Category Archives: Clothing & Kit

Back to the Future at Quiksilver

March 16, 2013

Quiksilver‘s hard-wearing, cool surf gear has been spotted on all the best bodies, on all the best beaches since the 1970s. So when snowboarding came along, with its simiar youthful ethos of laid back living and thrill-seeking in nature’s wonderland, the boys and girls at Quiksilver weren’t far behind in creating some loud & distinctive kit for this equally cool crowd. That, in turn, influenced what skiers wanted to wear, so very soon the mountain was clad in lots of little blobs of wild fluorescence. Thankfully, those over-ripe, retro snow suits are [...]

Scorching Vintage Ski Jackets

February 16, 2013

And now for a stack of shouty, Seventies-ness - with the odd Eighties orange-y anorak thrown in for good measure. There’s no hiding on the hill with these… Ebay & Etsy plundered once again! Thanks too to Vintage Trends.

Stitched up for the slopes

January 16, 2013

Here’s inspiration for more home sewn ski finery. First up is a super 70′s, quilt crazy style from Simplicity. The Brunette, however, doesn’t look too happy about having her foot crunched under the Blondes ski boot and that pole appears to have been honed to quite a point. Don’t be fooled, she’s going to have that ingot pendant whatever it takes. I’m a huge fan of brown. Being ultra pale, it’s my personal default base colour. Think smooth milk chocolate, dark cocoa, deep bronze, caramel and hazel. I’m not sure how I would [...]

Sew for Snow – Donner Designs

November 25, 2012

Donner Designs was a small American pattern company based in Reno, Nevada. Given that Nevada means ‘snow-covered’ in Spanish, it comes as no surprise to learn that many of their designs were for skiwear. In fact, Reno is only about an hour’s drive from the major ski resorts of Lake Tahoe. Throughout the ’70s & ’80s Donner Designs produced a neat collection of cheaply produced patterns now resurfacing on Ebay & Etsy. Check out the mountain inspired logo featured on the front of each packet, it’s 3 peaks morphing [...]

Graham Bell on Vintage Skis

October 11, 2012

Graham Bell looks understandably nervous but suitably retro in his hunky chunky Aran sweater. With vintage skiing expert Peter Hardy alongside, they ride some 8ft museum pieces down a mountainside at 30mph. And despite the potential lack of any grip whatsoever, not only do they manage to stay on their feet but they also achieve an unexpected level of grace. Much as I love the vintage vibe, I’m not about to trade in my Spicey skis & Bonkers bindings [...]

Neve on a Sunday…

September 30, 2012

Neve, the Italian word for snow (pronounced ‘nevay’) is also an American clothing brand with bags of Alpine style. Their latest collection has neve (sorry…) been better. Still rocking last year’s strong Fair Isle trend, it’s an unbeatable combination of vintage sass and modern styling all wrapped up in top quality merino wool and silk. Which means it’s going to do the business out on the slopes as well as in the bar. Here’s my top picks… The new [...]

Turin’s Treasures

July 8, 2012

Appropriately enough, Italy’s Museum of the Mountains can be found in Turin perched atop one of its peaks - with 360° views over the city and across to the Alps. Housed in part of an old monastery, monks & pilgrims once had the luxury of a small funicular railway to carry them elegantly to the top of Monte dei Cappuccini. With the mercury rising past the mid-30s° we had only a hot, sweaty climb. The view from the top would have been reward enough but I had set [...]

Who’s into vintage ski style too?

April 4, 2012

John Barrowman on the cover of Waitrose Weekend

Just before an old Waitrose ‘Weekend’ hit the recycling bin, I spotted this vintage ski style T-shirt modelled by Dr. Who & Torchwood star, John Barrowman. Very cool.

DIY Vintage Ski Style

March 19, 2012

Monks Hood Hat and Mitts Knitting Pattern1940

Much loved Etsy is not only a treasure trove of cool craft pieces but you’ll also find the means to produce your own creations. Like these original sewing patterns for super 70s ski outfits. The pattern below looks very much like the one my Mum used to make me and my younger sister, Diane, a ribbon-trimmed anarak when we were little. Mine was the same blue as the one illustrated and I loved it. I also seem to remember it was later cut down to provide [...]

Luxury vintage ski sweaters

February 25, 2012

The shiny, happy family above is the Palmer-Tomkinsons, a name more likely to be linked to Bond Street than Black Runs but the family has deep roots in the ski world. James “Jimmy” Palmer-Tomkinson, was British Champion in 1939 and competed in the Winter Olympic Games in 1936 and 1948. He married Swiss ski champion Doris Friedreich and together they produced four children who continued the family tradition. The sad death of their father in a training accident when he was only 36 did not deter them and eldest son Charles [...]

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