Travel Suits (airport and waiting around)

[Canadian]

Okay,

I'm going on a big cross country trip (by aeroplane across Canada with a lengthy wait in a few airports and two full days transferring planes).

Is there an appropriate style of dress for men to wear when actually travelling and at airports? So often when I fly, it seems to polarize between old men wearing smelly business suits that they've worn for a week straight and young "rich kids" wearing designer jeans, a leather blazer and a tee.

There are of course families wearing everyday clothes, but most of the flights I take are full of one or the other. I'm planning to pack two suits, several shirts, etc and will probably change shirts every day once I arrive.

I've got two big options to keep comfort in mind. I know a woman could wear an "easy belted dress", which I believe is an older term for a casual dress. But what does a man wear? I'm stuck between a khaki cotton suit, or a khaki safari jacket with chino trousers? Shoes would be loafers.

I don't want to simply wear 501s and a tee because it's a business trip, and I may wear a raincoat if it's cool enough. But I'm paralyzed trying to figure out what to wear. When I was a bureaucrat, when I travelled, I'd wear a seersucker suit during summer and grey suit during winter, but I'm a civilian now and don't need to pack as lightweight.

Also, are there any vintage shops in Montréal I should hit? I've got some downtime in that city and may ditch my business associates and go shopping.

Thomas

 

[Orgetorix]

Honestly, wear what's comfortable. Hopefully you have something that feels good and is a bit stylish too, but don't make yourself uncomfortable for the sake of looking good. If the standard of dress for air travelers has changed in the last several decades, air travel has changed too. Planes are more crowded, cramped, and uncomfortable than they once were.

When I fly, I normally wear khaki pants, a button-down dress shirt without tie, a comfortable sportcoat, and lace-up shoes. The shoes are important because your feet can swell during a flight, making loafers uncomfortable and difficult to remove and put on.

If you're interested in a vintage-styled travel suit, check out Matt Deckard's "Laureate": http://www.mattdeckard.com/

 

[PADDY]

Airport & city travel wear...etc

I like to wear something that matches up (ie: pants and jacket), but are interchangeable with other items in my bag (cuts down on kit overall).

Also with a matching jacket/pants, I can wear it open shirt when needed, or throw on a tie to gain access to other places/people.

I have a particular jacket/pants that I use to travel. I've customised the pockets with velcro fastening and also some with concealed zips. But you can also purchase similar items (online from USA) which are often used for covert work by military/police agencies and for all intensive purposes look like a pair of chinos and a jacket.

I get piece of mind when travelling through places that I'm not overly familiar with, that I don't have to worry about pockets being picked and it frees me up to concentrate on other things (hence Mr Velcro and Mr Zipp..!).

For warm climates, a roll-up Panama is handy which I fold up and put into an old Busmills tin! Also tend to keep one battery in the cell, and another spare fully charged for emergencies (they are so small they fit into a pocket these days).

As a back-up folks, it's always worth getting a good colour photocopy of your passport and secrete it in some part of your jacket/pants, just in case the original goes walkabouts (along with embassey/consul numbers to contact for the country you're in). I say this as I'm aware of a recent situation where a friend's passport was stolen 'after' going through Airport Security which caused muchas problemas!

Oh, one last thing I do (all from personal experience), I always wear my RM Williams 'chelsea styled' boots. As they slip on and off so easily (handy for airport security or just chilling on the flight), they take a good polish and just look 'fab!' Also no major steel works in the internals to set off security sensors. That's enough me thinks!

 

[GBR]

What has a business trip got to do with not wanting to wear a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. This is modern twenty first century travelling - not glamorous, not even enjoyable. Dress to reflect that so that after three hours delay etc so can abandon your jeans and put on fresh clothes etc.


Style is irrelevant frankly - and even if you are in the front cabin. you have paid for it so it is none of any one's business how you dress.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Here is a picture of my Tilley "Urban Traveller" blazer and slacks. It is made from a poly/cotton microfiber so it breathes well and is wrinkle resistant. You can also hand wash it in a pinch.

It is not the most fashionable suit (or the best picture), but it is functional and designed for traveling with plenty of Velcro closed pockets. I've taken it on several trips with success.

 

[Max Flash]

I have an Orvis safari jacket for these purposes. It is in a heavy twill fabric so wears well, loose-cut enough to be comfortable but tailored enough to be wearable in semi-formal occasions. It looks well with jeans or chinos and is full of useful pockets for all my travel clobber.

 

[John in Covina]

Seasoned travelers often opt for comfort over looks, so in the US you will often see people in high end track suits at the airport and aboard the flight.

Depending on the time of year I tend to wear something that's akin to hiking and safari dress over a dressier format if it's for pleasure travel. So I look like I am on expedition or the crocodile hunter but the clothes are comfy, hold up well to the rigors of travel and the pockets helps me hold my usual travel needs.

 

[johnny]

I am completely on the "dress for comfort" side of this. I always wear a Hawaiian style shirt, hiking shorts (with velcro pockets, or jeans in colder weather), and running shoes. I've found that wearing a shirt with at least one breast pocket always comes in handy. On longer trips I've started carrying a toothbrush and paste, small washcloth, and change of underwear and socks so I can freshen up after landing if I'm not heading straight to a hotel.

 

[JohnnieT]

Travel.

I love to travel and do so often. While I prefer a road trip, I'm a pretty seasoned airport veteran also. Flying on official business is no biggie for me. I get to fly in uniform and most people are pretty understanding if it looks a bit less than sharp when you arrive. I still carry extra under layers, an extra shirt and tie if in greens, and a basic hygiene kit.
In civilian clothes, I try to mesh comfort with style. I hate looking frumpy, even if I have an excuse. No sweats or track suits for this guy, no sir. I opt for some version of cotton khaki pants or chinos, a light blue or white button down oxford, and a decent tie packed in my carry-on. Stafford makes a very comfortable wingtip that are durable and comfy for travel, but shine easily and looks sharp when they need to. Watch, ring, belt buckle, etc. are all silver and as such easy to coordinate with black or brown. I have a brown corduroy blazer that used to be my travel jacket of choice, but recently upgraded to a brown microfiber sport coat. These items give me a pretty good balance of style, versatility, comfort, durability, and minimal maintenance.
I never really sat down to itemize all that before, but thinking about it now that's pretty much how I travel every time. I guess even when I'm not in uniform I'm still a creature of habit.

 

[davestlouis]

I refuse to travel by air...it's a phobia that has built up over the past 2 decades or so, so anywhere I'm going, I'm getting there in the comfort of my car...khaki's, lace up shoes, long sleeve oxford shirt of some sort, and coats/blankets in the trunk if the weather might get nippy. I absolutely hate blue jeans of any sort, they never fit right and I get overheated when I wear them...I own one pair for working in the yard in cold weather. I also would sooner die than wear a track suit in public, so it limits my choices.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

http://www.seatguru.com/ (its all about your seat)

"I usually wear a Polo shirt with a cricket jumper over the top, flannel oxford bags, although I did make the mistake of flying from Hobart (Tasmania) to the Swan River colony in my Racoon coat, well it was snowing when I left!, but hellish on arrival "

 

[Fletch]

Truly vintage style in traveling would have leaned strongly towards the old-men-in-smelly-business-suits side of things. Especially with the cross-country travel experience being so strongly oriented towards coal-belching locomotives and copious tobacco use, and tending to discourage scrupulous daily bathing.

 

[matei]

As a back-up folks, it's always worth getting a good colour photocopy of your passport and secrete it in some part of your jacket/pants, just in case the original goes walkabouts (along with embassey/consul numbers to contact for the country you're in). I say this as I'm aware of a recent situation where a friend's passport was stolen 'after' going through Airport Security which caused muchas problemas!

Sound advice Paddy - this has happened to me in the past and the photocopy was invaluable.

 

[John in Covina]

Truly vintage style in traveling would have leaned strongly towards the old-men-in-smelly-business-suits side of things. Especially with the cross-country travel experience being so strongly oriented towards coal-belching locomotives and copious tobacco use, and tending to discourage scrupulous daily bathing.

Copious tobacco use tends to interfere with ones ability to smell things so it probably increased who gets a "pass." Plus, so many areas that are non-smoking now were smoking, so back in the day the cabin reeked too. I am old enough to recall before all US and most overseas flights became non-smoking

As a matter of fact the repairs guys could often see where the leaks were on the pressurized airliners because the smoke and nicoteine would creat a visible indicator smudge on the outer skin of the plane where it was leaking.

 

[Lone_Ranger]

(When flying) There's a school of thought that you should wear your suit coat while traveling. They way it wont get lost with your baggage, and it would be less wrinkled than packing it in a suit case. So, your mileage may vary.

I'm in the market for a new suit. I'm always looking for suggestions on one that resists wrinkles, and still looks presentable. Any ideas? I once bought a Ted Baker suit, and paid good money for it at a local high-end men's shop. It was supposed to be a "travel" suit. Had special pockets for boarding pass, passport etc. But, it wrinkled when you looked at it sideways, and the wrinkles would stick around too.

 

[John in Covina]

I believe I recall Matt Deckard saying the old style fabrics for suits such as the wools were a heavier weight but a wider weave so they breathe easier and are not as hot as the weight might siggest.

The heavier weight makes them lay and drape better but they seem to be much less likely to wrinkle plus hold their shape allowing you to practically live in them.

So vintage and those vintage repros with better fabric may be better for travel.

 

[Matt Deckard]

/\ I did... you find heavier fabrics from back then that seam less plasticine because they aren't woven super tight to make up for the weakness of the thinner and thinner super fibers. I've been looking for more vintage type fabrics for my line... in fact that whipcord suit on my sight breathes better than the lighter weight grey stripe I picture, and the whipcord is 4 ounces heavier.

If it wasn't too hot, a good loose tweed would hit the spot. Doesn't wrinkle too easily, and when it does wrinkle, it tends to look good. If you want to go summer I'd say go for a chunky linen for the same reason. They just look like you're traveling.

If you can pull off the three piece suit without the tie and look more like a busy Donald Sutherland and less like a jigalo or 70s John Travolta... Do it!

Check out Donald Sutherland looking awesome in his suit in this Kate Bush video.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6220489

 

[MisterCairo]

fftopic:

Ahhhhh, Kate Bush.....

Sigh.........

 

[Edward]

Paddy's comments about coordinating pieces (which the ladies refer to, I believe, as a 'capsule wardrobe') are spot on. I find neutral tones work really well, as they facilitate a variety of different shirt / tie colours - means you can create the impression of amuch more varied wardrobe than is really the case. Also, caps are great - you can fit two or three of them in a case in minimal space, leaving you more headwear options without the difficulties of transporting additional fedoras (that said, the Christies folding fedora looks great...).

When pushed for space in footwear terms, something like a pair of WW2 US service shoes would be great - smart enough for dresswear in all but the most formal situations, and fine for casual wear also.

 

[MrBern]

/\ I did... you find heavier fabrics from back then that seam less plasticine because they aren't woven super tight to make up for the weakness of the thinner and thinner super fibers. I've been looking for more vintage type fabrics for my line... in fact that whipcord suit on my sight breathes better than the lighter weight grey stripe I picture, and the whipcord is 4 ounces heavier.

If it wasn't too hot, a good loose tweed would hit the spot. Doesn't wrinkle too easily, and when it does wrinkle, it tends to look good. If you want to go summer I'd say go for a chunky linen for the same reason. They just look like you're traveling.

If you can pull off the three piece suit without the tie and look more like a busy Donald Sutherland and less like a jigalo or 70s John Travolta... Do it!

Check out Donald Sutherland looking awesome in his suit in this Kate Bush video.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6220489

I like thick wool too as it doesnt wrinkle easy & breathes well. But this summer has been so humid, I'd have to recommend Seersucker. Linen is comfortable and available in more colors, but it gets so wrinkled so easily.

BTW, try to get a belt w/o a metal buckle so you dont have to remove it at metal detectors.