WHAT DO STYLISH PEOPLE WEAR ON THE AIRPLANE?

A few answers to a tough sartorial question.

I am perennially confounded by the question of what to wear on the airplane. I think we all fancy ourselves a bit of a Kate Moss, strutting out of the airport with that Alaïa leopard bag, harried but fabulous. The best I’ve managed yet on a flight is her unbrushed hair—the Alaïa remains firmly out of reach. I have been unable to forget the piece of mid-2010s gossip that Alexa Chung wore her hot pants even on long-haul flights. My germophobia, however, makes me dry heave at the thought of my bare thighs touching the airplane seat. I have an image of Brigitte Bardot sitting at Newark in 1965 clad in a tweed skirt suit, sporty sunglasses, and a pair of black knee-high boots saved to laptop as inspiration, but every time I visit it I am only reminded of the fact that I do not own any of these items myself.

Brigitte Bardot heading to LA in 1965.

Here’s the other thing, which pains me a bit to say as a passionate fan of impractical clothes: I like to be comfortable on the airplane. I’m sorry, but I just cannot sleep in jeans! Every time I set out to create the perfect airplane outfit, I find that even more questions pour forth. If I wear a sweatsuit or pajamas, I feel schlubby, and what if I bump into someone I know at the airport—especially when traveling to fashion week?! If I wear something fancy to feel a bit better about myself, what if someone literally bumps into me, and I find myself covered in Coca-Cola?! Are we only wearing things that are machine washable?! What if I have to go straight from the plane to a meeting and I don’t have time to change?! (I solved this one in Rome recently by changing into a Blumarine dress in an airport bathroom, but I feel like there has to be a better/more sanitary way to do this). And even once you’ve nailed the perfect travel look, what are the odds it will all be clean and ready to go again on the way home?!

In attempt to make my trips this summer a bit less stressful—at least in the wardrobe department—I polled some of my most stylish friends, all of whom have very different taste, on their go-to formulas for travel outfits. (We’ve got a stylist, a shop owner, a gallery girl, an editor, and the best crafter I know). Find their first class-worthy wisdom accompanied with images and shopping suggestions below!