FASHIONTRIBES 5 MIN. PODCAST: A Blaze of Sexy Feminity Hits the Resorts & Ski Slopes. FASHIONTRIBES FASHION BLOG & PODCAST

   
  (Beach resort must-haves from Heidi Klein,  Everything but Water, Eres & Elizabeth Hurley)

Many banish the post-holiday blahs with a trip somewhere warm and exotic or fabulously snow-covered (especially the après ski part). And what’s hot fashion-wise this year? Beach babes are snapping up colorful swimsuits and fancier cover-ups (as opposed to casual shorts), while the fashionable slopes will be awash in shades of white, off-white, feminine shapes, and girlie, fur-trimmed pieces.

TROPICAL ESCAPES  Globetrotting fashionistas will be standing apart from the beach crowd in brightly hued and printed swimsuits and dressy cover-ups – "caftans and summer dresses more than shorts" – that can go to the breakfast, the beach, and then out on the town explains Penny Klein, co-owner of NYC’s Heidi Klein, in a recent interview in WWD. Similarly, the red-hot Elizabeth Hurley Beach line can barely keep animal prints in stock. "It's a huge leopard moment — kaftans, swimwear, bags and towels," explains Hurley. "Everyone wants leopard." In Miami, it's all about special touches like embellishment, macramé and metal hardware says Rosa Chá designer, Amir Slama, while NYC's Eres can’t keep bold look-at-me shades in stock. "Very vibrant, saturated colors, like our reef — a royal blue — and mango — a bright, orangy red — are selling," explains an Eres Spokeswoman. Similarly, at Everything But Water stores (nationwide), the it color is vibrant green. "Bright kelly green is big, after the sportswear market being really dark for fall," says Bridget Quinn Stickline, vice president of merchandising. "The trend in cover-ups is definitely dresses, particularly minidresses, which come directly from the sportswear world."

 

    (Snow bunny looks from St. Bernard Sport, Adidas by Stella McCartney, Performance Ski & Erin Snow)

CHILLIER CLIMES  Apparently, the snow-covered hills are a fashion accessory this season. "All-white is the new black," explains a Performance Ski spokesman, where their hot sellers include an $800 short puffy coat from Prada. "There is also definitely a trend toward white; not necessarily the white coat, but definitely white underlayers," agrees a spokeswoman for Teton Village Sports in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as are feminine looks, because "when you are on the hill, it's hard to distinguish your femininity, and women are looking to stand out." Part of the way women are standing out is with "intricate details and colors" from Adidas by Stella McCartney, and with "transitional" rather than performance pieces. "A lot of people are just buying the bottoms without whole outfits because they want that sexier fit that they can even wear around town when they are not skiing, and our biggest seller is our least technical ski pant," says designer Erin Snow, whose topseller is the $1,700 Zoe shearling vest. "It's pricier — the second most expensive piece in the line. You can really envision luxury and seeing yourself in a resort town." (via WWD)

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- Lesley Scott

fashiontribes.