Awesome Aspen: The Shopping (and spas!)

Flying to Aspen with Jet Linx is as easy as that: our dedicated, local teams take care of every detail and make sure your travel is as relaxing as your trip. From the catering to a bottle of champagne for celebrating a special occasion, our Client Services Specialists work to anticipate your needs and provide our signature level of customer service on every flight. And with our Elevated Lifestyle partner Ship Sticks and Ship Skis, taking your ski gear on vacation has never been easier. Take a look at Awesome Aspen: today, explore the city’s world-class shopping and spas.

Shopping is another great pastime in Aspen – with the huge number of shops conveniently located downtown, it’s no wonder the town is gaining a reputation as a high-end shopping destination. Two pedestrian malls in downtown Aspen on Hyman Avenue and Cooper Street offer exquisite shopping in a close, walkable range, from luxury fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Fendi to local Aspen staples like Pitkin County Dry Goods, O2 Aspen and Gorsuch. Aspen is home to over 200 shops and boutiques, and has something for every shopper. See Shopping Aspen, below, for some of Aspen’s top shops.

If the hustle and bustle of the resort town – and its elevation of nearly 8,000 feet above sea level – start to cause any wear, a trip to Remède Spa at St. Regis Aspen (pictured, right) should immediately find its way onto your itinerary. The hotel’s on-site altitude concierge, Stephanie Madrid, can provide a personal oxygen machine to be delivered to a guest’s room for easier breathing, offer ideas for low-impact activities while in Aspen, curate a selection of non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated beverages, and even hand-deliver plates of pasta like the ravioli with local Avalanche chevre and corn from the resort’s Trecento Quindici Decano restaurant, as starchy foods packed with carbohydrates are known to lessen the impacts of altitude sickness. She can also recommend fantastic treatments in the resort’s award-winning Remède spa aimed at hydration, like an oxygen facial, or arrange in-room services if guests aren’t feeling up to venturing out of their rooms.

The St. Regis Aspen, located at the foot of Aspen Mountain, offers a special gift for guests taking advantage of the resort’s High Society Ski Package in early 2016. The resort, with High Society Freeride Company, created a limited edition St. Regis Aspen ski for the winter ski season. The skis are included with certain bookings of the resort’s High Society Ski Package, which includes four nights in a recently remodeled Presidential Suite, six lift tickets valid at any of Aspen/Snowmass’ four mountains, and complimentary après-ski cocktails in Shadow Mountain Lounge. The Presidential Suites, the epitome of Aspen luxury, were remodeled in late winter 2014. Each suite includes 2,000 square feet of living space, a master bedroom, living room with grand piano, dining room, and butler’s kitchen. All suites offer majestic views of Aspen Mountain, 24-hour butler service, and custom furnishings by Ralph Lauren. The suites are designed in the image of a guest suite in a late 19th-century manor.

Shopping Aspen

Aspen is home to some of North America’s finest mountains – and some of its finest shopping. With more than 200 shops located in downtown Aspen, choices for shopping run the gamut from consignment to designer duds. Fashion and function collide at the many outdoor retailers ready to suit up Colorado adventurers. Aspen’s pedestrian malls are the perfect place for a leisurely shopping excursion where one can spend days on end discovering new art, home goods, locally made jewelry and so much more at some of the country’s most eclectic and eccentric boutiques.

designer shops

Many of the most renowned fashion houses boast an Aspen address:
Fendi (208 S. Mill St.; 970.920.3100)
Gucci (203 S. Galena St.; 970.920.9150)
Christian Dior (201 S. Galena St.; 970.544.5222)
Prada (312 S. Galena St.; 970.925.7001)
Louis Vuitton (205 S. Mill St.; 970.544.8200)
Ermenegildo Zegna (211 S. Galena St.; 970.544.4989)
Burberry (501 E. Hyman Ave., 970.920.3119)
Ralph Lauren (501 E. Cooper Ave; 970.925.5147)

Gorsuch. This family owned and operated store, with three locations in Aspen, is a taste-maker for traditional mountain style, from the top labels in upscale skiwear to rustic Italian ceramics and Dale of Norway sweaters. (Multiple Locations, gorsuch.com)

Nuages carries an exclusive selection of European and American designers’ ready-to-wear clothing and accessories. (601 E. Cooper Ave., nuagesaspen.wordpress.com)

Distractions offers well-edited fashions including cashmere by Lucien Pellat-Finet and every style of Christian Louboutin needed to accent mountain-chic ensembles. (465 E. Hopkins Ave., distractionsaspen.com)

Colorado boutique MAX features cutting edge designs from Missoni, Cynthia Rose, Chloe, Vince and more. (609 E. Cooper Ave., maxfashion.com)

Bloomingbirds, Aspen’s one-stop-shop for stylish footwear since 1980, sells everything from Manolo Blahnik stilettos to cutting edge sneakers. (304 S. Galena St., 970.925.2241)

Luxe knitwear specialist Souchi offers exquisite cashmere knits in a palette ranging from muted earth tones to bright ice cream colors. (205 S. Mill St., souchi.com)

local favorites

Pitkin County Dry Goods is the go-to spot in Aspen for contemporary casual clothing, jewelry, boots, scarves and more. The family business opened its doors to Aspen in 1969 and has been a local staple ever since. (520 E. Cooper Ave., pitkincountydrygoods.com)

Head to Boogie’s for the largest selection of jeans in town. Browse through brands such as Rock and Republic, True Religion, Joe’s Jeans, Diesel and many more. And after all that hard work feel free to grab a reward with an old-fashioned milkshake or comforting mac and cheese upstairs at the diner. (534 E. Cooper Ave., 970.925.6111)

Explore Booksellers and Pyramid Bistro. Aspen’s only bookstore is located in a charming Victorian house on Main Street. Walk upstairs for “nutritarian” fare inside Pyramid Bistro, or enjoy an organic cup of coffee or salon tea in the afternoon. (221 E. Main St., explorebooksellers.com)

This article originally appeared in SOAR’s Winter 2016 issue: read it online here.

Read more about Awesome Aspen:

• The Scene
• The Stay
• The Slopes