What to Wear on a Long-Haul Flight

Hint: It's not denim

Mar 03, 2024

Naomi Campbell on a private jet for a 90s Louis Vuitton travel campaign

I’d like to start off today’s newsletter to say hi and thank you to all the new subscribers who have found their way to Fashionably Late since my last letter. I’m so happy you are here. ❤️

I’m writing this newsletter to you from 38,999 feet above the Atlantic Ocean as I’m on my way back to New York. While I’ve been sitting up here, I’ve had some time to think about this whole idea of flying back and forth between two continents as often as I’m doing right now. With so many new faces here, I think now is a good time to provide some context:

I’m a Journalism grad student from Denmark. I met my boyfriend on a three-month solo trip to New York I did as a part of my program. He’s from New York and I’m from Denmark. Since we met, we have been flying back and forth between the two places to visit each other every chance we get.

My graduate program gives me a flexible schedule. Because of that, I’m often the one taking the trip across the pond, which is what I’m doing as we speak. That also means, I spend practically half my time in Denmark and the other half in New York City. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time.

It also means that I spend a lot of time thinking about what to wear on my flights. As any fashion aficionado in this day and age, I have a soft spot for 1990s airport fashion.

Kate Moss, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sharon Stone, Cindy Crawford, & Garcelle Beauvais (Credit: Getty Images).

Light wash jeans and black leather coats look great—especially when paired together. It was also a pretty common outfit combo at the arrival hall in the ‘90s. What I have learned, however, is that wearing jeans and leather on an 8 hour flight freaking SUCKS.

But, if we dive a little bit deeper into the ‘90s celebrity outfits archive, we’ll notice a bunch of more long-flight-appropriate style cues to take note of (Like Sharon Stone’s silk co-ord, or Cindy Crawford’s oversized pantsuit pictured above). I’ve listed some of my favorites below. 👇

Silk loungewear

**Shirts:** LOULOU STUDIO “Aloma“ shirt, LOULOU STUDIO “Datia” silk-satin shirt, & ARKET relaxed silk shirt* | **Shorts:** Solaqua, LOULOU STUDIO “Yedi” shorts*, & Comme Si “LA BOXER CLASSICA“ shorts | **Pants:** LOULOU Studio “Vione” pants, Comme Si “LA BOXER ALTA” pants, & ARKET silk trousers* 🐛

For long-haul flights during summer, my number one tip is to wrap yourself in anything silk.

That Louis Vuitton bag

**Bags:** LV “Sac Sports“ travel bag, LV “Keepall 50“ duffel bag, LV “Deauville“ handbag, LV “Keepall 45“ duffel bag, LV “Sac Souple 35“ handbag, & LV “Papillon 30” shoulder bag

Apparently, Louis Vuitton started as a luxury luggage brand. Maybe that’s why everyone at the airport in 90s was sporting that one duffel bag? Above is a selection of various LV travel bags, but I believe the ‘standard’ bag was the Keepall duffel bag. Anyways, if they’re vintage, I think LV bags go hard.

Oversized suits

**Suits:** 1990s black pant suit, 1990s pinstripe pant suit, vintage Max Mara pant suit, vintage suit jacket, & 1990s black v-neck pant suit

Suits may not be ideal on an overnight flight, but as long as they’re oversized, I think they could definitely work for an overseas flight.

Leopard print coats

**Coats:** Boutique Moschino, vintage 1950s, vintage 1960s, Shrimps (*also here*), & vintage 1960s

I LOVE a good leopard print coat. They’re expensive, but a leopard coat made of high quality materials is a timeless piece.

With all that in mind, here’s a few looks, I put together, that you can draw inspiration from for your next long-haul flight:

IDEA “DiCaprio“ hat, Paloma Wool Besito sweater, Massimo Dutti pants, Totême scarf, Maguire “Torre Slingback“ clogs, Louis Vuitton “Keepall 50“ duffel bag, & Mejuri hoops

Le Scarf striped silk scarf, Mejuri “Essential pearl necklace“, Eileen Fisher sheer coat, LOULOU STUDIO “Vione“ pants, Vagabond “Brittie“ mules, COS “CLEAN CUT“ t-shirt, & A.P.C. “Daniela“ tote

Boutique Moschino, COS merino wool top, Adidas x Wales Bonner track pants, Macy’s 18mm hoops, vintage Gucci ‘Jackie’ bag, & St. Agni mules

That’s all I have for today, friends. Again, thank you so much for being here. I’d love to hear what you would like to see on more of on this newsletter. Feel free to comment below this post on Substack, or by sending me a direct message right here:

Talk soon,

Emma xx