From Après-ski to the Runway: Winterwear Redefined.

By: Megan Waddington

The upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, the recent Dsquared2 show at Milan Fashion Week, and the sudden cultural fixation on Heated Rivalry all point to the same conclusion that has been circulating my feeds: winter wear, especially ski wear, is undergoing a deliberate rebrand. Alpine silhouettes are romanticised and turned alluring. Inviting us into a world shaped by a renewed interest in the glamour of winter sports, where alpine performance meets spectacle, and ski wear becomes as much about allure and identity as it is about function.

The Dsquared2 Show & Heated Rivalry. 

A frosty staircase gave a theatrical entrance which set the tone for this men’s wear runway, taking us to the slopes or the nearest hockey game with Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams opening the show. The collection gave a nod to the upcoming winter Olympics as it drew on layered influences that extend beyond fashion alone, blending sport and pop culture. Central to the collection was the visual language of winter athletics, including ski racing, ice hockey, and competitive training, reinterpreted through a deliberately provocative lens. Dsquared2 drew heavily from the visual code of professional winter sport while also deliberately destabilising their function, bringing the garments out of the sport world and into the fashion world. 

The women’s looks signal a shift in how skiwear is being imagined and consumed. Drawing from visual codes of professional winter sports while reworking familiar alpine elements, attention is brought to racing leggings, tight silhouettes, googles, fur and headbands. The result Dsquared achieved was glamorous, confrontational to boundaries and overtly erotic. Traditional padding, rather than insulating, was displaced and reconfigured: shrugged off the shoulders, cinched tightly at the waist, or fragmented into corseted forms that emphasised exposure over protection. Even the inclusion of fur and distressed denim leaned into the après-ski culture defined by excess and glamour. Ultimately, creating the images of chalet nightlife and a wintry weather aesthetic shaped as much by fantasy as by sport. 

The cultural appeal of the book to show adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry has helped reframe winter sports aesthetics as emotionally and sexually charged. Set against the hyper-disciplined world of professional hockey, the story transforms cold arenas into sites of desire and intimacy. This narrative lens feeds directly into fashion’s current fascination with winter wear, where performance gear is stylised to suggest tension beneath the surface, and athletic environments become the ground for glamour and spectacle.

All about the boots

What truly commanded attention throughout the show was the footwear. Ski boots were reworked into objects of seduction, stripped of their purely functional logic, and recast as statement pieces. Most striking was the heel-less boot, constructed using a cantilever system that creates the illusion of a “floating heel” a technique first introduced by Italian designer André Perugia in 1931. Historically associated with elegance and innovation, the cantilever heel here takes on a new role.

Applied to ski boots, symbols of stability and control, the design deliberately disrupts expectations. The absence of a traditional heel undermines balance, transforming footwear engineered for security on snow into a tool of spectacle. Hardware, buckles, and rigid shells are still intact, but their purpose shifts: no longer about performance, they become visual signifiers of risk. The result introduces fragility and sensuality into a silhouette traditionally defined by protection and endurance.

Within the broader fashion landscape, these heels reflect a growing appetite for garments that blur performance and fantasy. Winter wear is no longer designed solely to withstand the elements, but to command attention within them prioritising theatrics over utility. 

Winter Olympics. 

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will open for preliminary events on February 4th, signalling the beginning of almost 3 weeks of competition and undeniable rivalry. For those who are just as interested in the fashion as they are the sports, we cannot wait to see each team’s fashion partners in action. Ralph Lauren, Adidas, Emporio Armani, and even SKIMS have partnered with teams as well as for fan collections in honour of the occasion. Expect technical outerwear reimagined through a couture lens, heritage silhouettes modernised with innovative fabrics, and statement uniforms designed to resonate far beyond the closing ceremony.

With each event, these collaborations push the dialogue between sport and luxury even further, turning winter necessity into a canvas for cold couture at its most expressive. More than a celebration of athletic excellence, Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will appear as a cultural moment, influencing winter fashion through its fusion of technical precision and elevated design. 

In a season that usually feels flat and heavy, this new take on winterwear works like a fix for the winter blues. Instead of hiding from the cold, it leans into it, turning winter into something bold. Less about survival, more about feeling alive.