Airports aren t only places for unfortunate, domestic encounters with seatmates such as Chad who wears chinos and tells you about the mail-order bride he’s planning to meet for the first time in a one-goat town in Siberia. Nor do they have to always mean that six-hour layover in Denver, where you are delayed next to Gary, a bachelor-party straggler straight off a Las Vegas confetti–strewn bender with a nimbus of tequila floating around his mouth.
Even in a place that is a literal terminal, traveling prospects don t need to be so fleeting, or so failing. In fact, they can be the ultimate meet-cute opportunity. Imagine this flight fantasy: Maybe, just maybe, you ll get bumped to first class, nary a peanut snack in sight, and your handsome seatmate will offer you his pillow as well as a glass of prosecco to go with your melatonin. How sweet! Or maybe, you’ll be dining at a restaurant that is not a bootleg version of TGI Fridays, indulging in a kale salad sprinkled with quinoa, when a dashingly suited stranger strikes up a conversation with you about the benefits of eating sprouted grains. Dreams can come true, trust us.
So how to dress in anticipation of the most relaxing flight of your life and meeting a potential lifelong connection? Take a cue from the passengers who use the aviation runway as their personal runway, like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The supermodel tends to wear a look that’s all about laid-back cool, such as a loose-fitting denim shirt thrown over a white tee and low-slung trousers, but she elevates the ensemble with an easy-to-walk-in, ready-for-anything pair of heels. “It’s all about chic and comfortable pieces. And that doesn’t mean wearing a hole-ridden flannel legging from the car to the baggage check,” says Vogue.com Market Editor Chelsea Zalopany. “Though, you can save a pair of cute sweatpants to change into once you board. Until then, keep it all casual but polished.”
Lastly, no matter what you wear, remember to pack light. No one wants to see you hauling the entire contents of your closet through five terminals. Should by chance you don’t meet an in-flight partner for life, should you instead wind up with a middle seat in coach, follow the above guidelines and regardless you’ll look nothing less than first class.
