Step Up Your Airport Style Game with Inspiration from These Iconic Stars

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Queen Elizabeth II — Photo: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Whether you’re catching an early morning flight or an overnight red-eye, it can be hard to get motivated to dress up for the airport. From Selena Gomez’s matching sweats to Kendall Jenner’s travel uniform of leggings and sneaks, today’s celebrities have proven that we’re not alone in our casual airport ensembles.

But long before sweatpants and stilettos was a trend, the tarmac was a runway and stars treated it as such. From Marilyn Monroe’s elegant dresses that hugged every curve to Brigitte Bardot’s mod minis and thigh-high boots, these fashion icons put their best foot forward as they stepped off the jetway.

Keep scrolling to see 14 gorgeous photos of yesterday’s style icons that will inspire you to trade in those leggings for something a little more glam on your next trip to the airport.

01 of 14

Marilyn Monroe

The iconic star touched down in London to film The Prince and the Showgirl, wearing a sheath dress and duster coat in this 1956 photo. Monroe was followed down the ramp by her husband, playwright Arthur Miller.

02 of 14

Faye Dunaway

The actress posed on the tarmac of New York's JFK airport in a fur-trimmed coat and leather pants before jetting off on a London vacation.

03 of 14

Twiggy

The stunning model wore an orange coat over a green romper and blue tights in this photo from 1967. Twiggy waved to fans at London Airport before making her way to the U.S.

04 of 14

Yoko Ono

Ono was captured along with her husband, John Lennon, boarding a private aircraft in Gibraltar after their 1969 wedding. The artist wore a white mini dress, accessorizing her monochrome ensemble with a floppy hat and high socks.

05 of 14

Brigitte Bardot

The French actress arrived at London Airport in style, wearing a shiny black mini and over-the-knee boots. Bardot flew in from Paris to attend the London premiere of her film, Shalako, along with her boyfriend Patrick Gilles in 1968.

06 of 14

Elizabeth Taylor

The actress wore an A-line dress as she boarded a Hollywood-bound plane. Taylor accessorized with short gloves, a hair wrap, and a bold lip.

07 of 14

Lauren Bacall

Bacall flaunted her trim waist in this fitted skirt suit alongside husband Humphrey Bogart. The actress polished off her look with gloves, patent pumps, and a string of pearls.

08 of 14

Brigitte Bardot

Bardot boarded an American Airlines plane for Los Angeles in a plaid skirt suit and sunglasses in this vintage snap.

09 of 14

Jane Birkin

Everything old is new again! The actress jetted off to London in an outfit that we could totally see on one of today's supermodels. Birkin wore a dark mini, over-the-knee socks, and a long overcoat on her Air Flance flight with singer Serge Gainsbourg in 1969.

10 of 14

Jackie Kennedy

The First Lady looked picture perfect descending the jetway in New York wearing a black and white checked suit. Kennedy accessorized with black pumps, an alligator bag, and her signature coiffed updo.

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Audrey Hepburn

The actress looks impossibly fit just seven weeks after giving birth to her son, Sean, with husband Mel Ferrer. Hepburn wore a sleeveless top, pencil skirt, and strand of pearls on her flight back to Los Angeles from Switzerland in 1960.

12 of 14

Elizabeth Taylor

The actress stepped off a plane in London wearing a white fur-trimmed coat and hat. Taylor and Richard Burton flew in from Paris to attend the world premiere of their film, The Taming of the Shrew, in 1967.

13 of 14

Grace Kelly

The actress boarded a plane in Los Angeles en route to her 1956 wedding in Monaco to Prince Rainier. Kelly wore a calf-length coat, black pumps, and white gloves to jet off to the ceremony.

14 of 14

Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen landed in London in 1952 wearing a dark coat, matching hat, and low pumps.