how to nail airport dressing

2 mins

08 May 2023

Catch flights, not feelings, in style

image Arnold Jerocki / Getty

words Sophie Lou Wilson

What to wear to the airport can feel like a fashion dilemma. You want to be comfy, of course, but that doesn’t mean rocking up in pyjamas, even if you rolled out of bed bleary-eyed at 3am. Just because you got dressed in the dark, you don’t want to look like you got dressed in the dark. After all, Kate Moss was scouted at an airport and celeb airport paparazzi pics are an art form in their own right. Victoria Beckham even famously declared that the airport is her runway. It turns out jet lag can be incredibly chic.

In fact, celebs can teach us some important lessons about in-flight style. Stylish sunglasses hide pre or post-flight eye bags, oversized clothing is the way to go and, when it comes to bags, the bigger the better – travelling light is overrated. Rihanna is perhaps the queen of airport dressing. Her elevated streetwear look strikes the perfect balance between fashion and comfort. It’s a stylish amalgamation of cosy hoodies, joggers, designer shades and extremely oversized jackets as blankets. Other notable mentions go to Bella Hadid’s airport athleisure, Robert Pattinson’s 90s-inspired style and Zoe Kravitz’s dressed down boho look.

On a practical note, however, it’s best to avoid jeans or anything with a tight waistband to account for mid-flight bloating. And plan your look the night before, not the morning of because you don’t want to forget your passport just because you were too busy deciding which shoes to wear. Below, we’ve curated a go-to airport capsule wardrobe because travelling is stressful enough without having an outfit crisis too.

Fanfare100% GOTs Certified Organic Cotton Mother Earth T-shirt

£40.00£55.00

£40.00£55.00– 27%

JOG ON

Azurite Regular Joggers

Conscious Citizen

£54.00£79.00– 32%

buy now

The essential travel wardrobe item. Conscious Citizens’ azurite joggers bring comfort to every look, with an elasticated waistband to reduce the discomfort of in-flight bloating.

GLUG, GLUG

olive green insulated metal water bottle

BOTL

£28.00

Flying is majorly dehydrating - but you best believe that that bottle of Evian is going to be seriously overpriced once you get past security. The solution to keeping yourself satiated while your plane floats through the clouds? A refillable water bottle which, if empty, you should be able to take through security no bother and refill - just make sure that you're flying from one of the airports that offer refillable water stations (which you can check here).

CREME DE LA CREME

Marine Night Cream

Haeckels

£58.00

Flying doesn't just dry out your body, it can leave your skin feeling like sand paper, too. Lock in that moisture with a heavy duty moisturiser, such as this marine-based cream from Haeckels. Yep, it's billed as a night cream but best believe us your skin is going to need a helping hand that surpasses what your regular daytime routine has to offer. Word to the wise, this is a 60ml jar - so be sure to decant it into a smaller bottle so it doesn't take up the lion's share of your liquid allowance.

PLAY WITH PROPORTIONS

Good Karma Crop

FP Movement

£40.00

Okay yes, this is a yoga top but it's also so much more than that. With a flattering design and more support than your average fashion tee, it doubles up as a bra for layering underneath your baggy airport clothing (because who needs the discomfort of lingerie when you're spending all day travelling?) or for wearing on its own as a crop top if you're expecting things to heat up once you land at your destination. Pair it with a pair of cargo pants or oversized sweatpants for a dose of SZA-approved, chill girl style.

LUXE LOUNGEWEAR

Stone Oversized Sweatshirt

Conscious Citizen

£79.00

buy now

Just us, or do airports always seem to be blasting the air con? Ward off the artificial chill with an oversized sweatshirt that's as comfy as it is cosy. Bonus points, it can double as a makeshift blanket or pillow if you're on an overnight flight.

Conscious CitizenSlate Oversized Sweatshirt

£79.00

Conscious CitizenPine Regular Joggers

£54.00£79.00

£54.00£79.00– 32%

WEAR PROTECTION

SPF 25 Mineral Sunscreen - Travel Size

UpCircle Beauty

£11.99£14.99– 20%

Did you know dermatologists recommend that you wear SPF on a plane? Yep, it's true! Due to how thin the atmosphere is when you're at high altitude, there isn't the same barrier against harmful rays. And while the glass windows of planes protect you from some UVA light, they're not so good at shielding you from UVA - aka the type of solar radiation most responsible for ageing and skin damage. The solution? Don't neglect the sun cream - and be sure to pack a travel-friendly bottle of SPF such as the below from UpCircle Beauty.

DEPUFF, LOOK BUFF

GUA SHA TOOL

PERL Cosmetics

£17.00

Air pressure, sitting down for long periods of time, and fluid retention from that Wetherspoons pre-takeoff tipple can leave your face looking puffy af. You can remedy this with a little help from gua sha: a Chinese practice which involves scraping parts of the body with any hard object. You'll be best off to pack a specifically-designed tool which you can use to depuff, promote blood flow and relieve tension by using the object to apply circular motions to the jaw area and upward motions to the cheek area, beginning at the chin and pulling upwards towards the ears. This gua sha tool from female-founded brand Perl is compact, made from rose quartz and comes in a handy storage bag.

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All products are selected independently by our editors from the Woo online store, a carefully curated platform for feel good fashion, beauty, wellness and lifestyle. Discover more here.