Jet set: celebrities' outfits at the airport

The airport is the new catwalk. That's Victoria Beckham's word. If the former Posh Spice says it, it must be true. You only have to read a magazine in the summer or look at a blog to realise that. From Emily Ratajkowski to Kylie Jenner, from the Hadid sisters to Hailey Baldwin, from Rihanna to Elsa Hosk, it seems that all celebrities choose their outfits more carefully to catch a plane than to go to the Met Gala. On the other hand, finding the right styling is not easy. We have to be comfortable but not sloppy, we have to prefer clothes that protect us from the air conditioning but are too heavy so that we sweat when we board the plane or when we have to run because we are late and our flight is going to the Maldives and we are stranded. But that's not enough. Unlike the stars with their private jets, we mere mortals also have to carry something that we can safely reuse on holiday, so as not to add more weight to our suitcase. So even when it's 40 degrees, we often have to wear trainers and a jacket just so we do not exceed the frightening kilogramme limit of our luggage. Apart from these little logistical problems, actresses and models who are used to frequenting airports for business or pleasure are our best inspiration when it comes to finding the combination of clothes we feel comfortable in, even if our flight is cancelled. All we have to do is find the celeb that best suits our style and needs.

A brief history of jet-set style

With all due respect to Victoria Beckham, the fact that the airport is a stage for celebrities to flaunt their sense of style and glamour is not new. It has always been the case. Once upon a time, travelling by plane was truly a luxury reserved for the elite and required an outfit to match. The original jet-set look came from Chanel, Balmain, Courrèges, Cardin and Dior and went hand in hand with luxurious luggage sets, champagne on board, stewardesses with impeccable uniforms and dazzling smiles, Pan Am and their planes, designed by fashionable architects, and Hollywood divas like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn walking up the aircraft stairs in their high heels and fur coats, their flowing skirts and tailored jackets, their chic handbags and matching gloves. Being stylish was a must, and airports were the equivalent of red carpets. And as such, they were influenced by the trends of the time and evolved in step with fashion. Thus, the airport look of the 1960s and 1970s, like the creations of Paco Rabanne and Pierre Cardin, was characterised by futuristic designs and synthetic fibres, and from Brigitte Bardot to Jane Birkin, departing divas favoured mini dresses, cheerful patterns, knee-high boots and round sunglasses.

The Golden Age of Travel began its decline in the 1980s and 1990s, when air travel became more common and affordable and celebrities simultaneously began to trade glamour for comfort. Sure, the sunglasses to protect them from the paparazzi's flashbulbs remained, but along with baseball caps, jeans, T-shirts and casual wear, they became a means of disappearing among the many anonymous tourists with coffee in one hand and a suitcase in the other. A few examples? Cindy Crawford in a blue suit, jumper and black leather accessories in 1992 or Tyra Banks in a denim jacket, CK T-shirt and trainers in 1996.

How to dress for the airport?

For many of us, the time of departure is approaching, an event associated with many small rituals: packing suitcases and beauty cases, checking whether the passport is still valid, printing out the tickets and keeping them in a safe place, putting medicine against airsickness in one pocket and a lucky charm in the other, ... and of course decide what to wear on the day of the flight. The dilemma is to be guided by the destination, the weight of the suitcase, the practicality or the style The best answer remains to try to take all these elements into account, perhaps inspired by the latest it-girls and celebrities' airport looks. There are those who are always immaculate, like model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and those who opt (for the majority) for jumpsuits and athleisure wear, those who prefer businesswoman pieces like Victoria Beckham, and those who never give up a rock'n roll touch, like Kate Moss.