Mountain Mayhem: Sartorial Style

The late great photographer Bill Cunningham once said, “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.” While that seems a bit drastic, or even exaggerated, I can appreciate his perspective. Cunningham cleverly photo-documented New Yorkers on the move for his “On The Street” column for five decades in The New York Times until his passing in 2016, and also earned a reputation as a savvy fashion writer for Women’s Wear Daily and Chicago Tribune.

I personally love seeing individuals express themselves through sartorial style, and with that in mind, I am highlighting a few notables from recent events around Aspen.

Intersect Aspen Art Fair, which took place at the start of August, was run by managing director Rebecca Hoffman, who artfully curated the show for her second year in a row at the Aspen Ice Garden. Show-goers received stylish bags from UOVO, the exclusive shipping and logistics partner, upon arrival to fill with collateral and takeaways from the various galleries on exhibit.

Hat designer Nick Fouquet of his namesake store on Hyman Avenue — as well as his original shop on Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach — hosted a reception in-store and dinner for friends at Snow Lodge on Aug. 13. Many guests came outfitted in Fouquet’s hats, always adorned with his trademark matchstick tucked into the band, or purchased them at the shop with the ability to customize to their liking.

Watches are certainly de rigueur, and Hublot is one such brand that holds appeal. The luxury timepiece manufacturer hosted a reception on Aug. 14 in Aspen with friend-of-the brand retired pro cyclist Christian Vande Velde as a special guest, sporting their Spirit of Big Bang timepiece.

The sport of polo is synonymous with style, and Aspen Valley Polo Club (AVPC) followed suit this summer with its ongoing matches in Carbondale. I’m grateful to have been a guest of AVPC co-founder Melissa Ganzi one afternoon for the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup held Aug. 25. Guests came dressed to the nines with designer hats, handbags, suits, etc., to watch Prince Harry, a.k.a. the Duke of Sussex, score the only four goals to win for his team. 

Fashion designer Lindsey Thornburg came through town over the weekend of Sept. 10 to represent her collection currently on show at Kemo Sabe. Thornburg grew up in Aspen, studied fashion in Los Angeles, now lives in New York City and is, to put it mildly, crushing it as a cloak and dress designer. She’s found her niche working with Pendleton, having secured the coveted role as “the only company in 110 years to cut into their cloths,” from which she crafts her cloaks for women, men and children. Visit Kemo Sabe Aspen to see her apparel, which is also shown on the cast members in the hit show “Yellowstone.”