What to wear on airplane?
 

I'll be taking a flight on BA from Phoenix to London this May. It's a 10 hour flight. What suggestions do you have for something comfortable but stylish to wear for the overnite flight. I don't want to look like I'm wearing my pj's when I get off in London. Thanks, Virginia

In cold weather I wear a long black wool knit skirt, turtle neck, and black wool cardigan. In warmer weather I wear something similar, only cotton knit.
I find skirts much easier to travel in than trousers.

a jogging suit, pink if you're female.

Virginia,
The most important thing in my travel wardrobe is a pair of pants from the L.L. Bean Traveler catalogue. They are black, medium-weight knit, and have the most comfortable waistband. If I were traveling your route, I'd wear these pants and a lightweight wool knit sweater, and take along a fleece vest or jacket (which doubles as a pillow!).
Beware the waistband on anything you wear on a plane - if it's uncomfortable when you put it on, you'll have to live with it the entire flight.

I wore a Chico's Travelers outfit on our flight last summer...felt like Jammies, but looked dressy and nice.

I wear very loose, dark grey cotton slacks that can spread out but don't wrinkle. Then lots of layers since in my experience airplanes are usually blazing hot while on the ground and freezing cold while flying. Furthermore, if you are going during a cold time of year, I wear my bulky items on the plane.. if not, then I wear a light knit shirt and put my leather jacket over it. When I get off the plane I am wearing grey slacks and a leather coat which looks fairly stylish in any urban airport.

Another vote for Chico's traveler line. Mine is elastic waist pants and a mid-thigh, zip front sweatshirt style jacket (with roomy pockets), worn with a short or long sleeved cotton T underneath depending on season. Black, impossible to wrinkle even if wadded up in a carryon bag, casual chic even after sleeping on the plane. Useful during the trip as well, not to mention hand washable in a hotel sink and fairly quick to dry. Fits virtually every body type, and the long jacket covers a multitude of sins.

LOL, Marilyn! My kind of clothes exactly, as I have a multitude of sins to cover as well :-)

Hiya Betsy! I usually start committing my sins on the airplane, or at least I did when they offered free booze. By the time I am coming home, I am really glad I have that loose-fitting outfit!

I always wear a knit skirt, because I do not like dragging the legs of my pants on the bathroom floor. It can get pretty bad on a ten hour flight! Do be sure to keep your waistband comfortable.

Also, with current security procedures in place, I always wear slip on shoes (not too tight because your feet swell during the flight) and MINIMUM jewelry so I don't set off the metal detector.

I vote for comfortable knits, or comfortable but nice jeans if you were going to bring jeans anyway. Comfy shoes as well, and socks if I want to slip my shoes off. The skirt idea is great to avoid the dirty bathroom floor, but I hate wearing panty hose on the plane (tights) so neither is a perfect solution.

I wear the comfy outfit, but an hour before landing I take 10 minutes in the rest room to fix up a little. I do it at least an hour in advance so that I'm not hogging the bathroom at a popular time. That's when I wash the face and do the makeup (I don't want to sit for all those dry and dirty hours with old makeup on, just moisturizer) and freshen my outfit with a necklace or silk scarf or something to jazz myself up a bit. As the flight ends I'm both tired and crumpled,and I perk up a bit with a little repair work and some coffee.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I think grandmere's suggestion is interesting, only because I might be tempted to reverse the wardrobe. My experience has been that in cold weather they turn on heat on the plane and I nearly sweat to death, but in the summer they crank the air down so low I nearly freeze. Maybe you should think of dressing warmly in the summer, and very lightweight in the winter?

Chico's Traveler's are the only thing I wear on long flights. They are so comfy, but also look dressy and polished. And they are so versatile for the rest of the trip. I love Chico's so much that my husband finally bought stock in the company! I also wear a camisole with a built-in shelf bra underneath. So much more comfy than a bra on long flights.

My travel outfit is a long, black knit turtleneck shift dress over tights, blazer and raincoat. Like many others, I don't like to drag my trousers on the bathroom floor. The dress takes care of the waistband problem. The blazer and the raincoat get folded and stowed in the overhead bin but if the plane is chilly, I have the extra layer available. I have black turtleneck dresses is several weights so I'm prepared for any season I get the chance to go away.
Have a great trip.
Another Virginia

The Chico's stuff sounds terrific, but since I'm more of a Ross shopper and don't care about looking polished (hey, I'm from Monument, CO) I'll opt for the jogging suit idea, but black. I travel in black--makes life easier; and pants only 'cuz I like to wear socks. I agree with the quick-drying fabrics. Polar fleece for warmth under my London Fog hooded jacket. But now, I GOTTA check out Chico's!

I must be out of the loop and would really like you ladies to tell me more about Chico's. I'm still back at the old school, thinking polyester, elastic waist paints and my mental vision is not one of stylish!
I wear Jones of New York cotton casual pants and a t shirt (NOt big baggy, but a small one similar to a small cotton sweater)... like a baby T- shirt (no midriff showing! But then I'm a casual person and also wear nice jeans.
But please do tell me more about Chico.
Are they really stylish, is the elastic waist noticable, do they travel well? And does the acetate fabric look nice, feel nice and is it really easy care? And most important does it breathe? Or do you get that horrible synthetic closed in feeling?
They look nice on the web site , but would love to hear more.
Thanks

kodi, I used to be a fanatic about wearing only natural fabrics. I wouldn't even look at something made from a synthetic. But there are some fantastic synthetic fabrics out there now.

The Chico's stuff looks nice and feels nice, but it doesn't breathe like cotton. That doesn't bother me in the pants or jacket, and I always wear a cotton tshirt underneath.

My pants have a slim cut, so there isn't a lot of fabric that gathers at the waist. I personally wouldn't tuck my T in, for comfort as much as looks. There are really a lot of different styles -- skirts, pants, tops and jackets.

The material does travel incredibly well. You <i>can't</i> wrinkle it. I'd call it casual chic -- sounds just right for your style. My sweatshirt style jacket also works well with a long skirt or jeans.

I have seen a similar line at Macy's and individual pieces at the discount stores like Ross and Marshalls, but I've been lucky to get most of my Chico's pieces on sale and find them very well made.

http://www.chicos.com/store/products...ID=82&amp;n=sb
Here you go ladies ask for the catalog.

I was curious about Chico's, which was recommended by a friend, so I went to see the Chico's store at the local mall two months ago. The travel clothes are soft and stretchy, with a loose, comfortable fit and look like they would not look bad after a lot of sitting or tight packing. However, it seemed to me that the fabric would be comfortable only in cool/moderate temperaiures and only when you're very very inactive (e.g., sitting on a plane, or having dinner). I don't think I'd like to wear them on a normal day of lively walking for hours in normal spring or fall weather, when I get hot even wearing light cotton clothing. I had the impression the fabric would be extremely sweaty for active use.

Check the website or the catalogue for your nearest Chico's <i>outlet</i>. I'm not a serious clothes shopper, but I can leave a Chico's outlet with armloads of great stuff for very little money. For SF Bay area shoppers, there's an outlet at the Great Mall in Milpitas and one at the big discount center near Sacramento--can't remember the name of the mall.

Like Marilyn, I used to always wear cotton, silk, or linen, but I love the Chico's Traveler line when I'm traveling because it's especially comfortable and easy to care for. In addition, there's lots of cotton, silk, and linen available too for when I'm not traveling.

cmt, I wouldn't wear it for a really active day, either, although I might stuff the jacket in my daypack if I thought I might need another layer.

If I were going to a tropical climate, I would travel in something entirely different. I have an entire set of travel clothes that I would never take to Europe, but I think of them as my &quot;Cambodia clothes.&quot; Synthetic zip-off pants/shorts, quick-dry, loose-fitting, button-front shirts in thin cotton or synthetic that feels like cotton. The synthetics that are made for hot weather are just as cool and comfortable as cotton, IMO. But they dry overnight!

I'm a little concernd about everyone who's flying in a skirt. My therory is safety first - which means flying only wearing pants and flat shoes (anyone who's ever had to evacuate a plane knows skirts end up bunched around your waist and if your shoes have heels you must remove them). (No, I don't really expect this to happen - but it's the same theory as always wearing your seat belt in the car.)

For comfort I agree with the Chico's travelers - comfy and stylish - with an extra sweater in your carry on in case the plane gets very cold.

Marilyn: I don't think I've ever had a vacation that was not at least moderately &quot;active&quot; (at least a lot of walking), and, although I don't travel in the summer, and we're just talking about Europe here, I'm much more often too hot than too cold when walking for hours. So I can't exactly picture when I'd feel comfortable wearing acetate knit pants, except maybe for a few hours in the evenings. Do the Chico's fans wear them mainly for winter travel or for long rides in a cool car?

I am trying to envision myself worrying about modesty if I have to evacuate a plane in an emergency! Be prepared to see my undies everytone!

I used to be a Chicos fan and I would still wear their synthetic stuff on a plane, even though we are not supposed to for they would melt on you in a fire!

But now days I need breathablity in my clothes and to have something clingy and synthetic feeling on me does not work. You can probably guess what phase of life I am approaching, lol.

I need my natural fibers! Now I wear cotton/wool stylish pants and jacket with a nice tee shirt on the plane and throw my pashmina over my shoulders. Much more comfortable!

cmt, it's true that I wear the jacket a lot more often on the trip than the pants, but since I like to sleep in, I've been known to jump out of bed and throw the pants on in order to make it to breakfast 5 minutes before it's over. I've also worn them out to dinner with a low-heeled sandal and a dressier top. What I really can't imagine is wearing tights (just as uncomfortable as pantyhose) for a 10 hour flight!

Thank you ladies. I appreciate the information. The Chico travel line sounds like it would be good for a dinner out. Perhaps a bit dressier than my cotton pants. Marilyn, the jacket you mention sounds perfect for rolling up in a day pack. Is it also in the travel line?
I was under the impression that this was a mail order only, so pleased to see that there are stores. But I'll have to wait til I'm in Florida in March to check out one of the stores.
None are near me.
Marilyn, be careful with your Cambodia clothes. I had a pair of Columbia zip off pants/shorts and I got very warm one day and unzipped the legs. At the end of the day, the legs were no where to be found. Everyone got a good chuckle out of me looking for my 'legs'!!! Never did find them...
ha ha... now I have just shorts..

cheuvront, another idea might be to take some cashmire cardigans, they roll up and don't weigh much at all and feel better to me than the Chico line.

I think Chicos are a nice line but I feel sort of like an &quot;old Lady&quot; when I am wearing them, but this is MHO.

In addition to Chico's, which I've bought and worn on more than one trip, there are all those wonderful stretch fabrics now that aren't so completely full of lycra that they are sweaty and uncomfortable or look like 1970s zoot-suits. I've found several pairs of black and brown pants that are fairly form-fitting and classy but still stretchy and loose enough to travel in, but don't wrinkle. Same for tops. I mix and match and top it off with a rainproof jacket of various weights depending on the time of year I'm traveling. When I went to France in September I wore a pair of black stretch jeans/pants (you wouldn't look at them and think jeans - but they had side and back pockets) topped with a three-quarter-length stretch top with a multi-colored leaf pattern in green, gold, blue, and brown, and a green Goretex lightweight jacket with big pockets and a hood. Nice low-heeled Easy Spirit black leather shoes and my black leather French men's mini-briefcase that holds everything (I bring a larger leather tote for the trip home), and I was comfortable and reasonably stylish.
Since I never sleep on the plane, I get to the bathrooms as soon as I hear the flight attendants getting &quot;breakfast&quot; ready. I wash my face and put on moisturizer and redo my makeup (minimal - I don't wear much) and brush my teeth and tousle my hair, and feel a lot fresher. I do like to land looking human, and it does take a bit more planning every year to accomplish that, but it IS possible to travel comfortably but not arrive in Europe looking like you've just been to the gym.
Of course, I always take a look at the folks in first class and think I could never in a million years look like that after an all-night flight.

i where those great jammies that you get in first class, hot steamy towels all over my bald head, then freshen up and change into my jeans for the ride to the hotel, a extremely hot tub and steam at the four seasons, then tenderloin and bearnaise and roasted potatoes at my favorite paris bistro just down the street, ahhhhhhh, i can't wait, sorry.............

Where exactly do you where them, richardson?

Almost the identical question about a month ago, with a lot of the same answers, but some different ones:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34452056

kodi, very funny, just think about whoever is walking around with <i>just</i> the legs!

StCirq, I have a lot of other travel clothes too, but find myself usually wearing the Chico's stuff for the airplane. Your black stretch pants sound great -- what brand are they? &quot;It does take a bit more planning every year&quot; -- LOL!

I used to always wear jeans, t-shirt and sweatshirt on a plane because I always get cold on a plane no matter what, and jeans keep you nice and warm. Light cotton trousers just don't do it. But I just love the stretch denim, especially the black stretch jeans (Tar-jee, as we call it, has the best and good value!), because then you can actually curl up in your seat, your trouser legs do NOT touch the toilet floor, and they stay nice and tight. Sweatshirt comes off at the end of the flight, and a fresh black pullover from the carryon goes on.

Naked and barefoot works.

..some thoughts. safety and comfort an issue. With the usual leg room in &quot;sardine class&quot; ther is a real risk for DVT. I never wear panyhose or knee highs as they bind the leg...socks flat shoe and loose waist (the pair of nice chinos I bought last year after the holiday season when I was up 5 lbs). I often wear light weight cashmere or very fine cotton knit turtle neck with a blazer which I can take on and off as the temperate fluctuates. I always keep soft small slippers in my carryon too. What I wear on a trip to Europe is really similar to what I would wear on a transcontinental flight. I am always amazed at some of the outfits I see worn by my fellow passengers on international flights; many of these people wouldn't be caught dead wearing the same outfit on a long North American flight.

SeaUrchin -

The issue with a skirt bunching around your waist is not modesty - who cares who sees what if you're evacuating a plane - it's the fact that your pantyhose will shred and you'll be left trying to skid down the slide on your bare thighs. Similar to road burn you get when falling off a bike and very painful.

Common sense tells me that I think Chico is just a brand name and that half the cost goes to the &quot;name&quot;. Whatever fabric they use in travelware can be duplicated in a lot of other clothes at a fraction the price and often BETTER quality. Polyester/cotton stretch top pants are always a good option for the plane(OR all polyester)....I have never had my slacks touch the floor in the bathroom (but then I have big feet (:&gt;)and don't sit)
A full skirt would be a lot more bulky I would think....but it is certainly a personal opinion. There is no right or wrong! A black cardigan with bright colored knit shirts showing under usually makes one feel comfortable,,,along with the black slacks. (or skirt)

Forget all the brand names, just wear what you are the most confortable with, even if it is your old PJ's. You are going in winter and will need a coat and scarf--no one has to know the pijamas are underneath when you arrive in London. Have a great time!