Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, we discuss what to wear to the airport or when traveling by plane.
Back in the day, traveling used to be a special occasion that people dressed up for.
My mother-in-law worked for Northwest Airlines and so whenever their family would fly, they
would all be dressed up to the tee.
These days, anything goes!
When you're waiting at the airport, maybe at a TSA line, you'll see a lot of people
wear everything from maybe a regular business suit all the way to a hoodie with sweatpants.
So the big question is, what should you wear to the airport and why should you do it?
Obviously, dirty sneakers, shirts with holes, and sweatpants are acceptable and if that's
what you want to wear, go for it, however I like to say luck favors the prepared and
if you're dressed up at the airport, it can still have a number of advantages.
Let me start with a story.
A few years back, I was on a plane in coach, our business was much smaller and we wanted
to extend our credit line.
I was dressed well and the guy next to started a conversation and it turned out, he was a
manager for my local bank.
So when I told him what our plan was and had a hard time getting more credit, he was like
"Well, wait a second" and he gave me his email address, I followed up with him and I got
an increase for my credit line.
My banker was so impressed that he called me for the first time ever and wanted to get
together with me for a coffee and he was like "By the way, how did you get your credit line
increase?".
So the only reason that whole thing started was because I was well-dressed and trustworthy.
If I would have worn a t-shirt with ice cream stains, I probably would have not gotten that
offer from the gentleman.
In general, clothes send powerful signals to others and that also applies to the plane.
Now the easy thing is because everyone else is so dressed down, you can just get a rather
casual ensemble that makes you immediately stand out from the crowd.
The other reason you want to dress up when you fly is that your luggage can get lost.
That happened to me just last year on the way to my best friend's wedding where I was
the best man.
If I had not worn a nice pair of pants that would actually fit me, I would not have been
able to attend that wedding without looking like a complete douchebag.
So what are the specific pieces you should wear when traveling?
I would say find a compromise between comfort, functionality, and stylishness.
First, let's start with the jacket.
I always wear a jacket when I travel because I can easily take it off, maybe use it as
a blanket, or just have an additional layer to keep me warm because you never know how
hot or cold it's going to be on a plane.
I like a very unstructured jacket that is extremely comfortable, no shoulder padding
at all, and something that you can just throw into the corner that doesn't wrinkle easily.
Ideally, it has enough pockets because between your passport, your phone, your tickets, and
other stuff that you need, you want to have enough storage space.
During the warmer months of the year, I often travel in my Safari jacket which has really
big pockets, it's a nice casual jacket and it just is perfect for traveling because of
that.
Ideally, you want a jacket that is dark so it doesn't pick up stains or something with
a pattern such as this one.
Alternatively, I think a navy blazer in a soft material such as cashmere, a cashmere
wool blend, is ideal.
Next up is the shirt.
I try to go with a dress shirt, in this case, I am wearing a button-down collar shirt because
it doesn't require a necktie and it is made out of a fabric that is very hard-wearing.
to learn more about the Oxford cloth button-down shirt please check out this video here.
You definitely always want long sleeves but avoid French cuffs because the metal may set
off the metal detector, you may have to go through stuff again and it's just annoying.
Another really great option for air travel is a long sleeve polo shirt, specifically,
a white one.
It's what I wore when my luggage got lost and I could wear it for the wedding, it was
white, it looked like a regular white shirt but because of the mesh knit fabric, it is
very flexible, very comfortable, and if you reach for something in your carry-on luggage,
no seam is gonna rip accidentally.
Now if I go on a longer trip, I always either wear a tie because my luggage can get lost
or I try to wear a bow tie or keep one in my pocket because that can be a lifesaver
if I need to go to a more formal occasion later on.
I always travel with a pocket square but I skipped the boutonniere because when I fold
a jacket and put it somewhere, the flower would likely be squished, however, the pocket
square instantly upgrades my outfit and makes me stand out from the rest on the plane.
In an ideal world, you skip the belt as well as suspenders and just go with side adjusters,
however, that doesn't always work and so a belt that comes off easily is the best way
to go.
In terms of shoes, of course, I go with a leather that matches the belt but in the airport
travel case, I usually opt for a loafer.
It could either be a penny loafer it could be a Gucci loafer and to learn whether it's
worth and in general please check out this guide here.
Alternatively, you can also go with a monk strap shoe but opt for something that comes
off easily and quickly so no laced derbies or Oxfords.
For pants, I like something that is easily washable so usually, I don't opt for wool
dress pants instead, I go with cotton chinos and khaki because they are very neutral, can
be combined with a lot, and they can be easily washed if I stain them along the way.
Alternatively, during the warmer months of the year, I really like seersucker because
it's very lightweight, it's comfortable to travel in yet it doesn't wrinkle very easily
and always looks neat.
If you're on really long flights, I suggest you invest in a pair of over the calf compression
socks because it compresses your veins and makes sure the blood keeps flowing and you
don't end up with a blood clot that might be lethal.
That's especially true if you're an older gentleman; if you're younger and you don't
worry about it, I still suggest wearing some nice over the calf socks I particularly like
the shadow striped socks from Fort Belvedere because they're easy to combine, they're always
stylish, and provide a nice contrast between your pants and your shoes.
Personally, I always take three aspirins before I fly because it keeps my blood thin and that
way, I prevent blood clotting but I also have a history of blood clots in my family.
In terms of a carry-on, I usually bring a computer bag which also contains my camera
and all the stuff I need and if I don't check luggage, I bring a carry-on with really good
wheels that is stable enough so I can put my bag on top of it and just maneuver the
airport and the cities I am in very easily.
If you're a watch guy, of course, you want to get a wristwatch.
Personally, I try to bring it along in my luggage because I don't want to take it off
put it back on it's just one more step when going through security and I simply try to
avoid it.
Of course, to me, time is money so I invested in TSA Pre and so I waste as little time as
possible waiting at the airport.
so in today's video I am wearing a typical travel outfit it is an unlined blazer with
no shoulder padding that's very comfortable it's made of a soft woolen cloth with a cashmere
blend and my shirt is a light blue Oxford cloth button-down shirt that is really hard
wearing it doesn't have any cuff links just regular button cuffs and my pants are chinos
in a typical kind of khaki stone color I'm wearing it with a belt that matches the color
of my brown penny loafers and it picks up the brown tones of my jacket for my socks
I went with some contrasting brown and beige socks that pick up the tone of the pants as
well as a jacket and a broad contrast between the pants and the shoes I also skipped any
kind of pinky ring or wristwatch because I don't want to set off the metal detector the
same is true for collar stays I once had a security agent look through my jewelry for
10 minutes because I didn't know what the collar stays were and collar clips and I just
want to avoid that kind of hassle altogether my pocket square is from Fort Belvedere it's
a silk wool blend that picks up the orange reddish color in my jacket as well as the
blue tones and you can find it in our shop just like our socks here if you enjoyed this
video make sure to also watch how to pack a suitcase and what to put into your suitcase
in those videos here.