Everyone Is Wearing the Airport Uniform That Has Been Cool Since Celebs Wore It in the '90s

The fascination surrounding celebrity in-transit style might have ramped up in recent years, with airport dressing now considered an important part of a blockbuster press tour. However, some of the coolest celebrity in-flight looks actually come from the ’90s, when supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista traveled the world in the same minimalist uniform. The aesthetic is very early ’90s Calvin Klein, as it involves a comfortable T-shirt, a pair of straight-leg jeans, and a sweater nonchalantly looped around the waist. The vibe is completed with a passport and boarding pass in hand, an oversize weekend bag, and a coffee to-go. It’s very Concorde chic.

Clean-line silhouettes from the ’90s have had a resurgence in recent years, with designers revisiting the effortless, simple styling that designers like Helmut Lang, Calvin Klein, and Jil Sander made the height of cool throughout the decade. Muses include Gwyneth Paltrow, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Cindy Crawford, who were known for their understated but elegant everyday uniforms. In many ways, this aesthetic is ideal for long-haul flights, as it is a casual, no-fuss approach to getting dressed that still looks put together and considered. Before your next flight, keep scrolling for some of our favorite airport looks from the archive.

The Look Now

This picture of the influencer @endlesslyloveclub striding through a departures hall in her tied sweater and light-wash denim looks so authentically ’90s you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a post from the account @90sanxiety rather than from 2024.

The ’90s Reference

Style Notes: Cindy Crawford at Los Angeles International Airport in 1998 in this classic ’90s model off-duty look.

Style Notes: In 1991, Naomi Campbell was photographed arriving in New York—she added more personality to this minimalist uniform with a printed sweater and chain bracelets.

Style Notes: Sarah Jessica Parker touched down in L.A. in 1993 in this look—we love how she doubled up on knits and layered her gray sweater over the top of her cardigan.

Style Notes: This is a very ’90s supermodel look, and Christy Turlington made it look more polished with a white button-down shirt, ballet pumps, and her Louis Vuitton weekend bag.