The Restaurateur (Aspen Peak)
The cobblestone plaza leading from Hunter Street to the entrance of the Silver Queen Gondola is as close to a catwalk as ski fashion gets. Lee Keating is responsible for outfitting many of the best-dressed people walking the runway to hit the slopes in Aspen. Keating has solidified her position as Aspen’s most celebrated tastemaker as the owner of Performance Ski, the ski boutique that she has owned with her husband for 32 years, and as the designer of Authier, the heritage ski brand she resuscitated in 2008.
Dressing people is a responsibility that Keating does not take lightly. The hyper-stylish multihyphenate has honed her fashion instincts and confident personality into a straightforward selling style that has gained her the loyalty of big-time brands and discerning shoppers alike. As a designer, Keating delivers both form and function, creating looks inspired by her global adventures that she would personally rock on her daily laps on Ajax. “I am inspired by my clients,” she says. “I am so lucky to be able to create a collection with feedback from the end consumer. I get to see firsthand how they respond to the way the collection looks and how it fits.” Keating’s success is based on the strong relationships she has built with brands, many of which offer her exclusive retailing rights in Aspen, and with the customers that return each season confident that she will make them look good.