The New Fashion Trends for Airports or Train Stations

The New Fashion Trends for Airports or Train Stations

This year so far, I have travelled all over the country, waiting in train stations and airports for many hours. To keep myself occupied during these stop overs, I people watch.

The magazines and books are saved for the cramped hours on the plane. For the train, I gaze out the windows and watch the back alleys and back fences of the Amtrak easements. So many closed but interesting derelict factories.

Someday I will try to write about the fashion expressions reflected from the downtown NYC scenes and uptown Bronx street fashion scenes, and how the fashionistas (insert designers here as well) were influenced by the graffiti. But that is a blog for another day, perhaps snow storm in the future without power.

The forced amount of time spent waiting becomes the opportunity for viewing and contemplating a continuous stream of people from all over the world; the state of fashion as it has radically transformed our lives and our outfits, because of the necessary security requirements of the TSA.

The fashion trends of the airports are totally different from the fashion trends of the Amtrak train stations.

Yes, I know you might say, so what. Well, having spent so much time causes me to ponder just how possibly our own fashion sense may become inherently transformed as a result of the requirements of having to take off our shoes, sweaters, coats, and any other outerwear garment the TSA demands.

The shoes in particular are a major factor in dressing for travel. Just exactly which shoes or sandals of flip flops we remove quickly and easily without a chair. What a major requirement becomes the fashion trend.

Flip flops have now become the de riguer for travel in airports. Not so in train stations. Thankfully, you can keep your shoes, boots and sandals on as you travel by train. Train travel permits your fashion sense to be held dear, and now more personal/formal all of a sudden because of the ease with the shoes and not having to strip down your clothes at all.

Traveling by train means that you can wear your business attire or choose a more formal outfit, but the whole outfit is totally controlled by your fashion sense, and not by outside rules and requirements.

Airport Fashion forward: The requirements are comfort, layering of garments, easy on and off for jackets, sweaters, socks and shoes. Just as I have had to come up with a perfect formula to pack my purse and make certain that there are no fluids, knives, weapons or mass destruction, etc, so also I have had to find an easy pair of shoes, not easy sometimes. How many pairs do I pack? Why is my bag a million pounds heavy and even the counter person looks at me with disgust?

So I am waiting in Chantilly(Dulles) and Alexandria (National- Ronald Reagan), Washington DC (Union Station), Denver, Chicago, New York City (Penn Station), San Francisco for many hours and see so much attire that it has caused me to write this blog.

Denver, doorway to the wild west, with full backpacking equipment, cowboys, and business travelers along with tourists. So picture me sitting in the middle seat of the jet, flying from Oakland, CA to Denver, sitting next to me is a cowboy, full cowboy outfit, ten gallon hat in the overhead compartment, jeans, western style shirt, special western stitching, big buckle, etc., with manicured toes and flip flops. I can only hope that this cowboy’s boots were in some luggage.

San Francisco, golden gate and home to the casual look or relaxed dresser. Casual clothing but well put together, and because of the comfortable climate, generally dressed in layers. Beiges, tans, off whites, and so fun batiks, light silks, jeans galore. Almost all the girls and guys in tight jeans.

The airport is filled with European and Asian tourists. The women are dressed in brighter shades and more textures than the locals. The men are dressed in jeans or khakis. Oh, the European women sport some wonderful purses from the European designers, some of the styles, textured leather or other materials we do not get here in the US.

Union Station, Amtrak is such a wonderfully preserved building with such splendid architecture, that the actual space inspires shopping and exploring. The shops have beautifully displayed food, books, clothing, makeup, jewelry, and who can resist coming in advance and shopping for some great gift or treasure.

I just love wandering around quickly and buying something, each time it is at a different store. I am partial to jewelry- complete surprise, I know!! So I have to spend time in the swatch store. Or in one of the boutiques for makeup. With the glass displays and large corridors, this station calls to mind the elegance of the golden age of travel, which was how and why it was designed.