Are airports the new runways?

Last week, both Sonam K Ahuja and Deepika Padukone made quite an entrance at the airport. While the former was a vision in a deconstructed trucker jacket, the latter layered her white and denim look with a printed bomber. Both looks were not only comfortable and on-trend, but they also lacked nothing in terms of the photo-op appeal. Gone are the days of Juicy Couture trackpants and GAP sweatshirts. Now, airport dressing is no less than a fashion week appearance where stars and their styling teams ensure that every look is talked about for weeks. 

Kangana Ranaut is another actress who comes to mind instantly. She has successfully managed to own the airport dressing space and making each outing look straight out of the pages of Vogue — be it her head-to-toe 

Gucci looks or her Anavila saris. Stylist Isha Bhansali credits Kangana for starting this phenomenon — be it her saris or Dior shift dresses. “Of course, Sonam and Karan Johar have been at the forefront of travel chic. Ranveer Singh merits a mention, thanks to his cool sneakers and hats. If Kangana knows how to pull off the sari, Sonam wears oversized pieces with elan,” says Isha. 

One common thread among these eclectic dressers is that there’s one statement element to their style while the rest of the look is basic and comfort-driven. “Karan Johar’s and Ayushmann Khurrana’s jackets are striking while they keep the rest of the look comfy — maybe jeans or drawstring pants. Rajkummar Rao is another addition to this bracket of cool airport dressers,” adds Isha.  

THE PHOTO-OP POWER

Airport is the new runway that celebrities have explored. They have tasted the photo-op power of travel dressing. It’s no longer your velour tracksuit, oversized ponchos or basic corsets anymore. Their styling teams work round the clock to ensure they stand out. 

Designer Aniket Satam says, “Travel dressing has gone beyond chicness and celebrities are dressing up in the latest runway trends. This phenomenon reflects the emerging trend of social media ready lifestyle we’re living in and how we all deal with our virtual social media identity and how #OOTD is taking over our basic day-to-day activities. Sonam has excelled the hack of sporting hidden gems of the fashion world and has learned the trick of mixing high street with niche brands and creating unique, comfortable yet fashion-forward airport looks.” 

GOODBYE YOGA PANTS

Denim jackets are a good look for flights and Sonam almost always nails her airport looks. Designer Ohaila Khan says, “It’s great that way to keep warm when the flight gets chilly and is a welcome change from the sloppy Juicy Couture velour yoga set phase of airport dressing. My personal take on airport dressing is slightly more old school favouring sharper and slightly formal looks, especially for international travels. Keeping comfort in mind but also making sure one doesn’t come off as a backpacker. Everyone must have a strict never wear flip-flop rule!”