Scout About Town: Airport Style, a Revision

I recently returned from a trip I took with my family to Guatemala. As we checked our luggage, took off our shoes to walk on the grimy floor, and eventually found our gate surrounded by Taco Bells, Starbuckses and Brookstones, I was reminded of my great distaste for the phenomenon that is Airport Style.

As I sat in the terminal immersed in a culture so particular and distinct from the outside world, I wondered why the airport is not viewed as a destination in itself. People seem inclined to ask themselves, “Will I be more comfortable in my skanky college sweatpants, or my old faded leggings with the elastic coming out of the waistband? Should I don my Uggs or my plastic flip flops?”

Yet the most common complaint after a trip comes from feeling disgusting after a long flight. Well, when dressed so sloppily, that feeling of ickiness is inevitable. I myself have been faced with this situation, and sadly enough there were many times when I took the route of the sweats and the soft T-shirt. As I walked out of the airport after said trips, I felt ridiculous; I would never wish to be seen on the street in those clothes! So why on earth did I feel it was all right to wear them to the airport??? From then on I resolved that going to the airport should be just as important as going anywhere else -- if not a fancier locale. This is why I so desperately cry for a return to a time when going to the airport meant dressing up, making an effort to look your best. Travel used to have sex appeal!

But living in an age when people will wear blue jeans to a Broadway show, what hope is there for glamour at the airport? If you happen to be one of those people who insists on wearing those once black, hole in the knee, Old Navy leggings that you practically lived in last fall in order to be comfortable at the airport or someone as desperate as I am for a new look at the terminal, here are some ways to class up your act:

· For those ready to completely revamp their airport look, make pretend that you’re going out for a casual party, maybe tea at a friend’s house. Wear a dress, wear some dress pants. Whatever your style, choose something that makes you feel luxurious. It will help when standing in that endless security line.

· Choose smaller elements that make you feel beautiful and stylish -- costume jewelry, your great aunt’s perfume, a feathered hair clip. Little things that will help when you go to the bathroom mid-flight and feel like a hag.

· Even if a long flight calls for comfort, there is always time to throw on some pants and a sweater on the airplane. But when arriving at the airport and disembarking at your destination it always helps to feel fresh and lovely by wearing outerwear that is classy.

· Always keep a small amount of face moisturizer, a stash of lipstick or even a petite Evian mister in your bag for arrival. Anything to help you feel fresh and rejuvenated in the least will help.

· At the very least, put on some sexy little set of matching underwear and bra. Even if it is covered by that paper thin shirt you bought at the flea market, with the rip at the armpit, lacy little underwear will give you that extra sparkle in your eye and swagger in your step.

These might seem simple, but every trip I take I come across far too many people who just resign themselves to a grungified airport way of life. The charm and sophistication of travel has been lain at the wayside for far too long. And to a society that needs to dress everything down I say, let’s dress up!

Pictured at top: Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer at the London Airport in 1965; Twiggy at the London Airport in 1967; Marilyn Monroe leaving Idlewild Airport in 1954