In an era of relentless global movement, travel attire has evolved from mere convenience into a significant style statement. The real-life runway of the airport terminal has seen the rise of meticulously curated outfits that strike a perfect balance between maximum comfort and polished refinement. Drawing inspiration from style icons such as Katie Holmes, Miley Cyrus, and Bella Hadid, the 2025-2026 travel trend revolves around selecting high-utility layering pieces and combining quality basics with investment accessories. This philosophy ensures that, whether facing long TSA lines or an overnight flight, one’s look maintains a chic sensibility, ready for any destination.
The Trench Coat Standard: Balanced Elegance
The trench coat has cemented its status as a cornerstone of celebrity travel wardrobes, offering instant warmth, easy removal, and an immediate injection of classic sophistication.
The styles of Katie Holmes and Miley Cyrus offer prime examples. Katie Holmes demonstrated a blend of comfort and luxury by making the trench coat her focal point, pairing it with a silky button-down shirt layered over a tank top, plus soft, wide-leg trousers. This is a smart formula: the structured outer layer provides a counterpoint to the slinky, relaxed inner pieces, ensuring comfort throughout the journey. Miley Cyrus adopted a similar yet edgier approach, opting for a non-traditional green trench coat styled over an easy T-shirt and relaxed jeans, finished with ballet flats. This approach underscores that the trench coat is not just for protection, but a powerful sartorial element in its own right.
The Rise of Knits and Matching Sets
For long-haul flights, comfort is paramount, but this no longer means sacrificing polish. Sweat sets, loungewear, and coordinated knit sets have been elevated to achieve a refined, jet-set appearance.
Rachel Brosnahan proved that loungewear can be sophisticated travel wear by choosing a monochromatic knit set. When worn with a classic overcoat, a baseball cap, and crisp white sneakers, this ensemble provides supreme comfort for international flights while maintaining high aesthetic standards. Similarly, Sophie Turner opted for a modern sportswear approach, mixing a gray zip-up hoodie with contrasting black, wider-leg sweatpants and sporty Puma sneakers. The mix-and-match approach to comfortable pieces with modern silhouettes (like the wide leg) is the freshest way to wear sweats from the curb to the gate.
Refined Minimalism and Strategic Layering
Savvy global travelers like Julianne Moore and Priyanka Chopra rely on principles of Quiet Luxury and effective layering techniques to maintain a pulled-together look without excess effort.
Priyanka Chopra showed how the monochrome formula is a winner. She paired a simple tank top with loose, wide-leg trousers, bringing along a long cashmere cardigan to combat in-flight chills and an oversized, essential travel tote. This look prioritizes the comfort of loose silhouettes without compromising style. Julianne Moore, meanwhile, focused on texture and material, utilizing a chunky cardigan and comfortable cropped kick flare trousers. When sticking to a single color, mixing textures (like thick knits and fine weaves) adds necessary depth and sophistication to the outfit.
Bags and Footwear: Investing in Practical Luxury
Accessories, particularly travel bags and footwear, play a crucial role in completing the outfit and enhancing its practicality.
For footwear, comfort and ease of movement (and removal at security) are top priorities. Ballet flats, classic sneakers, or lug-sole Chelsea boots are favored choices for their walkability and polished look. When it comes to luggage, investing in a high-quality weekender bag is key. Kendall Jenner, for instance, is noted for carrying The Row’s Marlo 12 Bag—an item that is not only luxurious but designed to last a lifetime. A large tote, like the classic L.L.Bean Boat and Tote seen on Alexa Chung, ensures all essentials are within easy reach, representing the perfect blend of casual chic and undeniable utility.
