Worldwide Showcase

For some reason, I haven't been following the Olympics very fervently as everyone else has. I hear the news as my friends text me moments after Korea has gotten a gold or after Phelps won his eighth gold medal. One thing that did catch my eye about the Olympics this year (besides the fact that media coverage is pretty tightly watched and that China hasn't been very fair as hosts) is the growing focus around Olympics fashion. Designers have found the worldwide arena that is the Olympics to represent not only their countries but also their company logo and designs, starting with the Canadian clothes company, Roots, that clothed the US team in the 2006 Torino Games. This year, Ralph Lauren had the honors of designing the US uniform.

“Ralph Lauren was a good choice for the American team, though the Polo ponies embroidered on the lapels of the athletes’ blue blazers were almost as large as the Olympic rings (Lauren has never been known for his subtlety).”
-Booth Moore, LA Times

US Entrance
I think that the outfits designed for the US Olympic Team represented the US well, but there was something off about the whole ensemble. Maybe the hats threw everything off.

Australian Entrance

Netherlands Entrance
This was probably the worst outfit out of all the countries..

Swiss Entrance

French Entrance

The French outfits were by far the best in terms of design. The belts on the female athletes were a nice touch as were the hats that the male athletes wore.

I think that watching the opening ceremonies was worth it since I got to see how each country was not only represented by its people and athletes, but also by their uniforms.

_la times, ny times.