London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Airport Style, We’ve Missed You

Airport Style, We’ve Missed You

A new book chronicles decades of celebrities at the airport, from Rihanna to the Supremes.

Once upon a time, air travel was a glamorous affair. Men wore suits, women wore heels, and you could enjoy a nice lobster tail at 30,000 feet. Now of course, plane travel is about maximizing your comfort while sitting in a small box for an extended period of time, snacking on a mini bag of pretzels. But still, the dream of traveling in style remains. And given that most of us have now been grounded for over a year, the thought of dressing up and jetting off is all the more alluring.

There’s one subset of the population that has always had incentive to pay attention to what they look like at an airport, and that’s celebrities. Whether they’re pulling a Lady Gaga and wearing a smart dress and heels or joining the masses in onesie pajamas à la Miley Cyrus, stars are not just like us when it comes to air travel.

A new book from legendary Rolling Stone photo editor and creative director Jodi Peckman, Come Fly With Me: Flying in Style, chronicles the best in airport fashion from the past 60 years. Over 144 pages, Peckman showcases exemplary fashion from each decade, from Yoko Ono’s white go-go boots to Kim Kardashian’s Juicy Couture. “They just all happen to be in an airport; I never went seeking airport images,” Peckman told me over the phone. “In fact, I hate traveling and I’m really afraid of flying so it’s funny that I have a book with airport images. I was always attracted to the way these people walk through the airport. Most of the time, they know they’re being photographed and I find it really interesting to see how people present themselves to the camera in that snap second.”

Some ham it up for the paparazzi, or dress for the occasion. Indeed, in the older photos, celebrities seem more amenable to being photographed, whether it’s posed for a pool of photographers or otherwise. The Supremes arrive in London in 1964 in furs, kitten heels, and skirt suits. Dolly Parton kicks her leg up for the camera in a flared pantsuit (an energy rarely seen at the airport). In some instances, like Joan Collins next to a trolley of Louis Vuitton trunks and Naomi Campbell on the tarmac with three Louis Vuitton bags and tiny glasses, it is also just truly aspirational imagery, perfectly capturing celebrity against an organic backdrop. The trip from check-in to TSA is their catwalk. And it could be yours too!

Still, there are those who prefer to fly under the radar. The image that really captured Peckman’s attention was a 2014 shot of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen moving through LAX. They’re two twins in black with matching messy buns, flurrying through the airport and trying to avoid the camera. You don’t fully see their faces, but you understand exactly who they are. “That picture, which is my favorite in the book, is so wonderful because they’re so joined in the photo,” Peckman says. “It almost looks like a fashion photo.”

Ultimately, what makes airport style so good is the unexpected nature of it. It’s not common to see celebrities, fur coats, or Louis Vuitton trunks at the airport anymore. Flip through Come Fly With Me and you’ll find plenty new imagery to throw on the mood board for that long-awaited summer vacation. You may even be inspired to wear heels on your next flight.



Naomi Campbell, Paris Le-Bourget, 1998



The Supremes, London Heathrow, 1965



Lady Gaga, Los Angeles International, 2015



Whitney Houston, Los Angeles International, 1993



Joan Collins, London Heathrow, 1989



Elton John, London Heathrow, 1982



Come Fly with Me: Flying in Style

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×