Spring Break
Off the rack
Susie Bafico
Issue date: 1/11/08 Section: Diversions
As I sat in my terminal at LAX waiting to go back to Oregon, I was too tense from the hell that is airport security to sit and read, so I decided to watch people going about their business in the airport. I'm sure it all depends on where you're going and why, but it's still fascinating to watch how some people (let's face it, mainly women) are dressed to the nines to travel. I value that at least these days "comfort" fashions are more in style, which allows people to not suffer on their flights and still look somewhat attractive. Still, some people dress to levels that just don't seem conducive to sitting in a cramped plane for however long.
I had planned to just mock the "dressing up at the airport" idea, but I had my own experience that I think taught me the pros and cons of certain airport apparel. After my last final on a Thursday, I had to hop on a 6 a.m. flight to New York City to arrive around 3 p.m. This is really the Holy Grail of flights, as I've never had the option of going non-stop before. However, the main drawback is that Portland Airport is two hours from Corvallis, I have no car (thus I had to depend on shuttle schedules), and since I would be staying with friends who planned to take me out right away that Friday night, I had to find a way to get enough sleep and still make my flight.
My plan of action was to dress in sweats and change at JFK into more fashionable clothing. I wouldn't really have done this normally, but my friends wouldn't be out of work when I got into the city, so my alternative was stopping in at the Glamour office to hang out and visit for an hour. Therefore, I spent a "nice" night sleeping at Portland Airport, figuring it made more sense to get there early, sleep, wake up to get on my plane, then sleep some more.
All my travels actually did go smoothly (despite awkward sleeping arrangements) and I made it to JFK with plenty of time to get ready and go into the city. A big downfall, however, was changing in the airport bathrooms. I only brought a little duffle bag of clothes for the week to make my life easier... but digging around my bag, changing into heels and not falling over were a bit of a challenge. It's probably relatively common to change in an airport bathroom, but I definitely felt a little self-conscious and weird about it.
So now when I think about those people dressed up in airports, I understand why it's sometimes the easier alternative to changing in bathrooms. I equate my adventure with working women (especially in NYC) who wear tennis shoes on the walk to work while all dressed up and change into heels at the building. It's a struggle between comfort and style. I still believe that comfort rules when flying, and hopefully I won't encounter a challenge like that one again. However it's a fascinating thing, just spending time watching people and wondering what was important to them while getting dressed in the morning.
I had planned to just mock the "dressing up at the airport" idea, but I had my own experience that I think taught me the pros and cons of certain airport apparel. After my last final on a Thursday, I had to hop on a 6 a.m. flight to New York City to arrive around 3 p.m. This is really the Holy Grail of flights, as I've never had the option of going non-stop before. However, the main drawback is that Portland Airport is two hours from Corvallis, I have no car (thus I had to depend on shuttle schedules), and since I would be staying with friends who planned to take me out right away that Friday night, I had to find a way to get enough sleep and still make my flight.
My plan of action was to dress in sweats and change at JFK into more fashionable clothing. I wouldn't really have done this normally, but my friends wouldn't be out of work when I got into the city, so my alternative was stopping in at the Glamour office to hang out and visit for an hour. Therefore, I spent a "nice" night sleeping at Portland Airport, figuring it made more sense to get there early, sleep, wake up to get on my plane, then sleep some more.
All my travels actually did go smoothly (despite awkward sleeping arrangements) and I made it to JFK with plenty of time to get ready and go into the city. A big downfall, however, was changing in the airport bathrooms. I only brought a little duffle bag of clothes for the week to make my life easier... but digging around my bag, changing into heels and not falling over were a bit of a challenge. It's probably relatively common to change in an airport bathroom, but I definitely felt a little self-conscious and weird about it.
So now when I think about those people dressed up in airports, I understand why it's sometimes the easier alternative to changing in bathrooms. I equate my adventure with working women (especially in NYC) who wear tennis shoes on the walk to work while all dressed up and change into heels at the building. It's a struggle between comfort and style. I still believe that comfort rules when flying, and hopefully I won't encounter a challenge like that one again. However it's a fascinating thing, just spending time watching people and wondering what was important to them while getting dressed in the morning.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Comments by registered users are approved by default.