HTSI editor’s letter: how to ski it

An activity that requires the harnessing of aluminium rails, plastic bootees and copious layers of quilting is not an obvious arena for cutting-edge fashion. Even so, the outerwear business is now a ferociously contested market for the makers of fashion apparel. That skiwear has been so successfully absorbed into the mainstream says much about our changing wardrobe and our desire for clothes designed for utility, work and leisure. The down jacket is now as commonplace in the supermarket as it is among polar explorers. In particular, snow-wear, with its technical specifications, has become a competitive area for material innovation. There’s also a ready bunch of clients wanting to look the part on the black run. As Jessica Beresford reports, the global outdoor apparel market was valued at $33.54bn in 2021, and every brand from Isabel Marant to Armani now produces ski capsules and “high-performance” collections.

As a non-skier (too old, too malcoordinated, too frightened), I can only admire it all from the position of fashion critic. And there have been some magnificent moments. Few things can beat the chic of Audrey Hepburn’s ski outfit in Charade. A chocolate-coloured wool ensemble, worn with matching fur hat and jacket, the costume was designed by Hubert de Givenchy and is so immaculate that even decades after the film’s release it still looks exquisitely modern. At the other end of the scale, Roger Moore’s acid-yellow ensemble with red-accent detail, in which he is chased in The Spy Who Loved Me, is “a bold choice”, to put it mildly. A more demure and arguably comfortable Bond, Daniel Craig opts for minimal cashmere by N Peal and Vuarnet goggles to outwit his adversaries in Spectre.

Few things can beat the ski-chic of Audrey Hepburn in Charade

Skiwear is possibly more fun when it nods towards the outrageous: Princess Di in a huge plaited headband or Ivana Trump in a silver all-in-one with a grin as big as her beehive. Our fashion shoot in this week’s issue celebrates the snow set’s more peacocking personalities. Shot by Billy Ballard and styled by Benjamin Canares, it’s rainbow-bright and playful. You might want to practise before heading out, however, as these looks will certainly get you noticed.

Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve got homes, art, food, elevated denim and graffiti artists. I’ve lusted over the butter-coloured kitchen of André Saraiva ever since seeing an image of it earlier this summer. Saraiva – perhaps better known by the trademark tag “Mr A”, which he has painted some 300,000 times the world over – moved into his loft-like space overlooking the Place des Vosges in the wake of the pandemic. Previously owned by the architect Richard Rogers, and later remodelled by the architect Emanuela Frattini Magnusson, the apartment has enjoyed an illustrious history. Rather than try to force his own imprimatur on the space, Saraiva’s gentle renovation has tried to recreate its former aesthetic. I’m sure a psychologist would have much to say about a graffiti artist who decides not to desecrate his personal space with his own signature. But I can only applaud Saraiva’s decision to try to reclaim so many gorgeous interior details.

And the icing on the cake? Well, the biscuit, actually. Last week I had the strange pleasure of going to Harrods, which has been transformed by Dior into a gingerbread palace. From the store windows to a “wonderland” in the basement, the Kensington retailer is currently in the guise of giant biscuit. The confection might have been inspiration for Ajesh Patalay who, it so happens, has spent time finessing his icing skills for his column. And while plans to recreate a miniature world in time for Christmas may be somewhat ambitious, a box of bespoke iced biscuits would be just as delicious. 

@jellison22