You’ve packed your bags, checked in online and booked your Uber to the airport. Just the last and most crucial element to your holiday remains: what should you wear to the airport? 

Victoria Beckham once tweeted that the airport is her runway and she is not the only celebrity who has endorsed travelling in style. In fact, airport style has been a subject of both fascination and huge appeal for as long as we have been boarding planes.

Is it any wonder, then, that airports around the world are regularly patrolled by paparazzi looking to snap a photo of a celeb? After all, there’s something very appealing about seeing how the world’s most beautiful people travel the world. It offers us a glimpse into their lives – and grants us the potential to recreate it (albeit likely without the private jet).

Some celebrities have made airport dressing part of their brand and these are the ones that do it best. Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Miranda Kerr come from the rock ’n’ roll airport style school of skinny jeans, healed ankle boots and felt fedora hats. 

Meanwhile, New Gen airport stylers – think Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid et al – tend to keep things functional: a sporty two-piece, finessed with a pair of trainers so rare they are more expensive than the flight themselves. For this kind of travel, it’s a functional sort of fashion.

Then there are those that look so pristine when they come off a plane, you can’t believe they just did a red-eye from New York. That’s because they didn’t do it like you do. They didn’t have to contend with bent legs cramped from lack of space, or eyes so dry they needn’t blink. 

No, this crop of travellers prefers to leave one city in a cashmere two-piece, take a nap in their first class pod, and then, just in time for landing, change into a crease-free outfit so chic your dry eyes will suddenly be filled with tears.

Of course, they are lessons to be learned from all of the above. 

There’s a way to travel and look good, even on a budget airline night flight to Ibiza with only hens and stags as your company (let’s be honest, who needs a TV for entertainment on such flights?)

So here’s how to master the impossible. Consider this your recipe to celebrity-approved airport style so good, your upgrade is surely just one smile away…

Matchy Matchy

Take a leaf out of those who spend more time in the air than on land for this one. A matching set of comfortable clothes is a chic and easy way to hit both fashion and function. 

Be warned, though: this isn’t your usual matching grey Nike tracksuit type take on the matchy matchy trend. Instead, you need to pair some loose fitting cashmere trousers with a slightly oversized cashmere roll neck.

Bag It Up

Nothing says unseasoned traveller like someone who is trying to lug a hugely cumbersome basket bag through Gatwick North wearing an equally cumbersome Jacquemus style straw hat, holding everyone up at security as they dig around for their boarding pass. Streamline your accessories by opting for a neat cross-body bag to keep all your essentials: passport, boarding pass, wallet, phone, headphones.

Everything else can be stashed in either your Away carry-one or your nylon Prada backpack (you aren’t limited to these options but they are highly encouraged). Hands free, is really the only way to be. 

Feet First

There is a time for your fanciest heels and boarding a plane is not one of them. Trainers are an absolute airport travel saviour but for the health and safety of everyone you are travelling with, please ensure these are box fresh if you wish to remove them mid-flight. 

f that isn’t your style, don’t worry: dad sandals are in vogue right now. So a pair of Birkenstocks – paired with some chunky, ribbed socks – isn’t just an acceptable airport look: it’s peak comfort too.

Status Sunglasses 

It’s not a holiday unless you’ve packed seven pairs of sunglasses for a four-day trip (no, just me?). The ideal airport sunglasses are large, but not obnoxiously so, acetate and not metal – the metal will always catch in your hair. 

They also need, of course, dark lenses. It is entirely appropriate to wear a pair on your way into and out of the airport, but please don’t be that person who wears them on the entirety of the flights. This kind of behaviour put you in the same bucket as those passengers that clap upon touch down…

Inflight Essentials

Want to look fresh on the other side? You have to put in the graft. Eye patches will reduce the cabin pressured swell on your face and firm the skin. A hydrating mist will combat the aggressive air conditioning and nourish the skin, and a lanolin lip balm will be your travel essential: locking in the moisture to ensure no post-flight chap. 

Swap Shop

For those really committed to airport style, you’ll need to pack a spare outfit entirely. Only really necessary when travelling transatlantic or to climate unsuitable for a cashmere tracksuit, this is a real dedication to the cause (not only because airplane bathrooms are compact). If you are committing to this, easy-to-throw on pieces is the key. A slip dress over a white t-shirt gets our vote. 

Images: Getty / Courtesy of brands