DENVER – More street styles are making their way on to snow slopes, from longer lengths in women's jackets to high-performance hoodies that could be worn while riding or skiing – or in the city later.
Makers of ski pants and jackets also are offering some styles this winter with flaunted opulence but also recycled materials in response to separate trends for outre designs and eco- elegance.
The over-the-top luxury is showing up in gold and fur accents, and exotic animal skin prints in offbeat colors, said Jeanine Pesce, trend analyst of the fashion forecasting firm Stylesight. This coming winter, Obermeyer, for example, is offering slim puffy down coats in a python pattern, in either shiny blue or silver.
On the other end of the spectrum, designers are giving a nod to what Pesce calls an "anti-outerwear" movement. At early and late-season on-mountain events, skiers and snowboarders have been taking to the snow wearing sweat shirts, vests and flannel shirts without coats.
Burton's newest tech apparel collection includes pieces that would look at home on a city street but also work for the slopes. The men's collection has a waterproof soft-shell hoodie with fleece lining, performance denim jackets and pants designed with insulation and water-repellant materials, and a technical, high- performance corduroy. For women, there's a quick- drying tank top with an antimicrobial finish, aimed at keeping odor at bay, to wear as a layer under ski gear or later for an apres-ski happy hour.
"Anything goes … if you can make it functional and lightweight," said Burton spokeswoman Anne-Marie Dacyshyn.
On the sustainability front, Mountain Dew has partnered with Burton to produce apparel that incorporates recycled plastic bottles into not just T-shirts but also outerwear. Mountain Dew's involvement allows Burton to sell the garments for less than what it might otherwise cost, according to Burton.
Designers are still playing with volume and including patches of mismatched patterns on outerwear. The playfulness in volume could start showing up in insulated skirts for women and pant shapes that feature a more bulbous, insulated short, with skintight leggings peeking out underneath for both men and women, said Pesce, who attended this year's annual SIA Snow Show, where retailers can see what manufacturers have ready for the upcoming season.
She sees a mixing of materials, patterns and colors. That could mean colors that intentionally clash, argyles and plaids mixed with stripes, and textural corduroys or tweeds paired with waterproof materials.
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