There's a particular kind of woman who can't bring herself to fly in something uncomfortable and made of synthetic material. I am one of those women. Not because I expect anyone to be wearing a large gown in the arrivals hall, but because how you dress for a flight quietly shapes how you feel once you touch down.
The trick is that "comfortable" and "pulled-together" usually pull in opposite directions. Comfortable says soft, roomy, lived-in. Pulled-together says structured, fitted, considered. A long-haul outfit is the rare brief where you need both — pieces that let you sleep, watch your show, chat to the person next to you, and arrive feeling like yourself.
Here's how I think about it.
Start with one rule: nothing that gets in the way
That's the test. Picture yourself eleven hours in: can you doze off without a waistband digging in? Watch a film without your shoulders aching from a stiff jacket? Get up, stretch your legs, walk the aisle, and step into arrivals feeling like yourself, rather than like someone who's just been folded into a seat for half a day?
Probably not joggers that have lost their shape. Probably not the silk dress that crumpled the moment you sat down. Something in the middle, softer than office wear, more considered than loungewear, and above all, something you forget you're wearing.
Pick fabric before you pick the outfit
The single biggest decision is fabric, and it's the one most people skip. On a plane you want:
- Natural fibres that breathe. Cabin air is dry and warm in patches; synthetics make this worse, not better. Cotton, silk, and linen blends do the job.
- Crease-resistant weaves. A heavy block-printed cotton holds its shape through eleven hours of sitting in a way that finer cottons don't.
- No structured waistbands. Bottoms should have a soft waistband — like the wide elasticated waistband on the DesignerFriday co-ords, not a stiff button that digs in by hour three.
This is why a soft co-ord set is, honestly, the best-kept secret of long-haul dressing. It looks like an outfit, not loungewear, but it moves like loungewear. The Radiant Rest co-ord was designed exactly for this kind of in-between, the airport lounge to the hotel lobby without changing in between.
And if you'd rather not think about matching a top to a bottom at 5 am, a block-printed A-line dress is the real game-changer. The A-line shape doesn't pinch when you've been sitting for hours, the soft organic cotton stays cool when the cabin's warm, and there's no waistband to fight at all. You pull it on at home, wear it through the flight, and wear it to dinner the night you land. One piece, no thinking.
Layers, in this order
Cabin temperature is unpredictable, freezing one hour, stuffy the next. The fix is layering, you can actually adjust without trekking to the bathroom every time.
- A soft base layer. The beauty of a full sleeve is that keeps your temperature steady and you can always layer it with a fitted cotton vest. Worn under a full-sleeve co-ord top or an A-line dress, it keeps you comfortable and covered when they crank the air-con too high.
- Your main piece. An A-line dress or a soft co-ord with full sleeves, warm when it turns chilly, easy to shed a layer when it doesn't.
- A long cardigan or oversized scarf. A scarf doubles as a blanket and a pillow; a cardigan covers more of the shoulder. Either works.
- Slip-on shoes. You'll take them off. You'll put them on at security. Anything with laces will punish you. A neat trainer, a soft loafer, a clean Birkenstock, all fine.
The small things that make the real difference
After hundreds of flights, these are the items I refuse to travel without.
A silk eye mask. If you actually want to sleep, and you should, it's the difference between landing rested and landing tired; a silk mask blocks light without pressing creases into your face for the rest of the day.
A silk scrunchie. Tying your hair back with a regular elastic that catches and pulls your hair is a small nuisance when you're sleeping on it. A silk one holds without pulling, and tucked at your wrist, it's invisible until you need it.
A small skincare pouch. A travel-size moisturiser, a hand cream, a lip balm. Dry cabin air is the real reason you feel parched when you land, more than the time zone. Reapply twice during the flight, and you'll arrive feeling like yourself.
Cosy socks. Pack a clean pair in your hand luggage. Shoes off at cruise altitude, socks on for the long middle, shoes back on before landing. Worth it every time.
A sample outfit, head to toe
The easiest formula, one piece, zero thinking:
- A block-printed A-line dress (soft cotton, no waistband, designed in London).
- A fitted cotton vest underneath, for warmth and temperature flex.
- A long cardigan or oversized linen scarf.
- Clean white trainers or soft loafers.
- A silk eye mask and silk scrunchie in your tote.
- A small skincare pouch in your hand luggage, not your suitcase.
Or the co-ord version, for more layering room:
- A soft block-printed co-ord with full sleeves.
- A fitted cotton vest under the top, so you can take the top off without changing if the cabin gets warm.
- Long cardigan or scarf.
- Slip-on shoes.
- The same silk mask and scrunchie.
A quick word on jewellery and bags
Skip the heavy jewellery, you'll only take it off at security and worry about it for the rest of the flight. One pair of simple earrings, a watch, maybe a thin necklace. That's plenty.
For bags, a soft tote that fits under the seat in front of you beats a wheeled cabin bag for the things you'll actually want mid-flight: your skincare pouch, mask, scrunchie, book or headphones, water and a snack should all be within reach without standing up.
Why it actually matters
This isn't about looking good for anyone. It's about feeling like yourself when you land, so the day waiting for you (the taxi, the hotel, the family dinner, the meeting you flew in for) gets the version of you who isn't fighting her clothes, who slept a little, who's comfortable in her own skin.
That's the whole point of how I designed our Aline dresses and the Radiant Matching Set. From your home to the world, without changing who you are. Pieces that let you sleep, watch your show, chat to the person beside you, and arrive soft, comfortable, and properly yourself.
And if you know someone who practically lives in airport lounges, a Radiant Gift Set is the present that has it all. Made for the woman who loves to travel and appreciates the little luxuries in life, the ones that have a lasting impact.
Sleep in it. Step out in it.
➡️ DesignerFriday.com 🤍
Bhavna Rishi, 28th May 2026
