Dressing for the journey?

[HighFlyer]

Just for a bit of fun (and nosey-ness) Do any of you guys dress well for when you travel? (I mean vacations rather than when on business)

If so, why do you dress well? Is it habit, or the hope of an upgrade? Or is it only when in premium classes? Remember the days of having to wear a tie to get into Club? Perhaps its a throwback from that?

I dress smart most of the time anyway but my partner likes to be comfortable. We were discussing our UC trip to South Africa that we hope to book for next year and my partner laughingly said that he would wear his sloppy jogging bottoms and t-shirt for the UC flight.

We seem to have this protocol for dressing smart for travel (think back to the Titanic) and i just wondered if you Frequent Flyers also seem to observe this, and what you think of it?

I wouldnt travel UC unless i was dressed vaguely smart, even though i bought the ticket and can dress how i like, so i wonder where these notions come from?

Always smart/casual and never a tie. I rather suspect that the operational upgrades are already sorted prior to check-in and thus dress may not be an issue.

However, I do recall my family holiday days travelling with the kids to LAX. We were flying Y and the check-in agent said that she would not have upgraded us to PE had we been wearing trainers (the kids actually were but she could not see them!).

cheers
GO

I like to comfortable, but also prefer to be smart.
Therefore my normal vacation travelling gear is (and please notice too many trips to the USA )

Polo shirt or short sleeved Van Heusen shirt
Dockers Trousers
Penny loafers

Alan

[Decker]

One of the "perks" of paying for UC is that we can dress as we see fit. In our case this means sweat pants and sweat shirts - so much easier to put the Scholl Socks on in sweat pants than jeans. Mistake last flight back was wearing a silk shirt... never again.

[Nottingham Nick]

My personal preference is for smart / casual.

One thing I have stopped doing is wearing decent leather shoes on an eastbound transatlantic flight - the TSA let the scruffiest trainers through without a second glance, but decent shoes seem to make you a target for a 'full wanding' :)

A mistake I made at BOS a few weeks ago was to wear a shirt with metal buttons. Goodness only knows why I put it on that day, but I think it sent the metal detector into burn out mode:):)

Sure enough, I got the full wand treatment - much to my son's amusement[:I]

Nick

Yes, I have the termerity to wear a belt with ametal buckle, gets the wanding every time

I usually dress a little better on scheduled flights than I do on charters - mostly out of habit, and because for me, charters are usually the preamble to a drinking holiday . Of course, there's always the prospect of an upgrade lurking in the back of the mind

I do like to dress casually, but appear presentable and comfortable too (I guess you'd call that smart/casual). Can't quite get into the idea of wearing a suit or something similar just for travelling (although it might be different if I was going straight into work or a meeting after the flight).

So, I generally end up wearing a plain cotton shirt, clean blue jeans (not faded, ripped, etc...), and my favourite pair of brown Nubuck shoes

Cheers

Michael

Coming back from our usual Carribean trips in the front of the bus, its amazing to see the number of blazers. Mind you, the people wearing them are double our age. De riguer sartorial elegance on these flights for the Cat and the Kitten runs to T-shirts, shorts, sandals and small backpacks as hand luggage. So no, dressing smart does not figure... however, you should see some of the scowls from other pax!

BC

[RichardMannion]

The upgrades are typically done before the first mere soul walks in to check-in for the flight.

I normally dress smart casual for a flight, but have been known to roll-up in shorts and t-shirt/short sleeved casual shirt.

Back to my LGW days, I used to always chuckle standing in the PE check-in queue in my shorts/casual outfit and seeing the archetypcial couple very overdressed in the Economy 'snake'.

If we have another fine weekend like this in 2 weeks time, will again be turning up to LHR in shorts for my flight to MIA - which I have just been told that the UCS will be operating on that particular route on that date.

Thanks,
Richard

Hi,

I go smart casual, ie polo shirt or long sleve shirt, dockers or chinos or smart casual black trousers( with belt) and either brown timberland shoes or black timberland smart shoes.

In the US I take off my shoes,belt and fleece ( if any) and put them through the xray machine. It is a little inconvenient but have not been selected for the full wanding.

Last time I was wanded was SFO-YVR on 1st Jan ( given the SSSS on my Alaska Air FC boarding pass at check in ( a few UK passport holders being selected that day according to the TSA screener).

Regards

TBS

I always make a point of wearing long-sleeved tops when travelling, due to my tattoos on both arms, which US security seem to think means I'm dubious/dangerous/drug smuggler, etc.

Dark shoes, black jeans and a smart Ben Sherman shirt normally. Never get an upgrade.... I fear I will die having never experienced a left turn entering the aircraft [:(!]

quote:Originally posted by jonathanmayhew
Dark shoes, black jeans and a smart Ben Sherman shirt normally. Never get an upgrade.... I fear I will die having never experienced a left turn entering the aircraft [:(!]

BEN SHERMAN?? You Pikey you :D:D:D:D:D

Hehe, I knowwwwwwww its sooooo bloody 'British' of me! But oh well, my girlfriend is American so the more British I can be the better off I am

[Decker]

wonder if this is a generational thing - with me Ben Sherman is a "Skin" thing... from when skins === reggae

quote:Originally posted by jonathanmayhew
Hehe, I knowwwwwwww its sooooo bloody 'British' of me! But oh well, my girlfriend is American so the more British I can be the better off I am

Let me guess (I have been there) "Talk English to me honey" [}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)]

[RichardMannion]

Funny thing is that 'Ben Sherman' is quite up there over in the US - next time you walk into a Virgin Megastore - you'll see there is a Ben Sherman radck as its seen trendy to be being British - take a look at the price tags - you will die laughing, Cheaper to buy a Ralph Lauren or CK shirt!

Just like looking at French Connection stuff, especially the UK derivative (FCUK).

And yes the British accent works wonders - I was asked by a group of college girls in NYC for help with the Subway map (Strange I know as I look nothing like a New Yorker) - they were in absolute awe as soon as I started speaking. Now theres an idea, go on my summer holiday to where all the college chicks are going to be (seen as I've just missed Spring Break)

Thanks,
Richard

Hehe yeah the accent is a godsend! I had my college girl over here in London for spring break but when I go to the states I stay with her in her dorm at her university A floor full of college girls hehe

quote:Hehe yeah the accent is a godsend!

Yup, I'd go along with that - unless they want you to start talking like Hugh Grant [:(!]

Cheers

Michael

Anyway, getting back on topic...

I always make a point of travelling smart yet comfortable no matter what cabin I'm booked in. I like to dress smartly and would certainly hate to be passed over for an u/g because I wasnt wearing the right clothes. If the flight requires sleeping I always take a pair of shorts and a tshirt to change into after take off though.

[8D]

A good pair of leather shoes, as it the only time they will get polished when passing through the lounges at LHR & LGW!

Comfortable shoes and a bit of slap!;)

On the two occasions I've been upgraded to UC I seem to remember that I may have been wearing denim!

I'm just wondering how many of us are with, or have had at some stage, a partner from another VS destination.

From the sound of things I'm not the only one here with a girlfriend in the US (although sadly no college dorms full of young ladies anymore).

I usually end up going to check in straight from work wearing my suit for the westbound flight to EWR, but on the way back from JFK I'm invariably dressed like a slob Never been offered an upgrade yet, either way [:(] but maybe that'll be a little more likely when I hit silver

Graham

I always just dress in comfortable clothes for a flight. I've never even thought about dressing differently for different cabins. Nine times out of ten it's just jeans and a t-shirt.

Been upgraded a couple of times, both occasions the decision had been made before I got to check in, and my scruffiness didn't change their minds.


VSlf

Black jeans/chinos, long sleeved Ben Sherman & Timberland boots black leather jacket.I always used to go in the rugby club blazer hoping for an upgrade but it never worked, Mrs jag sometimes still goes in a blazer and blue jeans .