Après-ski has a dress code, even if nobody writes it down. The goal is to look like you have been skiing all day and are in no hurry to leave. Here is how we think about it.
Start with the layer under your jacket
Your shell comes off the moment you sit down on a terrace, so what is underneath is the outfit. A midweight cotton tee or a crewneck does this better than a technical base layer: it looks like clothing rather than kit, and it holds up to a long lunch in the sun.
Add one warm piece
When the sun goes behind the ridge the temperature drops fast. A hoodie or a crewneck is the piece that carries you from the terrace to the bar. Choose one with some weight to it and a relaxed, boxy cut so it layers over a tee without pulling.
Keep the bottom half simple
Salopettes stay on for the terrace; that is part of the look. For the walk back into town or dinner in the chalet, change into sweatpants or dark jeans and boots with grip. Icy streets do not care about your outfit.
Three outfits that work
The terrace
A graphic tee under an open shell, salopettes rolled at the waist, sunglasses. Best on a spring afternoon in the Alps or a bluebird day in the Rockies.
The bar
A crewneck or hoodie over a tee, sweatpants or jeans, a beanie you are willing to leave on. This is where most of the evening happens.
The drive home
Hoodie and matching sweatpants. Comfortable for the car, respectable at the petrol station.
What to skip
Costume pieces, novelty hats and anything that looks like it came from the resort gift shop. They photograph badly and date fast. Vintage alpine graphics work because they borrow from the era when resorts were advertised by illustrators.