happy sleeping in it, then it’s probably comfortable enough to travel in. This dress is practically a nightie, so I’m definitely ok. (And yes, we’ve all slept in tight jeans, but we were probably drunk)

Layers – It’s very easy to look at the temperature of your destination and dress for that, especially if you’re departing on a nice day. Yes, you’re in holiday mode, but there seems to be a trend to set air conditioning on planes to sub arctic conditions, so don’t jump on a flight in only shorts and a t-shirt. You will regret it. A cardigan or jumper is a given, but a scarf is a good option too and can double up as a pillow. And not forgetting socks. You probably won’t want bare legs on the flight, so knee socks and over knees are ideal; providing warmth but avoiding the whole annoying gusset and waistband issue. Plus its easy to whip them off on arrival. Taking tights off in your seat might make you look a little weird.

Ditch the jewellery – I like to accessorise as much as the next person – ok probably more – but on this occasion it’s better to leave the metal stuff in the hold. An armful of bangles will only annoy you, especially if you want to read or write or type. Big chunky belts and necklaces will just interfere with your seatbelt. There’s also so much potential for taking things off and then losing them. So leave the hardware in your suitcase, preferably at the top if you can’t bare to be without it for long. This will also save you a whole lot of time when going through the metal detector.

Arrival time – It’s obvious, but think about what you’ll be doing when you arrive. If you’re getting there in the middle of the night then you’ll want to be covered up. If you’re arriving and hitting the bars/beach/whatever right away, dress accordingly and carry any extras in your hand luggage. My flight is due in around 3pm US time, so I’ve chosen an outfit which allows me to start drinking/shopping/whatever right away. I just need to swap the socks for ankle socks and ditch the scarf and cardigan and I’m good to go.

Any other Chictopians want to share their travelling outfits???