DENVER — Could boarders be bailing on baggy?
A slouchy style has long been standard for snowboarders, so when top star Shaun White took to the halfpipe at the Winter X Games earlier this season in skinny pants, the tweets started flying.
White said he was just showing a piece from his women’s line for Burton that mimics his everyday streetwear, but his look might not be that far off for amateurs. Ride Snowboards sent a model down the runway wearing tight pants at this year’s SIA Snow Show, when manufacturers trot out next season’s wares for retailers.
While plenty of snowboarders still prefer boxier shapes, the slim silhouette is showing up among riders “a ton” following the X Games, said Jeanine Pesce, senior active editor of the forecasting firm Stylesight.
“If anyone can pull off a controversial look like that on the mountain it is Shaun,” she said.
Street and runway fashions are trickling over to ski slopes and terrain parks, in high-performance versions.
Design and technology tweaks fuel growth: In December alone, the snow sports market sold more than $1 billion worth of equipment, apparel and accessories, according to the trade group SnowSports Industries America.
The leather jacket White sported with his tight pants is form-fitting but also has insulation, windproofing, waterproofing and fully taped seams to block moisture. It’s from The White Collection for Burton.
Judging from lookbooks of several brands at the SIA Snow Show, the plaids and saturated, in-your-face limes, purples and blues from this season will give way to a more subdued palette.
Key colors will include saffron oranges, red wine shades, muted tans, and daffodil, tapioca and banana yellows, Pesce said. For cool colors, look for a range from icy blue to cornflower to royal blue to deep navy, with turquoise or teal greens and a more acidic or sulfuric green rather than kelly green, she said. Sandstone, dusty champagne and mauve also figure to be key.
“Color is going to be reined in a bit, like there’s a gray filter over it,” she said.
Men have already started with gray-on-gray in their technical gear, and Pesce predicts there will be more “bland” neutrals, such as tan and oatmeal, in their future.
Park rats have been sporting super slouchy beanies. The next thing is knit hats with pom-poms, with logo patches for a down-to-earth vibe, or Nordic patterns for a preppier look, according to Stylesight.
For something warmer, aviator hats are entering as another option to trapper hats with ear flaps.
Apres-ski outfits are still using fur, whether fake or real, on boots, hoods and collars.
Meanwhile, kids are getting their own unique designs, not just smaller versions of what their parents are wearing. Look for lively, colorful patterns for girls, and bold colors in simpler designs for little dudes.
Warmth is always important in the mountains, and Quiksilver is introducing the Cypher heating jacket next season, with a rechargeable battery to heat up panels on the lower back and torso.
Farther down the road, Pesce sees room for designers to use the poncho shape to create a performance version, with perhaps waterproof sleeves underneath.
For hard goods, wood grains are appearing on snowboards and skis. Wood toggles, buttons and zipper pulls on apparel are next, Pesce predicted. And designers may start using ombre effects, which has been “huge” in ready to wear, she said.
