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Ski fashion trends for 2020: Retro

13 December 2019
Ski fashion trends for 2020: Retro

This winter’s ski fashion designers have raided the back catalogues of ski fashion history and present a sexy retro-tastic look that combines top performance modern ski textiles with stand-out ‘60s styling. It’s interesting to recall how the stretch ski pant evolved and how it came to really capture the essence of the classic ski look.

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Fashion brand Bogner staged their first ski fashion show in Munich’s Hofbräuhaus in 1948. Bogner shows featured some of the most important innovations in skiwear but most ground breaking were Bogner’s stretch pants, made from a wool/nylon blend, with a strap at the instep to keep the pant snug in ski boots.

The stirrup pants were an instant success; worn by Hollywood actresses Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, they
were referred to as the “The Bogners”. In 1951, the Bogner line was featured on the cover of Grazia and the company gained international acclaim.

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In 1957, Fred Picard, “international authority on glamour in the snow”, wrote “The best way for a girl to hunt a husband is on skis. Properly fitted ski pants should have a taunt, narrow look which gives a girl a slim longlegged
appearance. A beautiful girl is never more radiant than when her cheeks are glowing and her eyes sparkling from healthful outdoor exercise at 10 below.”

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The swinging 60s saw skiwear really starting to develop its glamorous side. With royalty and Hollywood stars seen hitting the slopes and more ski scenes on the silver screen, a new generation of fashion designers were fascinated by the allure of ski life. Audrey Hepburn sparkled in her Givenchy stretch cat suit in Charade and photographers of the time captured style icons Brigitte Bardot and Grace Kelly on the slopes. The shots from this period are impossibly glamorous and timelessly chic.

Time-travel to 2019 and stretch pants, bomber jackets and chic après sweaters are front and centre in new skiwear collections. Top brands like Goldbergh, Henri Duvillard, Schöffel and Peak Performance have all got their retro on and the results are dynamic, form-flattering and very sexy.

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