Do you have any personal style rules when you’re traveling, or do you wear whatever pair of sweatpants are the cleanest?
The airport, man. Is there any better place on earth to watch people? I once spent nine hours in the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Airport, waiting for a flight to take me home for Christmas, and my God, the stories I could tell you. People were crying. People were dancing. People were painting their fingernails, clipping their toenails, snoring, drooling, laughing, and eating.
Strange human behavior aside, the best part about people watching at the airport is checking out what your fellow travelers are wearing. Sweatpants and hoodies abound, obviously, but the real joy in airport people watching comes from the men and women who take the old school route.
They dress up a little; they’re polished, put-together, and fresh. They are ones wearing pants–real pants, not spandex or leggings or sweats–and button-ups or blazers. Their shoe game, for lack of a better term, is on point. They aren’t wearing flip-flops, of course, unless it’s to walk back to their gate after a quick pedicure at an airport salon.
The men and women who dress up at the airport are a dying breed, certainly, but they’re out there, and damn, do I want to join their ranks. But here’s the thing: I want to be comfortable when I’m flying.
I want my shoes to slip off easily. I don’t want to spend any time accessorizing, only to wind up tearing off those accessories as quickly as possible at the security gate. I want to be able to curl up on my seat and not worry about wrinkling my clothes.
Now, that’s not to say that I dress like a total slob at the airport. I’m not running around in anything torn, stained, or mismatched, but my go-to airport attire–leggings and an oversized sweater–isn’t going to score me a spot on any (fictional) airport best-dressed list. It’s high time that changes.
So, what’s a comfort-at-all-costs traveler to do? What do you guys wear to the airport? Do you have any personal style rules, or are you like, who in the hell cares? Is it not a fashion show? I’m flying to Calgary this Wednesday, so time is of the essence here, guys. Leave me a note in the comments below!
