Is a £1,000 ski suit worth the investment? I tried four to find out

There’s no two ways about it: skiing is an expensive sport. If you’re ever unsure about how posh someone is, just see how long it takes for your conversation to turn to skiing – that’s a fun little trick I’ve learnt since moving to the UK from Canada’s Rocky Mountains. Growing up I spent winters flying down the slopes in my brother’s hand-me-downs – a far cry from the champagne, fondue and state-of-the-art ski gear of a winter holiday spent in Klosters (but oh how the royals do it so well – 1980s Princess Diana is all the ski fashion inspiration you’ll ever need).

Since I live on this side of the globe now, I figure it’s time to spiff up my slopeside style and put the latest trending ski gear through its paces. And it turns out I’m not alone in wanting to look like I just glided out of a glamorous Slim Aarons scene: as fashion trend forecaster WGSN tells me, searches for “ski fashion” on TikTok shot up by 393 per cent in the past year.

Brands all over the map are hungry to get in on the action – from heritage ski labels like Fusalp to luxury outerwear labels like Mackage to, yes, even Zara. Though, a viral online review of a woman whose white ski suit was soaked through and frozen after a day on the mountain suggests its garments are more fashion than function.

With appetites for nostalgic style inspiration at an all-time high, there’s one look in particular that’s been in high demand: the one-piece ski suit. “Where styling is concerned, they take the guesswork out of trying to put together a cute ski outfit,” explains fashion blogger and content creator Ania Boniecka, whose work has taken her from the Rockies to the Alps showcasing the best in piste chic. “The equivalent of a dress in everyday wear, a ski suit is an outfit in one.”

King Charles could have told you that – he famously wore the same grey ski outfit for nearly 20 winters straight. How’s that for cost-per-wear?

Sufficiently convinced by Boniecka and His Majesty, I put four one-piece suits from some of the most buzzed-about skiwear brands to the test. For this, I went back home to the mountains on a -15C day to really put them through their paces. Surely if they can withstand this, they’ll hold up on a balmy spring day in the Alps.

The suits were assessed based on the following criteria: warmth factor, because all the fun is sucked out of the sport when you’re frozen; après-ability, because looking like a Bond girl while dunking your baguette in fondue is essential; and functionality, because feeling good trumps looking good every time.

Cordova

Cordova OTB in fiery red, £1,250

• Warmth factor: 4/5

• Functionality: 5/5

• Après-ability: 5/5

While there’s nothing like a crisp, white ski suit to make you look fresh as a daisy on the hill, I’ve always been wary of them as they act like camouflage against the snow – you would be awfully difficult to spot if you ever fell into a tree well. Enter: this siren red suit from American label Cordova. You’re in no danger of getting lost in a crowd wearing this.

Not only does it score highly on the functionality scale for its high collar and both wrist and ankle gaiters that block out the snow and wind, the suit is also OEKO-TEX certified, a standard that communicates the safety of a garment by ensuring it doesn’t contain any hazardous substances – and since ski gear is made with synthetic materials, this is important.

The only reason this slick design didn’t get an absolutely perfect score is that I did feel a slight chill – on cold days like this one, wool, cashmere or silk layers underneath are a must.

Perfect Moment

Allos Ski Suit, £795

• Warmth factor: 3/5

• Functionality: 3/5

• Après-ability: 5/5

When extreme sports filmmaker and professional skier Thierry Donard founded his skiwear brand in 1980s Chamonix, it was in homage to thrillseekers chasing that “Perfect Moment”. This sporty chevron suit certainly lives up to those retro roots – there’s something about skin-tight ski gear that sings of the more-more-moreness of the 1980s.

Considered details like the zipper charms bearing the company’s North Star logo and pockets for your phone and ski pass give the suit an elevated feel, though, at a (relatively) lower price point than the other suits, it’s missing some key features. Chiefly, wrist gaiters. As a result, my wrists were exposed to the frosty elements. Uncomfortable. The hood is also a nice touch for added warmth, though it was more scuba-style than anything that would actually fit over a bulky ski helmet.

Overall, this is geared towards casual skiers who intend to hit the slopes in the spring. Double-black diamond demons look elsewhere.

Mackage

Elle Agile-360, £1,350

• Warmth factor: 4/5

• Functionality: 5/5

• Après-ability: 4/5

Princess Eugenie and Celine Dion have both been spotted in sumptuous everyday coats from this luxury outerwear label and Alexander Skarsgård recently fronted one of their campaigns. So far so star-studded, but how does the Montreal-based company’s high-performance gear measure up?

I expect big things from a company hailing from a city known for its biting winters, and this delivers. All the table-stakes features are there: wrist and ankle gaiters, silicone-coated zippers to protect against snow-melt soak-through, smartphone-sized pockets. Though a hood isn’t necessary when zipping down the mountain, this removable cloak-like style would be a treat to pull up on an icy chairlift. The quilted leather detailing on the thighs and shoulders that had me feeling like a stylish Stormtrooper was an added bonus.

This is also a great option for the tall girls – at 5ft 9in, all-in-one styles can be uncomfortably tight on my long torso. I tried the small in this suit, and it was perfectly roomy while remaining figure flattering.

Fusalp

Clarisse ski suit, £1,150

• Warmth factor: 5/5

• Functionality: 5/5

• Après-ability: 5/5

Founded in the medieval mountain city of Annecy, France in 1952, Fusalp has been on the cutting edge of technical innovation for decades – pro athletes, including Team GB, are fans of its attractive and performance-minded gear, optimised for speed. The brand has always designed with an eye for fashion, and in recent years, artistic director Mathilde Lacoste has further infused the brand with a luxury feel, mining the archives to bring back vintage designs such as the Clarisse suit I wear here, originally released in 1970.

On my bone-chilling day in the mountains, this suit scored the highest of all the brands for warmth, owing to one key detail: the Michelin-man style upper. Crucially, looser-fitting outerwear keeps you warmer than tighter designs as the extra space traps hot air and allows it to circulate. So, while my bottom half said “ski bunny”, my top half said “toasty warm”, crowned with a deliciously cosy exaggerated collar. No need for a neck gaiter here. This suit gets top marks.