Wardrobe for a Jet Weekend

The Jets are Jazzy. No trick whatever, these days, to plan a swinging weekend on the Continent -- hitting Paris and London -- and still be back in the office, refreshed and glowing, Monday morn. There is an excitement about it all that hits even the most sophisticated and experienced air traveler, for the planes you'll use are magnificent. Inside and out, the Boeing 707 doesn't resemble anything you've ever flown in. As you enter the loading door, the purser, in white dinner jacket and cummerbund, greets you like a maître de. Soft music from special tapes floods the compartments through the plane's loudspeaker system. Decor is contemporary, in pastel grays and blues against whites. Lighting is gentle and indirect, and a small but effective cocktail lounge takes care of your thirst. Dinner is served to you by the purser and four stewardesses, and the fare is sumptuous -- a (continued on page 81)Jet Weekend(continued from page 38) choice of seven entrees prepared at Maxim's, including pheasant and lobster. The seven-hour air time from New York to Paris is a breeze in a plane like this -- there's almost a complete absence of vibration -- and your New York to Paris round-trip ticket allows you a stopover in London on the way back.

The wardrobe you'll need for a jet-age weekend -- for a date in Paris Friday night, another in London on Saturday -- isn't too different from what you'd take on a longer junket. One dark and one light suit form the basis of a gentleman's wardrobe regardless of his destination. A sports jacket, a pair of slacks and a dinner jacket round it out perfectly. In selecting which suits to take, remember that England and France in the spring can be pretty cool at night and a wool worsted with a vest will be the most comfortable. Formal clothes should be black for spring, for although the lightertoned jackets are recommended in the U.S., they still are not completely acceptable abroad. Your wash-and-wear, Dacron-and-cotton spread-collar shirt can be converted to an evening shirt by just adding your black tie and formal cuff links.

For convenience, it is possible to limit your shoes to two pairs and a pair of folding fabric bedroom slippers. One, the pair you wear as you board the plane, is a black shoe that can do double duty for informal as well as formal occasions. The other should be a completely comfortable pair of sport shoes of a soft leather that makes for easy walking and simple packing. No matter if you have been abroad many times or if the jet weekend is your first trip, a certain amount of sightseeing and shopping (which always means more walking than usual) is unavoidable. Slippers, too, are indispensable. Choose a pair that fold and fit into a compact case. They're space saving, too, for they'll double as bedroom slippers in your hotel room and for foot ease on your flight. Inside the shoes you can stuff extra handkerchiefs, socks and ties. The ties will not wrinkle if stretched taut and tightly rolled. Not that wrinkling of clothes is too serious a problem on a jet overseas flight. If you pack carefully there isn't enough time elapsed to cause any inconvenience, and most hotels are set up to offer rapid pressing service. If you'd rather do it yourself, we suggest the steam trick. Hang your clothes on wooden hangers over the bathtub; turn on the hot water and let the steam rise through the clothes; wrinkles fall right out after about a half hour of this.

You'll want to take three wash-and-wear shirts (Dacron-and-cotton or treated cotton shirts are the best possibilities for wash-and-wear security). There is a choice of collar styles from a medium-spread collar, to a buttondown collar, to an eyeleted round collar. Check the shirts for convertible cuffs, which means they can be worn successfully with or without cuff links, as you wish. Add three pairs of the new wash-and-wear cotton knit briefs and V-neck T-shirts, plus nylon socks. Even if spring weather is pretty warm, the early mornings are apt to be a bit brisk in Paris and London, so include in your packing one solid-color cashmere sweater, either cardigan or pullover. This is one article of clothing that should be kept in the bag you carry on board the plane with you, just in case you might need it.

For air travel, the luggage to be used should have these three qualities: light weight, sturdy construction and good looks. Handsome leather luggage is still the most popular, but new types of material and new designs in construction are gaining favor. Materials like fiberglass, aluminum, plastic-coated canvas over steel and wooden frames are increasingly popular. To keep within your allotted weight allowance you can get along with any flightweight two-suiter and a smaller overnight bag that can be personally carried. Included in this carryon case should be all your toilet articles plus your folding slippers, sweater and a pair of 65% Dacron and 35% cotton lightweight wash-and-wear slacks and a lightweight cotton sports jacket, a shirt and a tie.

Two hats will take care of all your needs; one a dark small-brimmed felt that is designed to be rolled up to slip into your case. This will enable you to take your case into the lavatory an hour before landing to change your duds entirely should you wish to. On a fast weekend trip this saves time and means you can drop your bags at your hotel and, having been met by your date at the airport, can start on the town immediately. The most practical kind of coat to take along is a muted-tone, wash-and-wear cotton poplin raincoat. It's easy to carry and folds tightly if you want to pack it away.

Your sleeping habits will decide whether you need pajamas or not. If the answer is yes, PJs of any of the manmade fibers are best for travel. A cotton-blend robe is essential, for most European hotels serve a Continental breakfast which you will want to enjoy in your room before you dress.

A good leather passport case (see Financial Statement, p. 64) is a must, for it will hold your passport, tickets, traveler's checks, telephone numbers, credit cards, etc. Take along a money clip, for foreign currency in odd sizes often will not fit into your American wallet.

New York, above: a fond Friday farewell finds our guy garbed for a jet weekend in a Prince of Wales glen plaid suit by Hickey-Freeman, $160; a Knox tara green hand-felted custom-edge hat, $20; Van Heusen's wash-and-wear convertible-cuff shirt, $5; and a silk space-figured necktie from Paul Stuart, $2.50. Over his arm, a Dacron-and-cotton, wash-and-wear poplin raincoat by London Fog, $22.75.

London, below: in a dash across Piccadilly Circus with a British beauty in tow, he wears "Stagg," a three-button, wool-worsted, shadow-stripe suit and vest by Chester Laurie, $75; a Dacron-and-cotton, wash-and-wear shirt with convertible cuffs by Arrow, $6.95; plus a Nor-East Non-Crush Ivy Print necktie by Wembley, $2.

Paris, above: disembarking at Le Bourget, 31 years after Lindbergh, a scant seven hours from New York, our peripatetic weekender wears "Pipp," a lightweight cotton check sports jacket by Chester Laurie, $29.50; 65% Dacron and 35% cotton wash-and-wear trousers by Corbin, Ltd., $16.50. Under the jacket, "Time Saver," a convertible-cuff, wash-and-wear cotton shirt with eyeleted round collar by Arrow, $4; and a limited-edition cotton print tie by Taylor, $2.50. Jet black is picked up in both his cashmere sleeveless pullover sweater by Alan Paine, $20, and in his "Zingaro," a rollable narrow-brim hat by Thomas Begg, $10. Fine for both afternoon and evening wear, the "Algonquin," a lightweight, three-eyelet square-toe black shoe by Nettleton, $27.95.