Nice velour track suit okay for JFK to Budapest flight?
 

I just bought a nice (no suggestive slogans)black velour track suit that I am thinking of wearing on my flight from JFK to Budapest. I would wear it with nice shoes and accessories, with makeup and hair fixed. I was hoping to be warm and comfortable. Is this appropriate or too casual?

Whatever anyone else thinks will not affect your comfort. Go for it.

Delaine.. that should be fine. I would however go with some comfortable shoes and not really worry to much about hair and make-up. You did not mention departure city. But if you have a connection overseas, you can do hair and makeup at the airport.

Oops on the departure city thing.

You can wear whatever you want. I have seen a lot of diferent things on flights.

However, my rule is that everything has to have multiple uses. Don't just wear it on the plane and then lug it around Europe until you come home. If you'll wear it again on the trip go for it, if not maybe consider something else.

I don't think anyone expects you to look great after an eight or ten hour transatlantic flight. So go comfy and if you feel the need, freshen up at the arrival airport.

Thanks for the quick replies! Track suit it is. I'm sure I can wear it again, at least on the flight home from Prague.

My shoes are pumps of the Aerosoles/Easy Spirit variety that look normal but feel good and can easily be taken off for security or to put on Isotoner slippers.

Whatever you do, don't do what I did on my last overseas trip -- wear a white shirt. As soon as I got to the airport I bought a cup of Starbuck's coffee. The lid wasn't on properly so the coffee dripped down the side of the cup and landed on my shirt. Well, my nice new white tee-shirt had coffee stains all over it and I had to wear a sweater the next day to cover it up until I could get to my luggage. We are leaving on Monday for Paris and I'm going to wear jeans and a comfortable tee shirt (black). But I am going to keep my dog away from me before leaving for the airport so I'm not covered in dog hair. That's not much better than coffee stains. Enjoy your trip.

<<I would wear it with nice shoes and accessories, with makeup and hair fixed. I was hoping to be warm and comfortable. Is this appropriate or too casual?>>

LOL Delaine, i certainly wouldn't describe it as too casual, in fact I'm sure it will pass the most rigorous scrutiny of the fashion police at budapest.

Don't forget that legs and feet tend to swell on long-haul flights and what was comfortable when you took off may not be so when you land. Really, I'd save those nice shoes etc. for your night out at the opera, rather than your flight.

regards, ann

I am probably of the opposite opinion to many.I always advocate wearing what you like (if you are happy wearing something then other folks opinion does not matter),but why waste a really nice new outfit travelling.
When I go on holiday I wear older comfortable but clean clothes,something if it gets spilt on on crunpled will be of no worry to me.when i get to my destination these items then can go in the trash and i have plenty of other stuff to wear ,including any nice outfit i have bought for my holiday as well as a little extra room in my luggage for taking things home.
I have recently returned from a trip to the Baltic States and wore an old pair of trekking tousers and an old polo shirt both of which had seen better days,12 hours of travelling 2 flights ,2 airports plus coach transfer from airport my clothes and myself looked like cr*p and I was quite happy to dispose of my travelling gear in the bin.
My adive is keep your new outfit for your holiday and not your travelling day.

Just realise you will be visiting Prague,it is almost my second home i have visited there so many times and hope to visit again in the spring.if I can be of any help just ask.
BTW I am getting on in years so no questions about night clubbing and the best places to find the young crowd.

Seriously, no one will care what you wear on the flight as long as:

1) your clothes are clean
2) you are not exposing any parts of your body that others may consider indecent

I also don't wear any jewelry on the plane, except for my wedding band, mainly because I don't want anything that may potentially set off the metal detector at the security check. I have seen women with rings on all 10 fingers, and the TSA agent asked them to take all the rings off - which took forever.

As for makeup, I clean my face off as soon as I'm ready to sleep. I carry with me wet cleaning cloths. I seriously don't care how I look when I get off the plane.

My biggest concern, when I'm dressing for a flight, is finding an outfit that I could also wear for a few days right after landing if my luggage is lost.

I'm not sure I'd wear a track suit, or clothes I'm ready to trash, for that reason. Would you want to go for dinner a few nights in Budapest in a track suit?

Of course, you might be able to find replacement clothes right away. I'm tall and not easy to fit, so it would be a bit difficult for me to go shopping in a new city and right away find replacements for everything in my lost luggage.

We do carry-on only. I don't want to even think about lost luggage.

I have seen people wearing tank tops and flip flops on transatlantic flights, so I don't see why a track suit would be too casual. They are quite common on planes.

These days there's no need to worry about looking smart on a plane - that was the good old days. However, the advice to consider what happens if your luggage is delayed (never mind lost!) is good. I wear the most comfortable of travel outfits on the plane, and have spare underwear, socks and top in my carry-on. I carry a sweater (unless it's summer) and a coat.

On the accessories, if you mean jewelry, you do know not to travel with anything you'd be upset losing, right? And makeup and hairdo are unlikely to survive a night on the plane, if you're in economy.

One thing to consider - on my last two transatlantic flights the temperatures were, at times, very, very warm - so you might want to have something that won't set you to steaming if the cabin temps rise unpleasantly. My flights were full, and all those people in a small space give off a lot of heat. Maybe a very light tee-shirt under the track suit top (you don't want to risk getting too cold, either, since blankets may or may not be available). Then you have some flexibility without having to try to get to your carry-on.

No one cares what people where on a plane anymore as long as it's clean and not too body revealing. Dressing up, on flights, went out decades ago. Happy Travels!

<i>Seriously, no one will care what you wear on the flight as long as:

1) your clothes are clean
2) you are not exposing any parts of your body that others may consider indecent</i>

But what about if you don't even care about what others think?

I simply don't worry about it. I dress casually for flights - usually jeans and a t-shirt - and could care less what people think of me. This applies regardless of whether I am in coach or first class.

Usually, I wear black slacks with elastic in the waistband, a 3/4 sleeve black t-shirt and a large shawl, which seems to be the most important thing I take! It can dress things up, hide coffee spills, keep me warm...

I wear low socks with black Merrills or Clarks open back shoes.

I go for comfort, a minimum of wrinkles and still looking decent for arrival. This will really be tested on our trip in 3 weeks, as it will take 4 flights to get to our destination.

No one really cares what you wear. Most would be concerned if you stink of body odor or perfume, or were overweight. The days of thinking of flying as a special event are long past.

It's just important to look presentable and not grubby since you will have to go through customs. Looking presentable makes it easier to clear customs.

I'm in Bangkok, usually twice a year, on vacation, and have seen the grubby, usually young ones, standing in the immigration line and have seen them have problems. And places like Singapore are stricter than some others. So that's why I say that presentable is important. You will be fine in a track suit. Happy Travels!

The Fashion Police patrolling JFK might be a problem. They could summarily toss you off the plane for not wearing sneakers, wearing too much make up or the wrong shoes and/or accessories.

Uh.... not so fast.

Certainly you CAN wear this &quot;nice black velour track suit&quot; but you shouldn't. The phrase &quot;most people don't care&quot; is a uniquely American cop-out (and yes I am). The wearing of sweats -- which is still what these are no matter how much you accessorize -- merely adds to the whole persona of 'the ugly American.' You're an unofficial ambassador representing all of us in the USA. Is an image of the slovenly, lazy American really the one you want to put forward and perpetuate?

You are going to Europe and most people (excluding kids and gypsies) still dress well on the Continent; or at least they did last month when I was there. Certainly you have or these days can obtain nice yet comfortable travel-specific street clothes other than sweats to present in public (Magellan and TravelSmith even specialize in this). The adage, &quot;When in Rome do as the Romans do&quot; should apply.

You asked for our opinions so I couldn't in good conscious give you a free pass no matter how unpopular that opinion may be. It's all about respect; and given a choice -- which you do have -- I would opt for leaving the track suit for jogging or watching soap operas on TV with a cold beer and a tasty bowl of pork rinds and put on some tasteful apparel that makes others actually want to be around, as opposed to tolerate, you.

Well, 99 percent of the people on planes these days, whether they are Americans or otherwise, in my experience, are dressed for comfort rather than for respectability. Personally, I like to be dressed for both, and that would never include wearing a track suit, which to me has a unique purpose, which is for exercising. And apart from a few limbering-up moves now and then, I'm not on a plane to exercise.

I will concede that my definition of appropriate is probably not a popular one.

Having traveled to Budapest for the past 42 years. Styles there have changed greatly. It used to be that you could recognize a tourist in a heartbeat. The East German traveler did the old black socks with sandles. You could spot them a block away.

5 years ago, going to the grocery store there, high heels and evening gowns, (yes, long sequened [sp] gowns) where a weekly sight. Everyone wore high heels and miniskirts.

We returned in July after a month long stay, and once again styles have changed. Everyone locals/tourists in flip-flops and Teva's. I could not tell which where locals. The 20 somethings had the same fashion as here in FL. Long cargo shorts, tank tops and flipflops. So it seems what you are &quot;comfortable&quot; in should be YOUR style.

I remember having family come and visit from there, they would arrive off the plane in Suit and tie. Those days are long gone. So to quote mbresso, &quot;When in Rome...&quot;

I wonder if Europeans adopt American dress when they vacation in Washington, DC. I certainly see many of them dressed casually with white sneakers. Maybe there are European boards stating, &quot;When in America. . . .&quot;

So long as you come on in on the correct side of the Board Fashion Police, you probably will not be ignored anywhere you want to spend your money (or on the plane).

Someone posted the &quot;when in Rome&quot; above. I was in Rome last week and the Romans, along with other Italians and Europeans are wearing jeans and white tennis shoes. I saw sweats, Crocs (from lime green to orange), but no baseball caps on the Italians.

The most important thing to take on with you - there or back - is a bag with overnight essentials (toothbrush/paste, deodorant/scent, clean shirt and undies, makeup) so that if your luggage doesn't arrive when you do, you can make it through the first 24 hours (or if you miss a flight or get bumped from your connection on the way home and get stuck someplace you never would have chosen!) Your bags should find you by then if you also put your itinerary in each of your bags -- every hotel, every city, phone numbers and email address.

Wear whatever feels good. If we're staying in a hotel on arrival I dress so that I look like I can afford the upgrade that might be available. If we're in an apt I don't worry so much about it -- just want to be comfortable on the flight over.

After all, whose trip is this? Just be sure they can find you to match up your bags!

<i>You are going to Europe and most people (excluding kids and gypsies) still dress well on the Continent</i>

This made me laugh. Indeed, it made me laugh out loud. Water shot out of my nose. I swear.

I honestly do not know where people get the impression that most Europeans dress well. Some Parisian women dress pretty well, as do some men in London, and a few Milanese. Germans generally dress like cr*p, and the average Dutchman needs to buy their pants an inch or two longer. The fashionable Spaniards can be pretty avant-garde, but the average Spaniard dresses about like the average American. Scandinavians tend to be exceedingly casual, though some are currently harboring a strange obsession with late-80s &quot;fashion&quot;, and many are under the false assumption that capris are acceptable on a man.

The distinction is not between Americans and Europeans. The distinction is between those that live in major fashion hubs (London, New York, LA, Milan, Paris) and those outside of those hubs.

<i>It's just important to look presentable and not grubby since you will have to go through customs. Looking presentable makes it easier to clear customs.</i>

But presentable doesn't really take much. If you look like a stoner, you will get stopped, but if you otherwise look normal, you won't - even in a track suit. Besides, it depends where you are entering in Europe. Entering the UK, you might get stopped. Entering the Netherlands, you likely won't even get a second look, no matter how disheveled you arelook.

Remember that you will be flying in an airplane in the year 2008, which means that you will be packed tightly into a space somewhat too small for a human being, and spending 10 to 14 hours therein. While I do not recommend dressing in sportswear elsewhere in Europe (unless you are participating in a sport), I think a comfortable track suit for air travel is a very good idea, and I would question anyone who was familiar with air travel today who felt otherwise. Just enduring the flight with a minimum of misery is your goal; you can dress nicely in Europe after arriving at your initial destination (hotel or apartment or whatever) and changing into whatever the weather and the circumstances demand.

Enjoy your tracksuit while you can. They'll be having us all wearing paper bags on planes soon for security reasons anyway.

If you are traveling this fall you will notice a definite drop in international flights being full until the holidays. Remember the window seats always have a cool draft too.

Personally, I like to dress nice for a flight. It could be a stylish pair of jeans or pants with a white T-shirt and a cardigan or a light jacket. Something which I could still wear out in a city or for a meal once I landed. A track suit would not do it for me. I do hear comments about comfort being the number one priority, I would rather have less comfort and more style. But that is just me..

Anna Roz

There is little point in giving advice on this type of thread. People never agree and only hear what they want to hear.

Having reflected on this topic for a few years now - it doesn't matter whether you are European or American. There is good taste and bad taste everywhere.

What you wear states your style rather than your nationality. I am not the proud owner of a black velour tracksuit, though probably some of my European counterparts are and some Americans wouldn't let one darken their wardrobe.

So what people are getting here should be seen as style advice - often it comes from people with the same style, sometimes it comes from people with different styles.

Also, if you say &quot;everyone&quot; in Italy is wearing jeans etc.... It may be the case, like when you buy a new blue car or whatever, every second car on the road appears to be blue.

My &quot;style&quot; advice is, that a black velour tracksuit is not appropriate for anything - particularly sports.

And yet she still wouldn't be the worst dressed person on the plane!

Is this for real?

Who the hell cares what you wear?

Sure if you travel in a bikini or have green hair you might have problems. Otherwise wear what seems comfortable to you and is practical for both ends of the journey.

Like if you are going to Northern Europe in the winter don't get off the plane in a singlet!!

Just common sense really. Can't understand why anyone would need to ask.

afterall wrote: &quot;Sure if you travel in a bikini or have green hair you might have problems.&quot;

What's wrong with green hair?

Perhaps the static buildup from a velour tracksuit and airplane seats might cause a safety problem.

Did not read the posts....just wanted to say that such a flt is potentially a tad grueling and clothing that approximates (socially acceptable) pajamas sounds like a great idea!! Go for it!

Wishing delaine all the best. Must be his/her first international flight. And I guess those of us who have been doing this for a while should remember our first.

Thing is, my first as me (rather than with my parents) was in 1972 and I am as sure as I can be that I gave no thought to what I would wear for the flight.

Just a mega adventure - before the days of budget flights, before the days of the internet. Pre- trailfinders, pre any sort of travel agent who did anything other than package plans to the Costa del Sol.

We had to fly to Brussels to get to Uganda, via Benghazi - where we sat in the plane for 3 hours while the captain negotiated for fuel.

So this sort of question raises a smile. It is now so easy that people post questions about what to wear!