Travel tips: What not to wear on a flight and alternatives to opt for instead

Seasoned travellers know that the one travel outfit that requires the most thought is the ensemble you’ll be wearing while in transit.
Sitting down in a plane may seem easy enough to accomplish but wear the wrong clothing and it can potentially make the time spent in your seat much harder to pass.
Your goal may be to look stylish while travelling, but some garments and accessories are simply not made for on-flight convenience and ease. Here’s what you should avoid wearing, and what you should replace them with instead.
Don’t want to arrive at your destination looking slovenly? Then avoid wearing fabrics that wrinkle easily, unless you have a fresh outfit in your carry-on to change into before disembarking. 
Generally, fabrics that require ironing or steaming – such as cotton, linen and silk – wrinkle easily. Your best bet? Wear jersey or wool knits instead. They are soft, comfy and also wrinkle-resistant, making them ideal for lounging in.
The single most uncomfortable item of clothing you can wear on a flight is a pair of jeans, particularly skinny-fit ones and those that are made out of thick denim with no stretch. Just think about all that sitting down you’ll be doing – the last thing you want to bear with is the constricting feel of uncomfortable fabric around your waist and legs throughout the flight. Ditto with all other types of tight-fitting pants. 
Opt, instead, for bottoms in soft, stretchy fabrics and with elastic waistbands. Moderately loose-fitting (but never sloppy-looking), joggers or a pair of lounge pants will help you look more pulled together than sweatpants ever will.
Besides comfort, it’s wise to avoid wearing boots and heels on a flight since travellers in boots may be asked to remove them during the security check at customs. Also, heels may hinder your movement (should you need to move quickly to, say, catch a connecting flight) and have to be removed in the case of an emergency evacuation on a flight.
Ballet flats or slip-on sneakers are ideal for both comfort and ease of removal, allowing you to move swiftly and easily whether on the plane, going through security check, or rushing from one end to the other end of the airport, should such a need unexpectedly arise.
It’s also a good idea to wear a pair of low or no-show socks with your shoes – this concerns the issue of hygiene (and courtesy to fellow passengers) should you wish to slip off your shoes at any point during the flight.
Temperature changes are inevitable on a flight, which makes wearing layers necessary so that you can adjust them according to how you feel at different times. A cardigan in a light and soft knit would be a better choice than, say, a denim jacket that is thick and heavy, and can also be unwieldy to carry about. Pull-on sweaters may be inconvenient to pop on and remove, especially in the space constraints of an economy class seat.
If you’ve ever cluelessly worn an underwire bra on a long-haul or red-eye flight, you’d know how it can really test one’s endurance of discomfort. It makes sense, then, to wear a wireless bra or a slip-on bra that isn’t tight-fitting – both options can provide light but adequate coverage and support without irritating the skin around your chest.
This is no occasion for putting on shapewear, of course, unless you can bear with feeling like your blood circulation has been cut off. Don’t forget that the body tends to bloat or swell on a flight since we may be dealing with water retention or gas from not moving around much – what may feel acceptable on a normal day may not be so when you’re on a plane. Put on your comfiest skivvies, instead, for an easier time.
Belts with bulky metal buckles can set off metal detectors at security check, so it’s best to pick a lighter version or go without one, since a belt can also make sitting for long periods of time extremely uncomfortable.
Chunky metal jewellery can be similarly inconvenient to wear while travelling by plane, so avoid putting on such statement pieces or, if you must have them for your trip, keep them in your bag or check them in with your luggage. Light and delicate jewellery, however, is perfectly fine.
Technically speaking, they won’t do any harm if you wear them throughout a flight, but it’s likely that they’ll dehydrate and cause discomfort in your eyes since the air in the plane cabin is so dry. Though you probably won’t feel too much discomfort on a short flight, it’s best to remove them and wear glasses instead, especially if want to get some shut-eye on an overnight flight.
Roomy tote bags without a zipper or clasp closure are not ideal for bringing on a flight. They might be convenient to use, since they provide easy and quick access to your belongings, but that’s also the exact reason why they might encourage others to pilfer your stuff.
Even if you use such bags only for non-valuable items, they might come spilling out in the overhead storage should there be turbulence or if somebody moves the other bags in the compartment. Any other type of bag that can be fastened and closed securely would be a better option, as long as they are compact enough for stowing away on the flight.