Ready for the runway: Whatever happened to the chic airport outfit?
'I draw a lot of inspiration from the 60s and 70s, because it's a time when people would still have their travel outfit,' explains costume designer Alex Bovaird. 'They dress up for the plane, which I don't think people really do anymore.'
A 'plane outfit' used to be more akin to someone's Sunday best, with no thought spared for ease or comfort. While our favourite celebrity airport outfits from recent years likely involve someone leaving the airport in sweats, sunglasses or some sort of denim, the celebrities of yore had no such luxury. Cameras met them on the tarmac, where they'd be photoshoot ready at a moment's notice.
Just look at Marilyn Monroe in 1959, stepping onto a plane at LaGuardia airport, New York, to fly to Chicago (two hours minimum these days, likely much longer back then), wearing a full fur coat, a whole face of makeup, coiffed hair and white high heels.
Or Jane Fonda, leaving Heathrow airport in 1965 wearing a houndstooth skirt-suit, complete with suede boots, hoops, and a polka dot kerchief perfectly knotted around her bouffant hair.
Now, it's different. Times have changed. Athleisure took over the world, leggings became commonplace, and it became socially acceptable to wear trainers basically everywhere. But that doesn't mean your 2025 plane outfit has to be any less chic.
'It's all about being understated,' says frequent flyer and chic travel enthusiast Isabelle McMahon. 'If you dress plain and keep simple layers which can be added or removed depending on the various temperatures you encounter during your journey, you can almost have a capsule wardrobe for the flight. An oversized shirt, cardigan, plain t-shirt.'
Isabelle believes wearing leggings in public is 'uncouth' and instead opts for jeans or comfortable trousers. 'Never shorts,' she says.
Travel editor Hayley Spencer agrees, but says some tracksuit bottoms can be chic. 'Avoid gathered cuffs as they look less put together,' she advises. 'So a straight or wide leg tracksuit bottom or set, like Life of Ease are great or some Adidas Originals. A cropped zip-up is chic because it gives you a good silhouette with the matching trackies. And a trench over a smart tracksuit is a big look. On top, a With Nothing Underneath linen or tencel shirt — which creases less — can be super versatile.'
As for travel pillows, techy shoes and big duffel bags, McMahon advises to give them a miss where possible. 'It's not chic to not look like you have done something specific for travelling,' she says, 'someone chic and worldly travels often, and it's no big deal. It's just another day.'
And if travelling for work, she advises: 'Unfortunately, you need to dress as if it's work even if you're on the flight, you never know who from work could also be on the same travel schedule. Even at 6am at Luton airport, you could end up sitting next to someone super senior,' she says.
She's also opposed to the tell-tale scent of a person who's gone on a perfume parade around duty free, saying: 'It's not chic to be like over perfumed on a flight, you should just focus on being hydrated, using hand lotion and body lotion.'
Beauty editor Madeleine Spencer agrees, and insists that luxury should be exuded through beauty products while travelling, as much as clothes. 'On a flight, I always bring Mortar and Milk Lip Complex, La Prairie Caviar face mist, Clinisoothe to disinfect things, and individual under eye masks. It's handy to have it all in an across-shoulder Prada bag, but of course not mandatory.'
Because everyone knows the real sign of quiet luxury while travelling, and the tell-tale sign of every good celebrity plane outfit, is always in the accessories. Posh Spice and her Birkins, Rihanna's trainer collection, Britney's sunglasses, Kate Moss's leopard print bag and Winona's denim jackets. If you're going to invest in anything for your airport outfit, a bag and sunglasses are certainly two of the most important items on the list.
With Nothing Underneath tencel shirt, £120, withnothingunderneath.com
Bottega Veneta sunglasses, £333, smartbuyglasses.co.uk
Uniqlo wide sweat joggers (shorter), £24.90, uniqlo.com
Rains MSN bag, £79, uk.rains.com
Falke compression socks, £30, falke.com
COS boxy collared leather jacket, £400, cos.com
111SKIN celestial black diamond eye mask, £14, 111skin.com
Bershka wide leg boyfriend jeans, £29.99, bershka.com
Mango chunky knit jumper, £49.99, mango.com
Arket rib tank top, £17, arket.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
20 hours ago
- Forbes
Walton Goggins Talks Spicy New Role In Doritos Golden Sriracha Film Short
Walton Goggins stars in "A Spicy But Not Too Spicy Plummer." Walton Goggins has plenty of reasons to be happy right now. Goggins just scored an Emmy nomination for his role as Rick Hatchett from The White Lotus Season 3, which comes a year after scoring a nod for playing The Ghoul in Fallout. And now, Goggins is happy that he had a blast filming his latest film and even happier that said film is as close to making an adult film without being in an adult film as he's ever going to get with his new short, A Spicy But Not Too Spicy Plummer. That's what I thought when they came to me with this,' Goggins said, laughing in reference to the adult film analogy during a recent Zoom conversation. 'It's gonna have this music, Everybody's gonna kind of have this [adult film] Instead of being a Boogie Nights reboot, the film — which is appropriately titled A Spicy But Not Too Spicy Plummer — is a 3-minute laugh-out-loud funny, double-entendre-filled Doritos Golden Sriracha Film to promote Doritos Golden Sriracha Tortilla Chips. Like the film, the Doritos Golden Sriracha chip flavor seems like it's going to be too hot and spicy, but beneath the surface is a taste that knows where the line is drawn. Or, as Doritos puts it, the Golden Srirachas chip delivers a 'perfectly balanced blend of yellow and green srirachas' that 'delivers a sweet, tangy subtle spice that slowly warms things up without ever getting too explicit.' "A Spicy but not Too Spicy Plumber" poster. 'It was very cool, the messaging in this, because it's a short film and the story is the chip itself is a story,' Goggins said. 'You expect one thing and you get something else. People think of sriracha that's sitting in our refrigerator … and you have this idea of what this is going to taste like as if you're gonna have to run and drink a glass of water.' And, Goggins discovered, the new Doritos chip delivers on the promise. It's spicy, but not too spicy. 'I tasted the chip before we started filming — and all of a sudden it's this savory, kind of sweet, soft thing that kind of sits in your mouth for a long time — even that can be that could be used as a commercial,' Goggins said, laughing. Of course, the fun part for Goggins' is that in A Spicy But Not Too Spicy Plummer, Goggins title character arrives at a house with some that presents a seedy scenario thanks to the short film's suggestive tone, music and characters, including The Bombshell (Katie Baker), The Roommate (Mark St. Cyr) and The Cougar (Carolyn Hennesy). As it turns out, the Plumber is just there to do his job and fix some pipes under a kitchen sink. 'This is exactly what they're saying with this world of A Spicy But Not Too Spicy Plummer, that says things that can be taken with a sexual kind of undertones, when in fact, he's just being literal,' Goggins explained. 'There is something big in my pocket — and it's a wrench that I'm going to fix your pipe with because I think your pipes need fixing.' You can watch the entire short film below. Walton Goggins Says He Made One Big Suggestion For 'A Spicy But Not Too Spicy Plumber' Of course, Walton Goggins has done short films before — remember his Baby Billy Freeman's Miracle Elixir spot in The Righteous Gemstones? — and clearly knows about getting into a character's frame of mind when doing so. For realizing the read on the Plumber, Goggins relied on the A Spicy But Not Too Spicy Plummer's Björn Rühmann — the short film's director of innuendo (that's how he's billed in the credits) — to set the stage for the short but very eventful 3-minute ride. 'Björn is so adept at this medium and telling a story in a very specific way with his storyboards and working with Frito-Lay,' Goggins said. 'They were so spot on and so specific. They had a vision from the very beginning.' While Goggins followed Rühmann's lead for the film short, he said he did make one suggestion that helps conclude the short film, where a pizza deliveryman shows up at the house and one of the characters asks, 'Who ordered the sausage?' 'I said, 'Listen, I think you've got to bring it back around until the story is complete. You think this guy is one thing, and then he looks at the camera and says, 'I did,'' Goggins said, laughing. 'So, this party can go anywhere, right? You're playing with expectations versus the reality and that's the experience of these chips.'
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
Tom's Guide Awards 2025: Our favorite streaming services, movies and TV shows
Regardless of whether you want to see a new original movie, binge the latest hit TV show in one sitting or follow your favorite sports team as they go all the way, streaming your favorite content online has never been easier and we've tried all the best streaming services available today. From streaming live TV, to streaming new original shows and movies, to streaming sports, there's always something to watch no matter when you fire up your TV. To help you find what's actually worth your time and money, we've watched all of the big releases across a number of different platforms, both paid and free. Our team of experts has tested and reviewed all of the best streaming services for the Tom's Guide Awards 2025. Below, we highlight our favorite new movies and shows and of course, the services that make watching them effortless from the last 12 months to make your viewing experience the best it can be. HBO Max is built on HBO's legacy — decades of being the place for quality TV before streaming was even a thing. It's where the phrase 'prestige television' basically came from, and that standard still holds. Their current shows are top-tier: "The Last of Us," "The White Lotus," "The Pitt," "Hacks." Their back catalog may be even more impressive: "The Sopranos," "Game of Thrones," "Succession." The movie library backs it up with everything from big new releases to cult classics, including a steady stream of A24 gems. Netflix brings quantity, and the Disney/Hulu bundle is great value, but HBO Max feels curated, like your friend with excellent taste put together a streaming service. This year, I re-reviewed all six of the mainstream live TV streaming services you can get in the U.S. I went in with an open mind, despite the fact that I was already a YouTube TV subscriber, because I was curious if I needed to make the switch to a different live TV service. Ultimately, I still felt that YouTube TV was the best choice for most people, thanks to a combination of popular channels, great features and a clean user interface. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. It was close, though. Hulu + Live TV and Sling both are great values, and might be better bang for your buck depending on what you're looking for from your cable TV replacement. But they come with enough caveats and shortcomings that YouTube TV reigns supreme. Best sports streaming service is a tricky category. Is it about which service offers the most sports? Or is it about which service offers the best selection of sports? Maybe it needs to be about which has the best features for sports watchers? After examining these questions, I'm not sure there's a clear winner, but I landed on YouTube TV for a couple of reasons. Multiview, catching up with key plays and NFL Sunday Ticket integration are a combination of features that only YouTube TV can offer. That led me to the conclusion that YouTube TV was the best streaming service to watch sports on, even if it doesn't necessarily offer the most sports channels or most sports leagues of any streaming service. Tubi is my go-to for free streaming. It's like wandering into a video store from 1997 and finding everything from cult horror to forgotten sitcoms to the dumbest action flicks. Where else can I watch a forgotten '80s slasher, a conspiracy doc, and an Oscar winner back-to-back — all without paying a dime? The Roku Channel is solid, and Pluto TV scratches the live-TV itch when I'm feeling lazy. But Tubi gets the nod over them for live-streaming the Super Bowl this year, without a single glitch. Touchdown! I fought long and hard for "The Pitt" to win this award, but I was overruled by a good amount of the streaming team here at Tom's Guide. To be fair, I get it. "Adolescence" is an incredible show, and while I have "The Pitt" ahead of it for my best show of the past 12 months, there are some days I consider swapping their places. This Netflix limited series is intimate and chaotic and a technical marvel all at the same time. Watching it is akin to watching a play in four acts, each one of them leaving you emotionally raw at the end of it. I promise you, you won't watch anything else like it this year. There was decent competition for this slot, but 'Woman of the Hour' was the streaming movie that left the biggest impression on the team at Tom's Guide (myself included), and I can see why: it was Anna Kendrick's directorial debut… and what a debut it was. This genuinely chilling watch isn't the movie you expect it to be. It depicts the stranger-than-fiction story of serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) and aspiring actor Sheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick), who crossed paths when they were both cast on an episode of 'The Dating Game.' It's a compelling, tense, and well-composed feature, one that centers not on the killer, but the victims whose lives he cut short. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
American Eagle 'jeans' campaign that stars Sydney Sweeney under fire
An advertising campaign starring Sydney Sweeney for the clothing brand American Eagle has triggered the latest online firestorm causing an internet meltdown. Some social media users are outraged, saying the wordplay of the tagline "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," coupled with the actor's blue eyes and blonde hair, has racial undertones. Others are praising the campaign as lacking "woke" politics. "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My genes are blue," Sweeney, wearing denim on denim, says in one video. People across social media have leveled criticism spanning the gamut, with some saying the campaign promotes "white supremacy" and "eugenics" while others have called it "sterile," a sign of "regression" or simply "rage bait." But many others have applauded the campaign, posting comments like "woke is broke!" and "culture shift!" Conservative Republican senator Ted Cruz of Texas posted a photo of Sweeney on X and wrote, "Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I'm sure that will poll well." Neither American Eagle nor the Emmy-nominated Sweeney, the 27-year-old actor best known for roles in the series "The White Lotus" and "Euphoria," have publicly responded to the backlash. "Sweeney's girl next door charm and main character energy -- paired with her ability to not take herself too seriously -- is the hallmark of this bold, playful campaign," AE said in a statement last week when the advertisements launched. - 'Values of another time' - The company said its collaboration with Sweeney was meant to "further elevate its position as the #1 jeans brand for Gen Z." As part of the campaign, AE had also said it was launching a limited-run "Sydney Jean" that retails for $79.95 and features a butterfly motif on the back pocket, which the brand said is meant to represent domestic violence awareness. Proceeds from the jeans will go to Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit offering mental health support, AE, a company started in 1977, said. In the wake of the chatter triggered by the campaign, Washington Post fashion critic Rachel Tashjian wrote that whether or not the ad had racial undertones or anything intentional to say beyond selling jeans, it "is part of a wave of imagery of influencers, pop stars and musicians that feels tethered to the values of another time." "For the past five or six years, it seemed like fashion and pop culture were very interested in -- even dedicated to -- body positivity. Now we're being fed a lot of images of thinness, whiteness and unapologetic wealth porn," Tashjian said. mdo/dw Sign in to access your portfolio
