Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Come on America. Step it up!

I have a lot of pet peeves about airline travel — and it has nothing to do with the delays, baggage mishandling, cancellations, etc. that I have become accustomed to. It has to do with how people (passengers) dress when they are on an airplane. It really is a disgrace.

I've been told stories about how people used to get dressed up for air travel. It was a luxury and people treated it as such. Of course, back then they served steak that wasn't freeze dried.

It seems as though many passengers are dressing in response to the lack of service/amenities on airplanes today. Most people I see are wearing sweats (just because it is Juicy Couture does NOT make it right). I actually saw a woman wearing a Nike track suit this morning — it's like it has become the official uniform of air travelers.

Well, let me tell you something. There is NO WAY IN HELL you are going to get upgraded if you dress like a slob. Leave the neck pillow at home. You can wear jeans, but wear jeans as though it were casual Friday at work. I always wear dark denim with a black shirt (either a turtleneck or a cardigan usually, depending on the destination) with black heels. And I wear my fabulous cream-colored BR trench when I travel — no matter what the temperature — because it just looks fabulous.

Tim Gunn has a great chapter in his book about how to dress when traveling by plane. It's a good read if you haven't checked it out yet.

You never know who is going to be sitting next to you — could be someone who could offer you a job or it could be Patrick Dempsey. Be prepared and fashionable.

Remember: Good clothes open all doors.

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