The Deeper Meaning Behind Aspen Style

From Kemo Sabe to Pitkin County Dry Goods, for decades, Aspen has become so much more than just a ski experience. Apres Ski, the social part of the day, is now just as popular, or maybe even more popular than skiing itself in Aspen. Aspen has a unique fashion culture that would feel out of place in most vacation spots. Apres Ski screams luxury living and is a niche lifestyle that many feel the need to keep up with. Every year, almost like a fashion show, celebrities and influencers take on Aspen in their Western-style designer pieces. I was intrigued to see Alix Earle, a top influencer, talk about someone calling her outfit an “Aspen costume”, and if we are going to be totally real, that is true. While the pieces that make up an “Aspen costume” have real cultural meaning in the West, the way people style them is not rooted in that meaning. Today, these outfits are worn to communicate wealth and high socioeconomic status. What many do not know is that the same cowboy hats, boots, and fur hats everyone is wearing were once used for survival and work wear for the cold Colorado weather, and were not seen as aesthetic or chic. Aspen was once a quite empty town where the working class lived and has since evolved into a fashion mecca for the wealthy.