Why should you bother thinking about what you’re going to wear on an airplane?
Commenter Carmen Hix writes: I’m not a snob, but have always found that I am treated with more special attention when relatively nicely dressed for travel. Just an observation….I usually wear comfortable, no-wrinkle lightweight slacks, a lightweight top that I can wear untucked and then throw on a blazer.
If you want a first class look similar to Carmen’s, follow our guide below.
Brimmed Hat
A hat is a go-to accessory when flying, because bed-head after a long plane ride is practically guaranteed. A hat with a brim, however, comes with other perks. A brimmed hat not only brings a little class to flying first class, but a brim can shield your eyes from the bright fluorescent airport lights. Another perk: Christina Perez of Conde Nast wears a brimmed hat when flying so as to hide from seat neighbors she doesn’t want to converse with.
Scarf
Maybe you’ve seen far more people wearing scarves on planes than they would when they’re not traveling, and the reason for this is simple—and pretty smart. A scarf can keep you warm when there’s too much cold air blowing in the cabin, but it can also double as a pillow when bunched up. For women, if your shirt is feeling less than fresh after a long flight, you can hang your scarf from your shoulders and belt it in front of your shirt.
Chic coat
You’re going to want to wear a comfortable top for your flight, so your top layer is where you can step up your game for first-class. A peacoat would be a great option, but this will depend where you’re flying—you can opt for a blazer in many cases. You’re going to take off your coat when you get settled in, so it doesn’t need to be the most comfortable part of your look.
Dress pants you can sleep in
Jeans aren’t always going to fly—many are just not comfortable enough for a long-haul flight. And if you are attending a business meeting when you land, jeans weren’t really an option in the first place. Luckily, there are many varieties of comfortable dress pants. For women, invest in some dress pant yoga pants. For men: dress pant joggers. Yes, they exist!
What do you wear on the plane? Let us know.
I usually wear a brimmed hat, a scarf (wool in colder weather, linen in warmer), a blazer (with zip-out vest in colder weather), and navy stetch jeans. I usually wear a turtleneck or tee shirt since both they and the jeans can still look good after sleeping in them. Works well just about anywhere and the cabin crew does notice.
I usually wear stretch jeans, wrinkle-proof dress shirt, light blazer, brimmed hat, compression socks, slip-on shoes, and a travel vest. I carry a pair of footies with grip dots to slip on when I take off my shoes. I also slip a sleep mask and disposable ear plugs in my vest pocket as more and more airlines don’t include them in their travel pack. I also carry a small pack of sanitary wipes in the vest. I’m thinking of adding a face mask to my essentials.