Recent years have seen fashion embrace skiwear with aplomb – whether outfitting thrill-seekers as they whizz down Alpine slopes or simply enveloping them in luxurious layers for watching on from the terrace (or, indeed, partaking in the requisite aprés ski). And, this month, as ski season approaches, a slew of fashion houses and brands are revealing their latest skiwear offerings – whether Balenciaga’s debut ski collection (in Demna’s idiosyncratic style, the collection is photographed on a beach) or Loro Piana’s holiday collection, a typically sumptuous wardrobe primed for chalet living.
Here, in an ongoing list, Wallpaper* selects the season’s best ski- and aprés-ski wear from fashion’s finest, made to keep you on piste this winter.
Balenciaga Skiwear Collection
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balenciaga)
Earlier this week (15 November 2023), Balenciaga revealed its first-ever ski collection by creative director Demna. It features the designer‘s typically idiosyncratic riffs on the quotidian: cargo pants and padded parka jackets are amped up in size, ski suits adorned with 1990s-style logos, while signature wraparound shades come with sporty mirrored lenses. That said, technical innovation runs throughout the collection, whether membrane-bonded technical ripstop fabrics, ventilation systems, or pockets which save battery life. A version of the house’s 3XL sneaker, meanwhile, comes with removable spiked crampons, while skis, poles, helmets and goggles will also be available.
The collection will appear in a series of pop-up stores from the brand, featuring special window installations designed to recall ski resorts (walls, for example, will feature the Balenciaga Sport logo on padding reminiscent of the protective barriers at the bottom of ski slopes). Alongside, a playful campaign sees models decked out in full Balenciaga ski attire, transplanted onto sun-soaked beaches.
Peak style: the 3 B Sports Icon Ski Jacket melds protective, water-repellent bonded nylon with Balenciaga’s signature moulded ‘hourglass’ silhouette
Available from: mytheresa.com and selected Balenciaga stores worldwide.
Loro Piana Holiday Collection
(Image credit: Courtesy of Loro Piana)
Synonymous with enveloping textures of cashmere and wool, Loro Piana‘s latest holiday collection provides a refined uniform for both on and off the slopes. Spanning ski masks, shearling hats, sheepskin ski boots and super lightweight nylon jackets alongside a comprehensive aprés-ski offering, from cosy fair isle sweaters to more dressed-up tuxedo blazers and jacquard suiting, the Italian brand describes it as ’a sensual wardrobe of silhouettes with embracing textures’. Such fabrics include Loro Piana’s ‘CashFur’, whereby ribbons of cashmere are pulled by artisans on circular knitting looms to achieve a texture evocative of fur.
Peak style: the Noel Crew Neck cashmere sweater with fair isle-style motifs – available in men’s and women’s iterations – is knitwear perfection, made for cosy chalet living
Available from: mytheresa.com and Loro Piana stores worldwide.
Louis Vuitton ’LV Ski’
(Image credit: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Combining menswear and womenswear into a single collection, LV Ski is the latest skiwear offering from the storied French house. Described as ‘a dynamic winter wardrobe’, the sleek, streamlined silhouettes are nonetheless instilled with the same moments of craft as the house’s fashion and accessories – whether enveloping shearling collars, high-tech ski jackets and gilets, or solar-hue ski masks instilled with technology to protect against the glare of the slopes. Other accessories – from versions of the house’s Capucines handbag to shearling-trimmed Chelsea boots – are adorned with monograms and glacier-inspired motifs.
Peak style: accessories don’t get much bolder than this LV monogram ski mask in dazzling fluorescent green
Available from: louisvuitton.com and the house’s stores worldwide.
Dior ‘DiorAlps’
(Image credit: Courtesy of Dior)
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s romantic riff on contemporary femininity continues to infuse a new winter capsule for Dior, which draws on ‘the magic of the mountains and the splendours of winter,’ as the house describes. As such, the collection is aptly titled ‘DiorAlps’ with the various pieces – which span Dior Oblique monogram-adorned down jackets and 1970s-tinged sporty ribbed knits – primed for Alpine getaways, whether hitting the slopes or simply watching on from the terrace. The richly decorated collection also features prints recalling historic maps of Paris (an original design by Christian Dior), gilded butterfly-motif taffeta, and bold go-faster stripes.
Peak style: these flared ecru ski pants conjure a nostalgic elegance, but are crafted from high-tech protective fabric with a gentle stretch
Available from: dior.com and the house’s stores worldwide.
Giorgio Armani Neve
(Image credit: Courtesy of Giorgio Armani)
Following last year’s show held in the historic Swiss ski resort of St Moritz – which heralded the relaunch of the 1985-introduced collection – Giorgio Armani Neve returns this winter promising a ‘comprehensive mountain wardrobe’ which melds the designer’s typical Italian elegance with the demands of below-zero climes. Expect sleek, body-contouring ski suits for women, puffer jackets, mohair trousers, helmets and goggles (the latter two made in collaboration with Oakley), alongside an expansive selection for aprés-ski which captures Mr Armani’s eye for languid glamour – from a multitude of knitwear to shearling capes and the miniature ‘La Prima’ handbag.
Peak style: in true Armani fashion, this ultralight (and ultra warm) down jacket in classic navy will never go out of style
Available from: armani.com and the house’s stores worldwide, as well as a selection on mytheresa.com