Follow my guide to master the art of airport chic: it’s in the bag
And so the great getaway begins. The piles of clothes are being sorted on your bedroom floor, the shrivelled swimsuits have been swapped for pristine, “figure-enhancing” newcomers. You are busy justifying how many pairs of sunglasses you really need for one holiday. How many dangly earrings are you really going to wear, how many kaftans can you justify in the “final markdowns” of the summer sales? You hunt for the passport you left in a “safe place”, (you even google if an EU passport is still valid for Europe…), you buy the last-minute travel insurance. Suitcase packed. Job done. And then you try to condense everything you will need for the airport and the flight into… a tiny cross-body handbag.
No. You see this week is about getting “airport chic” just right. I don’t do hand luggage. I need far more than 100ml of liquids, I require tweezers, I need space for Marmite (really). I’m not here to say “buy fewer, wear fewer and you can travel with next to nothing”. I pack lots and I wear lots. When else can you get away with seven kaftans in a week? Not in Berkshire, that’s for sure.
I found this vast bag by Newburybased independent Gift Pop, and in it I packed: iPhone, wet wipes, charger, plug adapter, wallet, Elsa doll (for my four-year-old), Michelle Obama autobiography, jumper for the flight, toothbrush (in case of delay), packet of chewing gum (ears need to pop aloft). The list is endless. And that’s before I’ve hit the “money counts for nothing” shops at the airport. This bag is seemingly bottomless.
You may wonder why I’m wearing
Nervous flier
Sleep drops, £17, Ila Spa (ila-spa.com)
Hats off
Straw hat, £18, Next (next.co.uk) Matching shirt and belted trousers, Mango, £49.99 each; bag, £55, reduced to £40, giftpop.co.uk; sandals and hat, Ginnie’s own
my favourite hat. Well airport chic is the one time you can get away with wearing your sun hat as you munch on that Pret sandwich at 6am, or as you buy your euros or select a travel-size mouthwash. It’s very Margo in The Good Life, isn’t it? You can break all the hat rules because you certainly can’t squash a hat into a suitcase. A hat also doubles up as a way to indicate to the cabin crew: “I’m sleeping, no dodgy perfume for me, thank you.”
The outfit is what my husband would refer to as “Medicine Man crossed with Out of Africa”. Actually, it’s a dream combination from Mango. I like it because it’s something I can wear again in the evenings with gold jewellery and a tan. I don’t want to waste space with skinny jeans and a cashmere jumper that will only sit, forlorn, for a week as other clothes enjoy multiple outings. The look is comfortable, relatively smart, minimal fuss, and won’t break the bank. And the colour is soft khaki; possibly the most useful shade in your fashion armoury, as an alternative to grey, white or camel. I’ll always wear flip flops or slides to allow for swollen feet. These are old favourites.
My husband broke the news that I might need some really pointy heels to wear for the actual airport chic look: “You might be tackling the strikes at Heathrow.” Well, maybe they’ll let us on to the flight if I offer up my new bag. Happy Holidays.
Superb soap (for little hands)
Hand wash, £3.99, Bloom and Blossom (bloomandblossom.com)