Our guide to the best skiwear

Here are the ski clothes and accessories you need to be super-toasty on the slopes and super-chic in the bar or beside the fire pit.

Cashmere ski-slogan vest, £146, Chinti & Parker

In 2024, most designer-fashion brands have left serious ski-wear to the specialists — apart, that is, from Stella McCartney, whose collection for Adidas includes serious skiwear. Instead, designer brands offer padded jackets and apres-ski casuals that can be worn away from the slopes, or ski accessories such as Chanel’s faux-fur ear-muffs, £830, or a Louis Vuitton Snow Mask, £965.

Double-layer snowsuit £720; Boots £225; Mask £180, all Stella McCartney for Adidas

The main purveyors of serious ski clothing are the specialist brands, which include Moncler, Saloman, Goldbergh, Fusalp, Perfect Moment and My Sunday Ski. Their often achingly on-trend (and often punishingly pricey) ski-wear is available from their own web-shops or from fashion sites such as Net-a-Porter, Matches and MyTheresa.

Padded "LV" pufferjacket, £5,450; platform boots, £1,300, Louis Vuitton

A slight democratisation of the sport due to the sheer numbers of Brits taking ski holidays (1.5 million take one a year and more than 300,000 take two or more) means some ski clothing is available more affordably (from John Lewis, Oysho, Zara, ASOS and Superdry.) Also, the climate emergency has led to an explosion in ski-clothing hire, which is useful if you’re new to the sport and unsure if you’ll like it.

Perfect Moment skijacket, from £48 for 6 days' hire, Blanquo

Hire skiwear from, among others, Blanquo, By Rotation, Ecoski, Hirestreet, MyWardrobe HQ, Perfect Moment and Selfridges. Prices vary, but expect to pay from £150 to £250 for 14 days’ hire. Or you could do what first-time skiers have done for ever — borrow from a kind friend.