It would appear that, just as high street fashion rolls in cycles, so too do
trends keep returning on the ski slopes, however unlikely or even unwelcome.
And this season, the 1980s and 1990s are back with a vengeance.
Flouro fabrics, clashing colours and garish accessories will be adorning
fashion-conscious skiers in the months to come. Great news for those of us
who are still wearing that Camp Hopson Rodeo all-in-one outfit when it was
in fashion first time round.
And on the subject of all-in-one suits, they're back as well.
You won't see hordes of skiers and boarders taking on the
one-piece-and-moustache brigade en masse, but you'll spot the odd
tongue-in-cheek fashionista sporting a recent model, such as the Vans
offering featured in our video above.
It's the only one-piece being sold in Ellis
Brigham this season and is a little more loose-fitting than the
all-in-one's of yesteryear.
Dave Whitlow, clothing buyer for Ellis Brigham told me that the one-piece is a
niche product but still worth stocking, although strictly for the women's
department at this stage.
"Colour is huge this year" he said, echoing the sentiments of a Snow
and Rock store manager I also spoke to the the Metro
Ski and Snowboard Show this week. "There's not a lot of new technology
as far as clothing goes this year, but the big thing is colours. They have
got brighter and bolder."
For female skiers daunted by brighter hues, and looking for the "little black
dress" of the slopes this year - something you can wear anywhere - on piste,
apres ski and even at home, there's plenty to choose from. Cinched waists,
bell cuffs and faux fur trims have schussed smoothly off the catwalk onto
the ski shops this year - gone are the shapeless jackets that sacrificed
fashion for comfort.
On that last note of keeping warm, there are plenty of innovative offerings
this season. Merino wool base layers were flying off the shelves at the ski
show, and also attracting a lot of interest was a new stand, Grannies
Inc, selling woolly Merino hats, custom made to your own design and
colours, and hand-knitted by a team of grannies nationwide.
Finally, a base layer that leaves nothing to the imagination is enjoying its
second ski season. Skins, a technical,
skin-tight base layer is already popular with football and rugby players,
but is relatively new to the ski market, and claims to keep blood flow
pumping in cold conditions as well as wicking moisture away from the body.
Hide up-to-the-minute technical gear under decades-old gaudy ski suits and
you'll score top marks in the ski fashion stakes this season, even if your
turns aren't a perfect ten.
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