Ski Vacation Outfits: What to Wear Each Day of a Week in the Mountains

The best ski vacation outfits are planned by the day, not by the suitcase, because most of a week in the mountains happens off the slope. Travel in a cashmere knit set under your warmest coat. Ski your first lesson in a close fleece under the jacket. Keep shield sunglasses on hand for the bluebird lunch, and save a hooded, water-repellent down coat for the storm day in town. The spa afternoon wants two swimsuits and a robe, snowshoeing a short, hooded puffer and lace-up boots with rubber soles, dinner a knit dress with tights, and the night out leather trousers and a little sequin or Lurex.

Below, we go through the week one day at a time, with the formulas we would wear and the pieces from Max Mara, Burberry, Miu Miu, Brunello Cucinelli and other houses that do each job best. For the ski kit itself, start with what to wear skiing, our layer-by-layer guide.

Ski vacation outfits for the whole week, at a glance

Nine occasions in seven days, two of them after dark:

Day 1, the travel day: dress for the plane, the curb and the shuttle

The travel day runs through three climates: a warm cabin, a cold curb at altitude and a van with the heater on full. Dress soft and stretchy close to the body, with serious warmth on top. Knit trousers in cashmere or wool give with you through hours of sitting and do not hold creases the way tailored wool does. A zip hoodie beats a pullover because you can open it on the plane without dragging anything over your hair. Put a fine turtleneck under it and the long down coat on top.

• Charcoal and gray: Alaïa's charcoal high-rise wool-knit trousers, whose zipped side pockets hold a phone and a boarding pass, The Row's gray Kawoa cashmere zip hoodie, an ivory turtleneck and black snow boots.
• Ivory and taupe: Moncler's ivory double-knit trousers in wool and cashmere, with a drawstring waist, Tom Ford's taupe wool-and-cashmere hoodie, a cream turtleneck and cream snow boots.
• Black and charcoal: Stella McCartney's black compact-knit kick-flares, which pull on over an elasticized waist, with Max Mara's charcoal cashmere zip-up hoodie and black snow boots.

Three things a stylist would tell you. Knit trousers relax at the knee and seat with wear, so if you are between sizes in a fitted pair, take the smaller one. Read the care label before you pack: a hand-wash pair can be refreshed in the hotel sink mid-week, and a dry-clean-only pair cannot. And this is the set to buy once, because it is also what you wear in your room, to breakfast and on the drive home, and charcoal or ivory knit trousers earn their keep on every long flight after the trip. Browse more designer hoodies and sweatshirts.

Day 2, rentals and your first lesson

The first full day starts in the rental shop, so arrive in your base layer and the thin ski socks you will ski in: boots are fitted over the socks you wear in, and a boot fitted over a thick pair feels loose once you switch to thin ones. Bring goggles, too. Aspen Snowmass's beginner's guide, as it read when we checked in October 2026, tells first-timers to buy goggles because they are not available to rent, and points them to lessons at Snowmass and Buttermilk. Check your own resort's rental list before you fly.

For the mid layer, the guide suggests a fleece jacket or a lightweight puffy. We would add one thing for beginners: you spend much of a lesson standing still while the instructor talks, so you need more warmth than a stronger skier in the same jacket.

• Under the ski jacket: a close fleece such as Burberry's Felicia, in a wool, polyester and cashmere pile, or its fleece Genevieve vest, which keeps your arms free.
• After the lesson: Miu Miu's cropped camel fleece, filled with down, its green zip fleece and Chloé's checked fleece bomber are too bulky to sit under a fitted shell, but they are the right thing for the walk back and a hot chocolate at the base.
• The light puffy: Moncler's Lans, a short, packable down jacket, fits under a roomy shell on a cold morning and works on its own on a mild afternoon.

A formula that works: a merino turtleneck, Burberry's black Felicia fleece, olive ski pants and the ski jacket, then the jacket off and Casablanca's green monogram fleece on for lunch. Jackets, pants and full ski outfits are in our edit of the best ski outfits.

Day 3, the bluebird day: sunglasses for the terrace

A bluebird day, which Aspen Snowmass's guide describes as chilly, clear and sunny, is the day everyone wants to eat outdoors. You will ski in goggles, so the sunglasses are for the terrace, the village and the drive; choose them by shape and by lens.

• Shape: a shield or a wraparound covers the sides of the eye as well as the front, which matters with light bouncing off snow. Miu Miu's 69mm wraparound is the sportiest here, and Loewe's Speed Shield in black-tone metal the most graphic; Saint Laurent's Havana shield and Versace's tortoiseshell one look softer with knitwear.
• Lens: check the filter category in the listing or printed inside the temple. The ISO 12312-1 sunglasses standard sorts lenses by how much visible light they let through: a category 2 lens passes 18 to 43 percent and a category 3 lens 8 to 18 percent, while category 4, darker still, is not suitable for driving. Miu Miu lists its Aube shield as category 2; for a long lunch in full sun on snow, we would pick a darker lens. Tom Ford's Achilles shield has photochromic lenses that darken in sunlight, so one pair covers a cloudy morning and a bright afternoon.
• Frame: metal frames chill quickly against a cold cheek; acetate, like Bottega Veneta's olive shield, is kinder on a terrace at altitude.

On the terrace, ski clothes become the outfit, so open the jacket rather than taking it off: an ivory ski jacket unzipped over a white Fair Isle sweater, black ski pants and the Loewe shield. If you are not skiing, a cashmere zip hoodie under a down vest, knit trousers and lug-sole boots will see you through lunch in the sun. Browse every pair of designer sunglasses.

Day 4, the storm day: a hooded coat for town in the snow

Storm days split a group: strong skiers go out for the fresh snow (what they wear is in our ski outfits edit), and when wind closes the upper lifts, everyone else is in town. Falling snow is hard on a cashmere or wool coat: flakes melt into the surface and the shoulders are wet by lunch. A nylon or polyester outer sheds it, and a hood does more than any hat, because it closes the gap at the collar where snow gets in.

• Hood first: look for a drawstring hood big enough to go over a beanie. Burberry's blush check down jacket has a detachable hood and detachable sleeves, so it becomes a vest on a dry afternoon.
• Shell over down: Burberry's nylon short parka and The Row's Beloura anorak are lightweight hooded shells with no fill listed. Wear one over a down vest or a fleece for a storm coat that packs flat; Burberry's listing says its parka runs large, which leaves room for that layer in your usual size.
• A two-way zip: Prada's Re-Nylon parka, another hooded shell, opens from the hem as well as the collar, so you can sit in a café or a car without it riding up.

Three ways to wear it:

• Black and gray: Thom Browne's knee-length ripstop down parka over a gray cashmere hoodie, charcoal knit trousers and black lug-sole boots.
• Chocolate and cream: Max Mara's chocolate hooded down coat, belted, over an ivory turtleneck and cream wool trousers, with cream snow boots.
• Black shell: Prada's black Re-Nylon parka over a down vest, a gray turtleneck, black leggings and black snow boots.

Leave untreated suede in the room: wet snow spots it and salt on the sidewalks leaves a tide line. For more on fill and fit, read our guide to designer puffer coats.

Day 5, the long lunch at the mountain restaurant

A sit-down lunch in a mountain restaurant can outlast the morning's skiing, and the jacket goes on the back of the chair, so what you wore under it is now the outfit. This is the day for a knit with a pattern: a Fair Isle yoke, a jacquard band, a check. A cardigan helps, too: mountain dining rooms are warm, and you can open one without pulling a sweater over hair that has been under a helmet all morning.

If you are skiing

• White and black: Proenza Schouler's white Anne Fair Isle sweater, banded in black zigzags, over a merino base layer, with black ski pants.
• Brown and ivory: Brunello Cucinelli's brown Fair Isle intarsia cashmere with ivory ski pants and the jacket over the chair.
• Ivory and olive: Loewe's ivory Fair Isle sweater, its yoke worked in mint green and iridescent sequins around the house name, over a white turtleneck, with olive ski pants that pick up the green.

If you are not skiing

Non-skiers can still have lunch at altitude. Aspen Snowmass's guide for non-skiers, published in January 2026, explains that a sightseeing ticket lets you ride up a mountain without skiing down, and that the Elk Camp Gondola runs from Snowmass Base Village to the Elk Camp restaurant, which has an outdoor grill on its patio. Check this season's tickets and hours before you plan a day around them. Dress for the top, which is colder and windier than the village, and for packed snow underfoot: a long down coat, lug-sole boots, sunglasses and a knit you would be happy to sit in, such as Burberry's ivory check cardigan over a cream turtleneck, or Stella McCartney's ivory bobble cable-knit turtleneck. Max Mara's taupe cardigan, faced in suede, is for a dry day: suede and wet snow do not mix. For the knitwear you keep on after the lifts close, see our après-ski outfits.

Day 6, the spa and pool afternoon

By the middle of the week your legs will ask for a day off, and the hotel spa is the obvious place to spend it. Pack two swimsuits, not one. The CDC advises removing your swimsuit and showering with soap after getting out of the water, especially hot tubs, and washing the swimsuit after each use. A suit washed and hung in a hotel bathroom is rarely dry by the next morning, so the second one is what you wear while the first dries.

• Skip the hardware: rings, chains and studs press into your back when you lean against the side of a hot tub or lie back on a lounger. None of the swimsuits in our edit has any.
• Look after the stretch: rinse the suit in cool tap water after every soak and dry it flat, away from the radiator. The care labels in our edit ask for a hand wash or a 30°C (86°F) machine wash, never a hot cycle.
• Dark colors and prints: they look better than pale solids in a dim spa, and they forgive a week of soaks. Pucci's Marmo swirl in bordeaux and amber and its black-and-pink Labirinto qualify, as does TOTEME's halterneck in black ink. Jacquemus's Cabana, in a plain deep brown, is the simplest of the five.

Austria's national tourist board says saunas and plunge pools are textile-free unless otherwise stated, that most hotel saunas provide towels and bathrobes, and that a bathrobe is recommended in the relaxation areas. A robe and slides are still worth packing for the walk from your room: Versace's long, shawl-collared Medusa-jacquard terry bathrobe covers a swimsuit in a hotel corridor. Burberry's shearling-lined suede slides and Prada's all-shearling mules are for carpeted corridors and the relaxation room, not for wet tile; leave them at the edge of the pool. Browse more designer swimwear.

Day 7, snowshoeing or sledding

Snowshoeing is the best day out for a mixed group, and it asks less of your legs than skiing. The same Aspen Snowmass guide for non-skiers describes guided snowshoe tours led by naturalists from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, with the gondola ride, the snowshoes, instruction and a guide included, and it recommends warm, waterproof boots. Snowshoe bindings strap over the top of your foot and around the heel, so a lace-up boot with a firm heel counter and a rubber sole holds better than a slip-on. None of the boots in our edit is sold as waterproof, so choose by the snow: Thom Browne's leather lug-sole boots for wet snow, and Moncler's bouclé Altive, on a Vibram sole, or Gianvito Rossi's suede Kiso for cold, dry powder.

Walking uphill in snowshoes is real exercise, so dress cooler than for a ski day: a base layer, no mid layer, and a short, hooded puffer you can unzip. A hood you can pull up on the way back down replaces a hat. For sledding, wear your ski pants, because you will be sitting in snow.

• Cocoa and cream: Prada's dark cocoa Re-Nylon hooded down jacket over a cream merino base layer, ivory ski pants and Gianvito Rossi's camel shearling-trimmed lace-ups.
• Midnight and gray: Max Mara's midnight-blue Seia jacket in water-repellent canvas, a gray base layer, black ski pants and Thom Browne's black lug-sole boots.
• All black: Burberry's Langdale puffer, whose sleeves come off to make a vest when the climb warms you up, with black ski pants and Moncler's black Altive snow boots.

Browse more quilted and puffer jackets.

Evenings: dinner in the village

Dinner in a ski town is a cold walk followed by a warm room, often next to a fire. A knit dress in wool or cashmere handles both better than a silk slip, which gives little warmth on the walk and creases under a coat. Wear it with opaque tights and the lug-sole boots you walked in, and leave the long coat in the cloakroom rather than on the back of your chair: fondue and raclette leave their smell in wool, and a coat that hung by the table will carry it home. Hang your knits by an open window overnight if they do.

• Gray and black: Gabriela Hearst's heather gray Amor dress in cashmere and silk, gray tights, black lug-sole boots and a long black coat. It has short sleeves, so it suits a warm restaurant; add a fine turtleneck under it for a chalet with drafts.
• Brown on brown: Max Mara's dark brown wool-and-cashmere turtleneck dress, brown tights, brown boots and a camel coat.
• Red and black: Givenchy's red wool-cashmere sweater dress with its slashed high neck and high-low hem, black opaque tights and black boots.
• Beige and black: Isabel Marant's beige Jozira draped dress, which ties at the waist, with black tights and black boots.

Our Aspen guide and St. Moritz guide cover how each town dresses for dinner. Browse every designer knit dress.

The night out

The last night usually ends somewhere crowded and hot, after a walk in the cold. Put the shine on top and keep the warmth below: leather trousers block wind on the walk, and Tom Ford's ribbed Lurex leggings, flecked with micro-sequins, sit close enough to tuck into boots. On top, a sequined piece with long sleeves or a knit base, so you are not shivering at the coat check. Sequins catch on mohair and fluffy knit scarves, so pair them with a smooth cashmere or silk scarf for the walk. If you buy one thing from this section, make it the leather trousers, which you will wear all winter; the sequined top is this trip's pleasure.

• Black and pastel: Isabel Marant's black Valka leather trousers, Missoni's knitted lamé tank in pale pink and ivory zigzags, flecked with sequins, and black boots under a long black coat.
• Black, with shine: Balmain's long-sleeved black sequined top, finished with an oversized velvet ribbon tie, over Proenza Schouler's black leather flares and black lug-sole boots.
• Gold and navy: Balmain's backless antique-gold Lurex top under Carolina Herrera's navy cardigan with its sequined flowers, and TOTEME's straight black leather trousers.

Outfits for a ski weekend

A long weekend squeezes the week into three days, so each piece does two jobs. Travel in the knit set and wear it again to breakfast on the last morning. Pack one patterned knit for lunch on the ski day and après after it, and one knit dress for dinner; the boots and long coat you arrived in do every walk. Drop the night-out leather, or keep it and drop the dress. If you are building around pieces you already own, ask our AI stylist to plan the weekend from your closet and fill the gaps.

What to wear in the mountains in winter: rules for the whole week

"Park City winter looks" is one of the requests our AI stylist has received, and whatever the resort, our answer to that kind of ask starts from the same five rules for ski trip outfits.

• The sun is out even when it is cold. Sunglasses and sunscreen every day, in town as well as on the mountain.
• Layers that open beat layers that come off. Zips, buttons and two-way zips let you adjust in a warm shop without carrying a coat.
• Soles before uppers. Rubber lugs for every walk; smooth leather soles only from the car to a restaurant door.
• Cotton is for indoors. Wet jeans stay cold and heavy; wool keeps more of its warmth when damp.
• Two coats, not four. A long hooded down coat covers town, travel and dinner; the ski jacket or a short puffer covers the mountain and the snowshoe trail.

The mistakes we see most: one heavy sweater instead of two fine ones, heeled boots on packed snow, and one swimsuit for a week of spa visits. The counts and the carry-on rules are in our ski trip packing list.

How we chose

• A job for every piece: each module answers one day's problem, whether a hood for falling snow, a firm-heeled lace-up for a snowshoe binding or a swimsuit with no metal for the hot tub.
• Fabric: cashmere, wool and wool blends for travel, lunch and dinner; nylon, polyamide or water-repellent canvas over down for the storm and the snowshoe walk; leather, Lurex and sequins only for the night out.
• Houses: 33 of them, led by Max Mara, Burberry and Moncler for outerwear, Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piana for knits and Pucci and TOTEME for swimwear.
• Price: pieces run from under $300 to about $5,000, and half of them cost between roughly $850 and $2,300; the swimsuits and sunglasses are the least expensive way into the edit.
• Sizes: apart from the one-size sunglasses, every piece had at least three sizes when we chose it in October; anything down to its last one or two was swapped for an equivalent.
• No ski kit: jackets, pants, helmets and goggles are covered in our ski outfit and skiing guides.

Frequently asked questions

What should I wear on a ski trip?

On the mountain, a base layer, a fleece or light down mid layer, and a ski jacket and pants. Off it, knit trousers and a zip hoodie to travel, a hooded down coat and lug-sole boots for town, a patterned knit for lunch, two swimsuits, a knit dress and one dressier evening look.

What should I wear on a mountain vacation if I don't ski?

The town half of the wardrobe: a long hooded down coat, lug-sole boots, fine knits, knit trousers, sunglasses, swimsuits and a knit dress. Add rubber-soled lace-ups if you will snowshoe, and a sightseeing ticket to meet skiers for lunch on the mountain.

What do you wear to lunch at a mountain restaurant?

If you are skiing, your ski clothes, with a knit under the jacket you would be happy to be seen in, since the jacket comes off inside. If you are riding up on foot, a long coat, boots with rubber lugs for packed snow, sunglasses and a sweater or cardigan.

Do you wear a swimsuit in the sauna at a ski hotel?

It depends on the country and the hotel. Austria's national tourist board says saunas there are textile-free unless otherwise stated, and that swimwear should not be worn in a textile-free area. Ask at the spa desk before you go in, and bring a robe either way.

What do you wear snowshoeing?

A base layer, a short insulated jacket you can open, ski pants or waterproof trousers, a hat or hood, gloves, sunglasses and warm, rubber-soled boots that lace firmly at the heel, where the binding straps on. Dress cooler than for skiing: the climb warms you up fast.

What shoes do you wear at night in a ski town?

Boots with a rubber lug sole, flat or on a low block heel, because sidewalks are often packed snow or ice. Carry heels in a bag and change at the restaurant if you want them.

Keep reading

• The best ski outfits, head to toe
• What to wear skiing, from base layer to goggles
• Après-ski outfits from the last run to dinner
• The luxury ski trip packing list
• What to wear in St. Moritz