The much mooted return of the face-to-face meeting – deemed more effective than any conference call – may be good for getting clients to sign on the dotted line, but it can also mean more of those short-haul, dinky-seat trips that leave you looking dishevelled the moment you leave home. Relax: many suit companies are working just as hard as you to combat the crumple, the spill and even the sweat that can ruin that valuable first impression.

While one might think that traditional craftsmanship and technology make for uneasy bedfellows, Zegna, for example, has an approach to the travel suit more akin to NASA than your classic Neapolitan tailor. The pitch for its Micronsphere Traveller Suit is that it uses nanotechnology to ensure that dirt floats on the surface of the cloth rather than penetrating it and so is easily wiped away, while its High Performance Cool Effect collection is made from a treated woollen fabric that Zegna claims reflects 80% of direct sunlight, compared with 20% in the case of most dark fabrics, allowing a sober suit to be worn without its occupant overheating. The firm has also created an ultra-light woollen cloth suit with fibres just 13 microns in diameter and a metre of the fabric weighing only 180g.

Zegna is not alone in developing suits for cattle class. British high-street institution Marks & Spencer now uses a Stormwear coating on several of its styles to repel that wayward tomato juice. But other developments now available – such as NASA-patented interlinings that help regulate body temperature, and wool-polyester-Lycra blends that retain breathability while allowing a suit to be machine-washed and drip-dried – have so far been resisted by upmarket brands.

“The better tailors will only fully enter the market when the technology improves to be practically invisible,” says Frederick Willems, creative director of Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes. “The problem is that withevery technological advance to make a suit more travel-friendly, there is some compromise.” The Lycra in some suits, for example, means that they hold their shape but eventually develop surface shine; machine washability invariably means the construction techniques that give the fine fit of top-end suits cannot be employed; coatings can make a fabric look more artificial than luxurious.

So what are the chic but creased masses supposed to do? For one, don’t forget that you may take your jacket off. Upper-end shirtmakers are now also investing in anti-crease technology: Swedish brand Eton is offering formal shirts in a blend of Swiss cotton, polyamide and elastane, so the fabric retains a flat surface without the plastic sheen that has traditionally characterised this type of product, while Germany’s Seidensticker has shirts with hand-felled seams and cotton treatment to allow it to retain that crisp look.

Also worth investigating is more formal clothing from companies specialising in kit for the outward bound: Rohan’s Envoy jacket comes with special pockets for a ticket and boarding card, but is machine- washable, while L.L.Bean’s blazer and safari styles are made from microfibre polyester woven to mimic worsted wool.

Nor is the travel suit market without more esteemed names, such as Gieves & Hawkes, Paul Smith and Ede & Ravenscroft, although their approach is less the appliance of science and more old-fashioned advice on the choice of fabric. Always opt, they say, for high-twist, long-fibre yarns or one of new generation of natural, bio-elastic weaves – cloths whose properties include an ability to hold their shape and resist creasing and whose density makes staining less likely. Hung overnight in a steamy bathroom most creases will fall out. Fabrics in the Super 100 to 130 range are more likely to fit the bill; they are also most adaptable to different climates – should you travel from Helsinki to Honolulu say. But these too have a downside: the denser the fabric, the flatter it can look, with a negative effect on lustre, colour and pattern.

“The key to a good choice for a travel suit is to remember that looking good is an overall effect and not just about avoiding creases,” says Fokke de Jong, CEO of the Suit Supply tailoring chain, which uses a Super 130 for its new autumn/winter travel suit style. “Stick with natural fabrics but pick the best of those for the job. You’re going to get some creasing whatever you wear – unless your suit is 100% polyester. And I wouldn’t recommend that.”

NO SKIRTING THE ISSUE

Designers are cutting up the cloth ceiling and turning their attention to the travelling female business executive

Says Lauren Steventon

While all sorts of high-performance travel-friendly suits are being dangled in front of male executives, it can be much trickier for their jet-setting female counterparts who want to exude style and a sense of purpose at 35,000 feet as well as on the ground.

Some fabrics certainly travel better than others. While the women’s skirt version of Austin Reed’s Performance fabric suit – a single-breasted number in black, navy or charcoal – is apparently the British High Street brand’s bestseller, it won’t make anywhere near as much impact as a classic jersey or silk-blend dress from Diane von Furstenberg’s Fall 2010 or Wrap Dress collections, which will be comfortable, won’t crease, and can take the wearer from border control to boardroom. Plus a simple dress is easy to dress up if you have no time to change before your evening engagement.

Cashmere works terrifically well in the air – it is a definite improvement on the airline’s blanket when the air conditioning kicks in and more and more designers are turning to this versatile fabric for sleek and sexy outfits.

Tania Laurie was one of the first names to inject some feminine style into cashmere, setting up her eponymous company in 1997. This year’s autumn/ winter collection features some fitted dresses in (travel-friendly) purple or grey, and a sharp pinstriped suit with wide trousers.

Laurie herself swears by the material for travelling: “I always wear comfortable trousers, a T-shirt, a shirt and a cashmere bomber jacket. Then as soon as I get on the plane I put on my cashmere sleep suit, an elegant pair of wide-leg drawstring cashmere trousers with matching tunic top. If I’m really cold I’ll put my bomber jacket on top and slip on a pair of cashmere socks.”

The clothes that work best are the clothes that work hard when travelling light. Yves Saint Laurent’s Edition 24, for example, is a capsule collection of 24 pieces that can be combined into a number of different outfits. Perfect for efficient travel enlivened with a splash of designer know-how. The collection features both staple and statement pieces, channelling YSL’s wearable yet on-trend looks. This season’s Edition includes a smart black jumpsuit, a bright purple short-sleeved jacket and skirt, and mix-and-match jackets, skirts and trousers in beiges and golds.

But there are technological and design advances in classic clothing too. Increasingly, designers are turning to alternative or practical fabrics in order to combine form with function and create some lightweight alternatives to hefty coats. Burberry’s Double-breasted Packaway Trench Coat is fashioned in nylon which actually makes it easy to carry or pack while still maintaining Burberry’s classic cut. Similarly, Max Mara’s Weekend collection is designed for travel, with pieces such as quilted jackets for less weight and more warmth.

Every woman knows she shouldn’t wear heels on the plane … or sprinting across a concourse … or running for a cab. Which is why, since their launch in 2009, savvy female travellers have been snapping up Butterfly Twist’s lightweight, ultra-comfortable ballet-style foldable pumps to wear until they are ready to squeeze into their power shoes once again. These slip snugly into your briefcase next to your MacBook.

Naturally, your MacBook deserves to travel in style too. Mulberry’s Bayswater bag has a padded section for 33cm laptops and room for everything else you might reasonably need to hand.