I have longed to write about this for a long time. It weighs heavily on my mind. Working at Portland International Airport, it is something I see every day and, while it surely does not affect national security or how much my City of Portland water bills cost, it is a matter of extreme importance! I am talking about what people wear when they fly.
Now, as a native Portlander, I will champion comfort as much as the next person. Our cool weather and laid-back attitudes lend a sort of fleeciness to our fashion scene. And I know it is unrealistic to expect travelers to return to those glorious days of air travel, when airlines actually provided real service, and people dressed up to take a flight. However, we as travelers need to draw a line between yoga wear and pajamas. Hundreds of travelers walk past my desk every day, and I see people dressed in all sorts of things. I’ve seen enough to know that you can be casual and comfortable without sacrificing how you present yourself.
My personal philosophy is that you never, ever know just who you might run into while you are flying. On a return flight from San Francisco, I once bumped into a former grade school teacher that I remembered fondly, an elegant lady who was wearing her pearls. I’ve heard stories of people connecting with the person sitting next to them, and eventually getting hired by that person’s company. Now what kind of impression would you make to a potential future boss wearing your Spongebob Squarepants pajama bottoms?
This could segue way into a rant about wearing perfume, revealing clothing, or dressing head-to-toe in logo apparel. But let me leave it at this; the world is a beautiful place, so choose carefully what you wear when you fly, and keep it beautiful.
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Great post.
I tend to go with “NW-Without-Looking-Like-I’m-Hiking.” Smart pants, oftentimes a dress shirt with an Icebreaker sweater and interesting, yet comfortable shoes. I met someone on a flight a couple of years ago who commented positively about the look (the shoes especially) and remarked, “I love how you guys from Portland can pull off such a cool look. We can’t do that in New York.”
Pfft – you were talking to an amateur. We in NY can look just as smooth and cool. So there
I’ve never worn pajamas on a plane, but I don’t begrudge anyone else doing the same. If you’re gonna sit in a cramped seat for 8 hours breathing recycled air and eating bags of peanuts for sustenance you might as well be comfortable.
@Zanger I have seen people with this look, and I’m always impressed. I can’t seem to pull that look off, no matter how hard I try. I end up looking like a character from Yogi Bear.
@Trish Yes, having been to NY many times, I can say that you dress infinitely better than we do. And your weather is just as cold as ours, sometimes colder!
@Andy I thought I had seen everything until I saw a grown MAN wearing Spongebob pajama bottoms. I agree, you want to be comfortable, but this can easily be done without looking dreadful. I see people all the time that have the most casual outfits in the world, but they still look great! And of course, kids don’t fall under these rules….I think most parents will agree that it’s great if the kids can just keep quiet for that long!
One of the biggest considerations for many air travelers these days is how to get through security with the least hassle; hence sandals and beltless pajama, sweats, etc.
And seriously, many of us could care less about who we might run into and whether or not they would be judgmental about our air travel fashion decisions.
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.
- Oscar Wilde
@Dave As an airport employee, I understand what a hassle security restrictions can be on air travelers, especially the shoe rule!! I’ve never been one to wear sandals outside of summer-time, so that one always throws me. And I don’t think people are being judgmental about what one wears, it’s more about the impression we make on others. I guess this could apply to other areas of life…not simply air travel!
Sorry, Travel Geek, count me as one of those who goes for comfort when I’m traveling privately, i.e. not on business (on business, I wear a pant suit). I also quit wearing an, ah, upper torso undergarment after the 7th or 8th time a Portland TSA agent inquired at the top of her lungs if I was wearing an underwire bra. I figured that was none of the other passengers’ damn business. (By the way, such public inquiries about my unmentionables hasn’t happened in other airports.)
So now I wear a double layer tank under a shirt or jacket, comfy stretchy slacks with an elastic waist, hidden by said shirt or jacket, and easy to slip on and off shoes. The bra goes into the carry-on to be donned when I land. I look decent enough for a multi-hour cattle car ride. And decent enough not to be embarrassed in case I run into somebody I know. That’s only happened once and it was my ex-husband. He lives on the opposite coast. Go figure.
@talea OMG, that is a BRILLIANT idea!! I have the same problem, and I don’t know why I never thought of your solution before. I have to fly to Michigan in a few weeks, so I hope you don’t mind if I steal your idea.
What annoys me are the bands of giggling teenagers all decked out in pyjamawear as if the plane is “BFF Ashleighlynne’s” bedroom in which they’ll enjoy a pizza-and-coke fueled (non-)slumber party. I can understand total comfort for, say, a 4+ hour ride (I have switched to PJs during flights to/from Australia, totaling 12-14 hours), but when you’re flying to a destination within your time zone (or the next one over), feel free to put on some clothes. Sandals, yes. Comfypants, yes. Spongebob-hasn’t-been-new-for-8-years pyjama pants, out!
Devlyn, you make me laugh. And I totally agree with your parameters of when “PJs” might be acceptable.
(and I would never be caught dead in Spongebob pajama pants. Maybe Firefly pajama pants, but that’s as far as I would go.)
Travel Geek: I’d be honored — all the best ideas are, er, borrowed. I can’t remember who I borrowed the idea from. (And BTW, Eddie Bauer, Travel Smith, J.Jill and some other catalogs offer summer tanks with built in shelf bras in a large range of sizes that are very comfortable to wear under shirts and jackets. Fred Meyer also stocks some.)
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