Travel Style Tips From ‘Queer Eye’ Star Tan France

13.04.2024 - 12:33 / forbes.com

As Queer Eye’s fashion expert, Tan France built a reputation on the Netflix reboot for giving transformational makeovers, possessing sharp style sensibilities and leading a relentless campaign for people to French tuck their shirts.

Forbes Travel Guide caught up with France as the Fab Five shoots season nine in Las Vegas, and the Emmy winner revealed that he’s working on his first scripted role. He couldn’t say more about the project, other than it will debut this summer, but he did share plane outfit tips, the two travel destinations he visits on repeat and why castmate Antoni Porowski may have some competition in the kitchen.

What should travelers wear for a long-haul flight while still looking chic?

Here’s my take: I don’t get dressed up. I just wear the nicest version of travel clothes I can find. I like to keep it really slick and just wear all one color. I kind of fall into a rotation where a couple months at a time, I will wear a certain color palette. Right now, I’m in my camel era.

I have these Guest in Residence camel pants that you could liken to pajama pants, but they’re solid. They’re cashmere. They feel gorgeous. And they look dressy enough where I could see Gigi [Hadid, the luxury knitwear brand’s founder] in her heels wearing these. They’re very chic. And then I wear a camel-colored T-shirt that is from Uniqlo and a camel sweater. Those things combined create a really sophisticated look.

Sometimes, I’ll put a large black overcoat over it, a duster coat that comes down to almost my ankles. Then as the flight gets cooler, I’ve got layers I can take off. And no matter how many layers I take off, I still look chic underneath. And that’s my that’s my tip in general, when layering: Don’t forget that the layers underneath aren’t just there for comfort. You may need to take off the outer layers, and you still want to look sophisticated, like you’ve got a full look underneath.

When considering essential fashion pieces, aside from the little black dress, what’s an item that should be in every woman’s wardrobe?

Any leather jacket that works for you. And this doesn’t have to be leather. It could be a vegan leather. Something that you can dress up or dress down very easily. My go-to is a moto jacket and has been for 25 years. That is the thing you can add to your rotation to help you have your own vibe.

What’s a fashion item that you’re obsessed with right now?

Gold jewelry. It doesn’t have to be real — it can be costume. I have plenty of costume jewelry. My castmates on any show I’ve ever done call me the “Persian Prince” because my hands and wrists are typically stacked in gold jewelry. I just think it’s the most beautiful way to dress up a look.

Even if I’m just in my travel outfit, which