Words by Kevin Naulls | Photography by Jenna Marie Wakani
The whole experience of flying (checking in, freaking out because your passport has gone missing, waiting in line at customs) can be a pain in the neck. Which is probably why, when we dropped by Billy Bishop Airport, we saw many people who seemed to have decided that they’d be better off wearing whatever was most comfortable in their closet: sweatpants and a loose T-shirt, or a wrinkled summer dress. Our grandparents often told us that it’s important to dress nicely for the airport, if for no other reason than airline staff are more likely to offer unexpected upgrades and good service to well-dressed people (we’re not saying this is right, but we’ve seen it happen). So, we went in search of the well-attired city traveler, and we’re pleased to admit that it was far from slim pickings, with at least 20 of Toronto’s travellers following grandma and grandpa’s wisdom.
Without a doubt, members of older generations were travelling in the most classic style: a braided belt on a tourist from Kentucky for example, or a well-positioned panama hat paired with a nicely-fitted suit. And it isn’t just the outfit that gets consideration—we saw plenty of nicely combed or brushed hair, and a snow white beard with nary an in-flight sandwich crumb in sight. Young travelers were no less stylish, with an ad executive from Chicago showing up for a Toronto meeting in a lovely above-the-knee little black dress, and a young tourist wearing the coolest checkered Dickies backpack. We can’t confirm that any of these outfits actually won these travelers better seats—but they certainly helped us realize that there are still people who take the time to dress up for special occasions.
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
travelling I go as comfy as possible.MY Dad always travels in suit with shirt and tie…. have seen him relax a little and leave out the tie
What exactly about the older couple in photo number 5 is stylish??!! They are the epitome of what not to wear, horrible. No one should EVER wear running shoes with regular clothes, they are for working out, period. There are plenty of comfortable footwear options; even stylish casual sneakers would do. Runners are for running! GAH
Note to self – Never appear in a Toronto Life article – people in Toronto are such haters – Really what’s up with that. I admire all those people who posed for the pictures – all very lovely.
I love seeing styling people at the airport (although I do also enjoy seeing the ladies in the Lulu Lemon). Have to agree with Betsey on the older couple–poor shoe selection!
Betsey & Mike, I think you are forgetting that these people in the photos are all headed somewhere on a plane. There is no telling if they have a long way to go or what but not everyone is keen on dressing up in a ball gown to travel by air.
Did you notice that the old couple in photo #5 are pretty old? Maybe the guy has a hip problem that prevents him from wearing high heels for extended periods of time, maybe his wife’s feet swell up on the plane. Maybe they’re American tourists (I notice a lot of them wear runners during their travels, and not just on the plane). Maybe their hotel has/d a gym but they wanted to travel light so they just wore their bulky runners on the flight. I suppose they should not have been included in this spread but if you ask me, hardly anyone in these photos should have been if the idea of this piece was to highlight “spotted trends” at the airport since nothing these people are wearing is really “trendy”.
I personally think this was a stupid piece to begin with, it reminded me that Toronto Life is often required to include a load of fluff to make up for the lack of material. And no, I am not old, nor am I sporting runners right now; just annoyed.
I love Toronto Life’s street style series, but there’s a tendency to feature more women than men…