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 the brand’s new Into the Wild collection for myself, I felt powerless to refuse.
On paper, Into the Wild 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, and zip-up hoodies precisely crafted to resist the elements. Hiking shoes that used wool and silk technical fabric made the idea of trudging through mountainous terrain a joy.
Here’s what I found …
Day one consisted of a gentle trek along River Run Trail, a picturesque woodland with idyllic views of a nearby meadow. Loro Piana’s kale-green Lagorai leggings, composed of 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 for a breezy daytime hike. Made from 100 percent cashmere with water-resistant finishings, it feels like a dad fleece, if your dad is Logan Roy. I finished the look with the Fiavé hat, a nylon and silk fisherman-style hat that helped regulate my temperature as we chatted and took in the scenery.
Day two meant upping the ante. The Maroon Bells are well known as some of the most photographed mountains in North America, and our activity was a hike up and a three-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 back in the city. For warmth, I added the Haik jacket in Dimity, a warm sunshine yellow that contrasted perfectly with the powder-blue sky. Loro Piana’s collaboration with ROA, an iteration of the latter brand’s famed 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 roll-neck and the leather Rebecca flats made me feel so luxe, 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 unturned. Even our camping furniture was luxe: sleeping bags, hammocks, and folding chairs in baby cashmere in a brandy, cream, and ruggine-red palette that re-created the comfort of my hotel room fireside.
The Into the Wild collection is available to shop now at loropiana.com.
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.