My mother was one of the OG Air India hostesses of the 1970s, an era when people dressed up to fly. Even long after my mother had left the airline, those standards persisted. Some thought went into what you wore when you took to the skies, and being slovenly was not an option. And then I became a mother, and pondering the perfect travel outfit quickly slipped down the priority list, overtaken by the endless paraphernalia that accompanies flying with children.
We’ve all come a long way from the golden age of air travel. Airport style now sits between two ends of the spectrum: T-shirts with pyjamas, oversized track pants, leggings with flip-flops, or constricting clothing like skinny jeans paired with high heels that could make one re-evaluate every life decision at 30,000 feet.
I’ve tried every combination I could think of: leggings with a T-shirt and an army jacket with multiple pockets; a denim shirt and blazer paired with tailored trousers; even jeans, though I quickly abandoned those post-Covid. None of it quite struck the balance I was after. I wanted something that felt both comfortable and chic, and I never quite managed to nail the mix. I was either too cold on the flight, too constricted or, frankly, just didn’t feel put together.
That’s until I discovered the UK-based athleisure brand Varley. Now, I know what you’re thinking—there’s a fine line between athleisure that’s stylish enough to wear beyond the gym and looking as though you’ve just finished a workout. But it’s that elevated style that co-founder Lara Mead was looking for when she founded the performance-based activewear brand with her husband Ben over a decade ago. (The pair met while training for the London marathon, which gives you some sense of where they’re coming from.) “We like to think we design contemporary clothing with a performance led approach, as oppose to the other way around,” Mead told Forbes in 2016. The brand began in 2014 with a hybrid LA-London aesthetic and has been gaining traction for their sleek silhouettes and elevated basics. Just last month, Vogue put them on their list of the best activewear brands around. They’re available in around 1,000 stores worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Net-a-Porter.
