I don’t consider myself an outdoorsy girl—I live and work in New York City, after all. The occasional hike upstate (with a very gentle incline) is usually all I can muster. And even then, there are the inevitable questions. What will I wear? Will I be too hot? Too cold? Do these leggings have the style and function for whatever I do after? So when Loro Piana invited me to Aspen to try their new Into The Wild collection for myself, I felt powerless to refuse.
On paper, it felt like just what I was looking for: Workout clothes with lifestyle in mind. Activewear with the quintessential luxury that Loro is known for. Technical innovation with the warm hug of cashmere linings. Hooded parkas interwoven with silk, zip-up hoodies precisely crafted to resist the elements. Wool and silk technical fabric used for hiking shoes made the idea of trudging through mountainous terrain a joy.
Here’s what I found…
Day One consisted of a gentle trek through River Run Trail, a picturesque woodland with idyllic views of the nearby meadow. Kale green Lagorai leggings, composed in a 50/50 silk cashmere mix, are puzzled together in an intricate stitch pattern to ensure perfect mobility. I paired them with the Terminillo sweatshirt, though calling it a sweatshirt seems inadequate. I can think of no better partner on a breezy day traversing terrain. In 100% cashmere with water resistant finishings, it feels like a dad fleece if your dad is Logan Roy. I finished the look with the Fiave hat, a nylon and silk fisherman style hat that helped regulate my temperature as we chatted and took in scenery.
Day Two meant upping the ante. Maroon Bells is well known as one of the most photographed mountains in North America and our activity was a hike up and a 3 mile cycle down. The Grigor pants were rosemary in color and came in the softest virgin wool. They were waterproof, windproof, and something I would happily wear on runs to the supermarket when back in the city. For warmth, I added the Haik jacket in Dimity, a warm sunshine yellow that perfectly contrasted the powder blue sky. Loro Piana’s collaboration with ROA, famed for the Katharina hiking shoe, gave me stability, useful on my first serious mountain biking journey (I made it down, eventually).
That evening, at a private Aspen estate, I looked at the current summer collection. A cascading black silk skirt with a tawny cashmere rollneck and leather Rebecca flats made me feel so luxe that I took an Instagram photo that I captioned “fancy Aspen mom”. As the sun set and we toasted s’mores and drank hot toddies, we learned that Loro Piana leaves no stone left unturned. Even our camping furniture was luxe: sleeping bags, hammocks and folding chairs in baby cashmere in a brandy, cream and ruggine red color palette that brought the comfort of my hotel room fireside.
Lynette Nylander is the Executive Digital Director of Harper’s Bazaar. Originally from London, England, her great loves include reading, singing badly at karaoke, new shoes and Ru Paul’s Drag Race.