Ski and Style – How to Balance Comfort and Elegance

With stylish ski clothing, you can achieve a harmonious balance between elegance and comfort. The white button-up is the backbone of any chic wardrobe, making it ideal for that dazzling holiday party or a laidback weekend coffee run.

Sustainable fabrics are a key trend in 2024, offering a fashionable edge to your mountain-wear. Explore a range of eco-friendly styles from brands like Perfect Moment and Roxy.

Style

Ski and style may seem at odds, but you can strike a balance between the two by packing the right gear for your ski trip. Stylish winter jackets, warm pants, and cozy sweaters allow you to stay comfortable while also maintaining an elevated look on the slopes.

When choosing a ski outfit, consider whether you want to wear a puffy down jacket or a water-resistant shell with a hood. You’ll also need a base layer, waterproof pants, and either mittens or gloves. Gloves offer dexterity while mittens provide more warmth, though they have less flexibility.

Thermal layers are essential for keeping your core warm, and merino wool is a TFG reader favorite. The ibex Woolies Tech long sleeve top and Woolies Tech bottoms are super soft and lightweight, yet keep you toasty warm.

For a more casual look, a fleece like the Ice Flow Half-Zip can be worn as an outer layer on warmer days. It combines polyester and Tencel Lyocell, which is quick-drying and temperature-regulating. A quarter-zip style makes it easy to adjust, and four color-block options bring a little flair to this ski-lodge staple.

Comfort

The last thing you want to worry about on a ski trip is uncomfortable snow gear that prioritizes function over form. Thanks to the latest winter-wear trends, you can feel cozy and chic on your next snowy adventure.

In addition to incorporating innovative insulating technology, many 2021 ski clothing options are eco-friendly and socially responsible, so you can look your best without feeling guilty about damaging the environment. These fleece pants from Jet Set Ski Wear, for example, are made with a blend of recycled materials and brushed lycra fabric that is stretchy, comfortable, and wrinkle-resistant.

Another must-have for any ski trip is a high-quality sweater that will keep you warm while skiing and relaxing in the lodge. Smartwool offers several stylish options, including this quarter-zip sweater that pairs merino wool with polyester and nylon for a soft, comfortable, and breathable sweater that manages sweat and temperature. It’s available in four color-block options that add a pop of style to this cold-weather staple.

Other ski sweaters offer a more classic winter aesthetic and are perfect for wearing with a beanie, cute hat, and comfy jeans or boots. This Pendleton turtleneck looks great with a pair of gloves and dangly earrings, so you’ll be ready to hit the slopes or take a break from skiing to enjoy a drink at the lodge.

Aesthetics

As a skier, you need high-quality gear for the slopes—but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. Bulky winter coats and shapeless sweaters don’t have to be your go-to ski attire, especially with brands like Erin Snow offering flattering and functional pieces that look great whether you’re in the lodge or sipping a cocktail.

The flex pattern of a ski boot is an important factor for the performance and safety of the foot and ankle when skiing. It has been shown that a progressive flex of the ski boots, which starts soft and gradually stiffens, is efficient in absorbing the shocks produced by landings and moguls.

However, the stiffening of plastic materials depends on their chemical structure. For example, polyamide-based materials (Nylon and Pebax) have less stiffening compared to polyurethanes and polyolefines.

The best ski sweaters for women combine the comfort of Merino wool with the stretch and moisture-management of polyesters and nylons. Smartwool, for instance, offers a crew neck sweater that’s the ideal combination of warmth and style with their Edgewood Color-Block Crew Sweater. With a quarter-zip closure, the cozy sweater is breathable, odor-resistant, and comes in four color-block options to suit your ski aesthetic.

Practicality

As ski sport evolved into an art form, equipment and clothing improved to protect the wearer from mountainous extremes. Outfits gradually shifted from baggy styles to shaped trousers that followed the streamlined look of ski racers, as well as weatherproof jackets and breeches.

Traditionally, the color palette of ski wear was brightly colored to practically increase skiers’ visibility against the snowy backdrop. Moreover, fabrics like feathered downs, rich wools, and luxurious furs kept skiers warm.

Adverse climate change, however, threatens snow caps and ski slopes. As a result, many designers are rethinking materials and making garments that are both functionally eco-friendly and stylishly sleek. For example, Louis Vuitton’s range of winterized outerwear is crafted from P.U.R.E fabric—an enhanced blend of biodegradable textiles and polymers that offers the waterproof coverage of traditional fabrics.

In addition, the sunny female-founded brand Halfdays is revolutionizing snow sports apparel with smart features, such as a phone leash to avoid chairlift mishaps and a built-in goggle wipe. These features, combined with high-tech insulating and moisture-proofing materials, offer skiers the best of both worlds.

Ski season attire is rooted in the cultural touch-points of the regions where skiing originated and is most popular. Think Alpine aesthetics—graphic-patterned jumpers and rollnecks, lace-up hiking boots, and sturdy bobble-top hats—that are both seductive and protective. The key, as ancient stoic influencer Epictetus put it, is to know who you are and then adorn yourself accordingly.