Winter minimalist

Saw a Modern Femme walking at a fast clip through the Metro this morning.  Her blond hair fell in a straight line down her back.  Her patent leather flats (and bare ankles) flashed defiantly through the cold morning air.  Loved her bag most of all - the white body and black handles drew my eye, and its simple lines echoed the sleek minimalism of her outfit.  She looked like an ice princess, ready to tackle the dragons waiting for her at work. 

 

Happy new year, my dears!

 

Winter minimalist by modernfemme featuring dooney & bourke

The Modern Femme travels, le Part Two

Now that we've established that you can travel in comfort and style without resorting to wearing your nightclothes (see The Modern Femme travels, le Part One), here are a few more thoughts on traveling with sartorial panache.

Le Part Two:  Layer, baby, layer, and be bootie-licious.

To coin Katy Perry, while traveling you're hot, then you're cold.  By the time you take your seat on the plane, you've shuffled yourself and your bags through security, roamed the never-ending terminal looking for your gate, navigated the human traffic jam boarding the plane, and hoisted your luggage up into the overhead bin.  While you wait for everyone else to board, lukewarm air trickles out of the plane's vents and two hundred other passagers' body heat turns the cabin into a sauna. 

Fast forward thirty minutes later, and you're shivering in your seat as the air conditioning takes the cabin temperature sub-zero and frost forms on the windows.  You wrap yourself in the thin complementary blanket that was waiting for you on your seat and try in vain to flag down a flight attendant for another one, since the blanket can't cover both your legs and torso, and you've had permafrost goosebumps on your arms for over an hour now.

Or you would be doing all of that, but you're not, because you were clever and layered your outfit.  Savvy traveler that you are, you wore a short sleeved tee-shirt under a jacket, and brought your scarf handy to loop round your neck. Voila!  When you're hot, the jacket and scarf come off, when you're freezing, you pile them back on.  

Layering is key when traveling, not only for maintaining your own climate control during travel, but especially when you're moving from a wintry locale to a warmer location, or vice versa.  Next time you fly, try pairing a comfortable short sleeve shirt, like the one below, with a casual blazer or sweater.  Add a scarf for a touch of extra color and whimsy, like this cute Pucci print.  (And did you notice the fabulous trousers?  Side-zipper, baby cakes!!)




Modern Femme travels by modernfemme

 

Next, confession time: I love me a good ankle bootie.  And I'm telling you, ankle booties are the way to go when traveling, for so many reasons:

1.  They look good.  Okay, this may not be the most practical of reasons, but hey, it's the truth isn't it?  Look at these cute things:

Ankle boots galore!

2. I like the height that comes from a bit of heel - it makes you look sleeker and more elegant, says I, than a pair of flats.  In addition, I'm a fan of wedge booties because I find they're easier on your feet than heels, especially if you're running through the terminal because your flight was delayed and you have to catch your connection.   

3.  Ankle booties are easier to get on and off than full boots...which leads me to the next major reason... 

4. You wear socks with booties, right? (That was a rhetorical question, please wear socks with booties!) So, when you have to send your boots through the x-ray machine at the security checkpoint, your feet are covered, and protected from any funkiness. Foot germs your fellow passengers might have.  Athletes foot.  Toe fungus.  Or worse, weird foot fetishists. 

So there you have it folks - that's my take on sartorial choices for travel.  Let me know what you wear when you're flying the friendly skies - anything you couldn't imagine traveling without?

Next: The Modern Femme travels, le Part Three - beauty and skincare routines when you're 35,000 feet above the ground.

xoxo,
MF

The Modern Femme travels, le Part One



Air France, Vintage Art Print

I've spent my fair share of time on planes, first as the daughter of two Foreign Service officers, and then as an international aid worker.  Because of that, I am obsessed with air travel advice.  If there's been an article about what to wear on a plane, explanations of mid-flight skin care and makeup regimes, and general musings on how to pass the time in flight, I've read it.  Most likely on a Friday night, with a big old glass of wine. 

You say, um that's kind of weird, I say, yep, but love me anyway. 

Because I've spent long hours crammed into small seats in aluminum tubes rocketing through the sky (or perched in front of my computer watching random videos on travel), I've had some time to ponder the do's and dont's for traveling femmes.

These thoughts fall into three general categories:  sartorial advice (le part one and le part two), skin-care and beauty (le part three) and general tips (le part four).  In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm really talking about longer flights here (four or more hours).  For shorter flights, y'all are on your own, lovies.  Now, if you'll direct your attention below...

Le Part One: Pack those pj's...or, why you don't have to wear your jammies.

I get it.  I do.  You have a long flight ahead of you. The appeal of slipping on your comfortable plaid pajama bottoms is a siren call you simply can't resist.  After all, you want to be comfortable if you're going to be crammed in an economy seat for hours upon end, right?

My dear readers, resist.  Stick your fingers in your ears (my doctor once told me to never stick anything smaller than my elbow in my ear, and it took me forever to realize that he meant leave your darn ears alone because of course you can't stick your elbow in your ear, but I digress), and put those Victoria Secret Pink pajama bottoms down.  I know of what I speak: I've worn my pajamas on long flights and let me tell you:  it's not worth it.  Here's why:

1.  Yes, you might be comfortable, but you look like a schlub, and if you're honest with yourself, you probably feel like a schlub.  And life is too short, dear readers, to feel like a schlub by choice.
2.  You're in public.  Let me say this again.  You have left the confines of your house wearing your pajamas and you're amongst strangers.  In your bedclothes.  Think about that for a second. 
3.  Your choice of clothes indicates your level of respect for your surroundings.  Before you sniff this one off, hear me out.  Would you wear your pajamas to meet the President?  Probably not.  You'd probably wear nice clothes, as a show of respect for the office and the solemnity of the occasion.  Am I right?  Okay, so now tell me - following that same train of thought, what does it say when you show up at the boarding gate in your pajamas?  Something along the lines of "I don't give a #$%." 
4.  It's been noted in multiple travel articles that people who dress nicely are more likely to receive better service.  Think about that the next time you're stewing over your seat assignment.

Here's the good news: when traveling, you can be comfortable in clothes that were made to be worn out of your bedroom.  The following three options are plane-friendly and most importantly, you-friendly.

Eileen Fisher Silk-Georgette Pants



Option 1:  Pants with a side zipper.

There's nothing worse than being halfway through an eight hour flight and feeling your pant zipper and button bite into your belly.  Skin indentations, anyone?  Pants with a side zipper means that your belly is swathed in fabric instead of toothy zippers and burrowing buttons.   Look for pants that have stretch material in them for extra movement and comfort. 

I had a pair of pants like this from the Limited that I loved wearing on flights, because not only were they comfortable, but they were multi-purpose.  They could go from the airplane to the office to dinner to sight-seeing and back!  Try doing all that in your pjs.

Option 2:  Leggings.

Leggings, lovely.



At the risk of starting a sartorial fist fight here, I'm just going to go ahead and state my position:  leggings are not pants.  Pants are pants. Leggings are tights on steroids.  Just so that we're clear.  Also, see #clothingbestwornbythoseunder35. 



However, having said that, leggings worn under a tunic top or dress can look really cute.  And, leggings, while not pants, have the advantage of not being pajama bottoms either.  Ergo, leggings FTW!



DIY Details at LOVELYish





Suggestion 3:  The long skirt.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why long skirts are so rarely worn.  I love me a long skirt - no worries about flashing anyone/thing, it keeps you cool but covered up, and most of all - it's comfortable!  And yet, long skirts seem to be relegated to the back of many a closet.

Nonsense, I say.  Throw a leather jacket over a maxi skirt for an edgy look, sling a chunky belt round it for some definition, or pair it with some fun stripes like this lovely lady on the right.



See? She looks super cute.  And for mobility, comfort and ease of wear, you can't beat traveling in a skirt.

So there you have it, readers.  That is my opening salvo on the war against pajamas in flight.  These three options, I promise you, will  be just as comfortable as your pjs, but will make you look much, much better.  So, put the pajamas away, ladies. Or pack 'em.

I'm signing off for now to go tackle "The modern femme travels, le part two."  Until then my cheries, hit me up with your thoughts in the comments section, and be well.

xoxo,
MF