The “airport outfit” has done quite the 360. There was a time when the likes of Mr Marlon Brando, the Rolling Stones or Mr Andy Warhol – decked out in their turtlenecks and double-breasted suits – weren’t #goals, but the norm. Back in this more glamorous age of air travel, you’d be expected to dress as if you might step out of the departure gate and onto a magazine cover.

However, over the years, “airport chic” didn’t just fall out of fashion, it went into freefall. Terminal decline, you might say. To the point that it became impossible to determine whether someone was jetting off to an all-inclusive five-star resort or heading straight to bed. Wrinkled T-shirts, slippers and even sleep masks became our new uniform.

But then that fated day in 2020 came, when the world was grounded. We forgot what the words “final boarding call” sounded like and started to care about travelling. While our collective gratitude over the past few years has undoubtedly contributed to this pivot, two lesser-known but equally important reasons also explain why airport fashion is, once again, a thing.

Between the massive queues, unexpected delays and the airport-security minefield (do we still take our shoes off or keep them on?), we can collectively agree that travelling is not always fun. However, fashion psychology teaches us that by maximising our style, we can minimise our inconveniences.

Studies show that people treat us better when we dress in an elevated manner, in well-fitted clothing and eye-catching accessories. Dressing to impress causes people to notice, help and perceive us positively. If you’ve ever had a staff member bump you up to business class or look the other way at your clearly overweight suitcase, then you know the airport is one location where presentation matters. To make travelling suck that little bit less, play the game and dress the part.

As the demand for online travel content rises, so does the bar for post-worthy airport outfits. Arguably, no country takes airport style more seriously than South Korea. In recent years, the arrival gate has evolved into an unofficial meet-and-greet for K-pop stars, as paparazzi and fans descend in droves to glimpse their favourites. Always decked out in pristine head-to-toe designer gear, one look at the airport fits of BigBang’s G-Dragon and actor Mr Cha Eun-woo and you’ll be looking at your boring airport attire in disgust. Shoes are crucial to this. The likes of G-Dragon would shriek at the sight of some beat-up Air Force 1s. Whether it’s Derbies, loafers or a pair of designer sneakers, the rapper and singer would no doubt welcome putting his shoes through the X-ray machine. This kind of drip deserves to be appreciated on an atomic level.

Yeonjun also has answers for your accessories. Nothing screams unstylish quite like frantically tapping your body in search of your phone/passport/wallet/that tiny luggage receipt they give you at check-in. You know who doesn’t have that problem? The TOMORROW X TOGETHER member, who is rarely seen without a small, sleek Burberry bag (it helps that he’s an official brand ambassador). It’s high time you put less faith in your pockets and started entrusting your valuables to something that can actually close.

There are, of course, other men who know how to glide through airport security in style; people you can look up to even when they’re not yet at 30,000ft. See Mr David Beckham, who was seen in May this year teaming a cashmere jacket with Loro Piana linen trousers, all in a pleasing tan tone – proof that a tracksuit doesn’t need to be the default.

If understated isn’t your cup of tea, take your cues from the king of maximalism, Mr Harry Styles. One of his first post-Covid flights saw him touching down in Venice wearing a green and pink Gucci look that screamed “Watermelon Sugar”. Studies have determined that the brightness of your clothing can be more important than facial expressions when people judge your capability (handy, as he was wearing a mask at the time).

And remember to dress for the summer you want, down to the shorts. You don’t have to bear as much thigh as Mr Paul Mescal, but the likes of Mr LeBron James have shown how to bring shorts into a complete airport look. Happily, our guide can help tailor yours to you, so you don’t fall, ahem, short.