JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's here! The XXXIIII (34th) Olympiad, a number which leads me to believe the IOC is still only counting my every four years, despite revamping the schedule to alternate summer and winter games. Mark my words, they'll be adding fall and spring games any year now. Can't leave any of that sweet, sweet broadcasting rights money on the table.
Will Americans crash the Parisian electrical grid with their massive A/C units? Will swimmers get disgusting infections from racing in the Seine? I have no idea. So let's turn from questions to opinions, and get judgy with it: "it" being various countries' opening ceremony (wasn't it amazing?) and competition uniforms. Who better to give a critique than an out-of-shape, couch-bound old lady whose only athletic pastimes (skiing, running) wrecked her knees? (Links to original tweets in the country names.)
Classic Americana. Not really fashion-forward, but attractive and looks good on all everyone. You can imagine the athletes wearing these in years to come.
Oh, Canada.
"New Canadian Olympic uniforms made from real Alberta beef."
These competition kits are flat-out awesome. Body-conscious without being gratuitously sexy (calling you out, Nike "hoo-hah" uniforms,) great color placement for a sometimes difficult color combo (see Australia, below) these are definitely in the top ten this year.
Oz's official colors are green and gold, but you can't fool me, that's just yellow. Nice use of teal instead of bright green, and the designs are very down under - breezy and casual, with a hint of British influence. But those skirts! Especially the unfortunate one second from the left. It looks like this poor woman has wandered away from her caretakers and had an accident.
I'm not sure how I feel about South Korea's entry. It's exactly the same for men and women, which is kind of cool, and it's a beautifully draped summer suit. Once you know about the origin of the belt, you can say, "Okay, I get it." But that gorgeous silk lining is wasted hidden on the inside!
The curse of yellow strikes again - what is with these deeply unflattering skirts? The designer may be channeling the carnation for inspiration, but it just looks like not-very-creative tie-dye to me.
You don't have to read Malaysian to understand what this tweet is saying. Remember the blog we did on TEMU? It looks like the team ordered their uniforms and the mannequins used to display them from there. Hope they got free shipping.
I'm going to have to agree with the chief fashion critic of the NY Times. France. You had ONE job. You're the host this year, and you're the fashion capitol of the world. Okay, you had TWO jobs.
Going out on a high note - Nigeria, already becoming a player on the international fashion stage, has hit the ball out of the parc with these looks. Maybe Canada ought to look into hiring Actively Black for the next games? Just sayin'.
What do you think, dear readers? Which uniforms strike your fancy? What have I left out?
Hope you're taking it easy, Julia . . . thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteAs for the uniforms . . . .
Not a fan of the Nigerian uniform, except, perhaps for the slouchy white one that lets the athletes put their hands in their pockets . . .
I’m trying to think of something complimentary for the French uniforms and for the Malaysian uniforms . . . Why Spain wants to look like a carnation is beyond me . . .
Not a fan of the uniforms for Australia or for Jamaica . . . Canada’s red and white uniform looks like pajamas . . . . I like the piping on the USA’s jackets . . .
I guess I’m glad I didn’t have to come up with the designs for any of the uniforms [but I really liked the women gymnasts’ glitzy leotards] . . . .
You missed TEAM MONGOLIA. Traditional and eye-catching uniforms.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.vogue.com/article/best-olympic-uniforms-summer-2024-games
USA: Preppy, safe, predictably boring. You can tell that it's from Ralph Lauren.
Canada: Meh. Lululemon's casual wear look may be ok for other parts of the Olympics, but not as opening ceremony gear.
France: Ugh. My late mom, who worked for haute couturier designers, would be cringing.
Grace, I agree with you that the Mongolian uniforms are traditional and eye catching, but the looks on their faces! They look like they are thinking, “why can’t we just wear jeans or sweats?”
DeleteBrenda, exactly! They're fabulous, but not especially appropriate for athletes, who need to be able to move.
DeleteI loved the Mongolian uniforms!
DeleteMongolia wore these uniforms during the opening ceremony. Too bad they were not shown on the CBC highlights I saw the next morning. Hope to see them at the closing ceremony.
DeleteAnd was it South Korea that also had some beautifully embroidered opening ceremony outfits? Not very practical, though.
DeleteYea USA - I'm a preppy at heart so I get the vibe, and it is very USA - but France and Australia, what were you thinking. Love the Nigerian look. Athletic and isn't that what the games are all about.
ReplyDeleteNo to the jeans! Canada's looks like pajamas (with apologies to our many Canadian regulars here). And Australia's are more than a nod to the British imperialists. The Nigerian and Jamaican uniforms are cool, but they don't look like opening ceremony garb. Finally, I agree about all the unfortunate skirts and misplaced yellows.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the Canadian teams wearing these baggy outfits at multiple medal ceremonies, I have to agree. They don't look good at all. Hope they dump Lululemon and go back to using Roots Canada for future Olympics.
DeleteVehemently disagree on the jeans! It reflects USA culture, whether you agree with the look or not.
DeleteWhat would you have them wear instead? .
Fashion Schmashion. As the resident grumpy semi-old man here, I have yet to ever find that I care about what the athletes are wearing for their team uniform. Yes, I know that puts me in the very small minority here but still.
ReplyDeleteAnd France had a lot of jobs that they seem to have screwed up, and the fashion is the least of them. They managed to somehow identify South Korea as North Korea in the opening ceremonies, the Seine is nearly as big a cesspool of filth as was every water source during the Rio games thus postponing the triathlon swimming portion at least once. And let's not forget the inability to stop a massive coordinated sabotage attack. Oh and didn't they also have a massive power outage that screwed things up at one point too?
Crimes against fashion seems to be the least of their worries.
Jay, I won't say, "My thoughts exactly," but I will say, "Close enough!"
DeleteThank you for showing us the garb of various nations. I'm less than impressed but I doubt anyone cares at all about my opinion!
ReplyDeleteMy sister said the Seine looks a lot cleaner than when she was there a couple years ago, at least on TV. It was chocolate brown then.
ReplyDeleteI think the American uniforms are classic USA, but I am partial to preppy. There was one female athlete they talked to during the opening that appeared to have no buttons on her shirt. Reminded me of school girls rolling the waistband on their skirts to make them shorter.
ReplyDeleteWhat was with showing everyone’s crazy fingernails?
Brenda, that nail thing started, I think, with Florence Griffith-Joyner, aka Flo-Jo, who was a US track star in the late 1980's. She was famous for her flamboyant, 4" long nails during competitions.
DeleteYes, I remember FloJo, Karen.
DeleteIt's time for USA to move beyond Ralph Lauren, but I agree that a blazer looks good on every shape and size...and better jeans than pleated white skirts. I vote for different colors of swim caps. It's easy to follow the Australian yellow in the pool.
ReplyDeleteFrom Celia: Good Morning you all! Happy to tell you Julia sounded great yesterday evening, smiling from her hospital bed. I do love clothes but was having difficulty with tiny pics on my iPhone. Still in view of the fact that there wasn’t much processing but being packed into boats meant unfortunately no designer had thought waterproofing. Quite honestly my mind is pretty blank on opening ceremony clothes other than performers costumes with Celine Dion talking the gold. I love to see traditional outfits and there were some. Who? That was four or five days ago so I’m blank there. But what about the French staff outfits!? Boring beige I think and even more boring shape plus very egalite! Mangled spelling. Even the tennis umpires wore the same. Boring! Plus no hats for those on the courts in the broiling sun. Can you see what we’re watching.
ReplyDeleteSo I think I’ll just go back to cheering the winners particularly from small nations. And Julia of course.
Glad for the post-surgical smile report!
DeleteThanks, Celia. Elisabeth
DeleteFrom Celia: well if nothing else you should get a laugh from my spelling and general auto correct errors.
ReplyDeleteCanada – it looks like they are wearing old washed-out pajamas in their dress-and-get-the-medals gettup. Ugly and so embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteBest – Australia. They always look like a spit-spot athlete – not a fashion idol, just a well-presented athlete.
We were watching female swimming 2 days ago. Finals for something. One girl came out in a green on green suit that featured the dark green on the outside curving in to the light green thus giving her a 12” hourglass waist. The two (old) men watching with me spit out their teeth! All hope of watching the event shifted instantly as they drooled… (she might have taken the bronze – after that no one cared.)
I meant Australia in the pool - not those Blazer things.
DeleteI saw that! Whoa. ANd I do like the double-breasted blazer,,but those skirts, yikes.
DeleteJulia, from Celia's report it sounds as if you're doing well. Glad to hear it! Have an easy day, my friend.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, we agree on Ralph Lauren. Just because he defaults to red/white/blue in every collection doesn't mean he is the only American designer worth taking on the US uniforms. Although maybe other designers submitted their ideas and they were too weird, a la, Canada's bizarre, bloody-looking fabrics. (Julia, your beef comment made me snort coffee!) Still, it would be nice to have a fresh perspective.
I guess France blew most of their uniform budget on their gymnastics leotards. They were $3,000 apiece, and are covered in Swarowski crystals, each scrap of Lycra weighed down two pounds. How on earth do those tiny girls haul them into the air with them?
England's uniforms in the opening barge shots looked dreadful, dowdy and ill-fitting. Every athlete looked middle-aged and dumpy instead of at peak physical form. Even the colors were blah.
We haven't watched any of the spectacle in real time, preferring to catch up in news reports, on Facebook, etc. All the commercials and extraneous commentary are so annoying. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of screen shots and video clips of Snoop! He's brought some real fun to the craziness!
I’ve never understood why gymnastics needs Las Vegas style uniforms. The skills are what we want to see, not the bling
DeleteI actually watched some of the opening ceremony this time, and didn't really notice the uniforms--it was pouring rain and the teams were packed into boats, some covered in rain ponchos. There wasn't a lot of opportunity to appreciate the drape of a garment. I'm with Nigeria in the sense that I'm more interested in what the athletes will wear when they actually compete. I read an article in the WaPo about how the USA women's gymnastic leotards are made, with all the sequins. Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know critiquing opening ceremony garb was a thing.
ReplyDeleteLike the splashy colors of Jamaica and Nigeria. The US look is completely American. Somehow I feel haute couture would be misplaced.
France, what were you thinking?
And yes on the misplaced yellows.
Hope you are recovering from your knee replacement surgery and taking it easy, Julia. Just woke up.
ReplyDeleteSuch a fascinating topic today about Olympics fashions. Would like to see a photo of what the Team Australia are wearing.
True that there is a sense of casualness in American fashion. I get what everyone meant about Canada Team fashion. I wonder if these clothes were designed for the Christmas catalogue?
Now that there is a conversation about Olympics fashion, I am going to look at what the teams are wearing.
Celia, thanks for the update on Julia. Irwin had a procedure yesterday, too, so getting Julia's news was very welcome.
ReplyDeleteAs for the opening ceremony uniforms, it seems like more misses than hits. I do think that the costumes that teams perform in should be attractive, easy to distinguish and comfortable for the athletes to wear. We are not watching the Olympics although Irwin may be tuning in to some of it.
Heal quickly, Julia!
Judy, I hope Irwin is doing well, post-surgery. And yes, Julia, heal well and quickly!!
DeleteOops, forgot to say ‘’tis I, Pat S. commenting!
DeleteWhat about the US gymnasts sparkly outfits? Otherwise I go with Team Malaysia. Comfort rules!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn’t that easy for me to see all the uniforms, with the athletes on boats instead of marching into a stadium. Also, I have to watch it on my phone’s tiny screen, since I’m still without a computer. Those poor athletes, getting drenched in that steady rain! At least some of them were prepared with ponchos.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really have a favorite. I did think the Canadian athletes looked like they were wearing pajamas.
Family fun fact: my grandfather(my mom’s father) was a gymnast in his youth. He participated in national and international competitions. He participated in the 1908 Olympics, representing Italy. When I tell people my grandfather was a gymnast, I can tell they’re thinking “YOU have a grandfather who is a gymnast??” Yes, indeed! Somewhere around here, I have a framed photo of Grandpa and his teammates, along with their coach. I would say that the uniforms haven’t changed that much, overall!
DebRo
So cool that your grandfather was an Olympian, Liz. I hope you can find that photo. That kind of family history is important to preserve.
DeleteI kept bouncing back and forth between the opening ceremony and the ball game. I like the idea of using the Seine but everyone were all squished together, I couldn't see anything. I felt so bad for the musicians and chorus having perform in the rain. Jeans may be iconic to the the USA but, I think are too casual for an opening ceremony. Save them for the closing ceremony.
ReplyDeleteI thought the USA uniforms were cute, something I might want to wear. Therein lies the problem. If it's something I might want to wear, I don't know if you can trust my opinion. All the skirts seem to be hideous. Honestly, I have a little black uneven length skirt that would have been a perfect design, and on this one I do trust my opinion. I did like the US women's gymnast's black sparkly competition outfits. There was one country that must have been Scandinavian (?) where the girls were mostly blonde and very light skin, and their uniforms made them look washed out. I wonder if it matters to the athletes too much, but if I felt all cute and sparkly, I think I'd feel good about myself and even perform better.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know Julia is doing okay. Thanks, Celia.
My favorite from the Opening Ceremonies was Angola! They looked fabulous and eye-catching in bright red outfits. I gave up on watching the boats after it started pouring. You couldn't see anything. So I haven't managed to watch Celine yet but I will. Last night we caught up on most of Team USA gymnastic highlights. I love the Clark Kent guy with the glasses, Stephen Nedoroscik (my spelling challenge for the day!) So cute! Wonderful finishes for the men and the women, and I loved the women's blingy leotards.
ReplyDeleteCeline really did do an outstanding performance. And, I love Clark Kent on the men's gymnastics, too. He was cheering so hard for the girls' gymnastics performances when it showed the building where the Americans can gather.
DeleteI also love the male swimmer who knits while he's waiting for his event!
DeleteOh, yikes, these are ...not my faves. Why do they all have to. be so unflattering? And the French ones, yeesh. Yes, agree, the sparklies are great, but can we talk about the makeup? Does that count as fashion choices? I have struggled with eyelashes for years and utterly failed. I totally gave up. But these women have not only nailed it, but can do a triple pike back flip with a twist and a half with them on.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Julia! This is hilarious! I’m with you on Nigeria - those are fabulous!
ReplyDeleteEvery summer Olympics I feel sad for the athletes marching (or boating) by in their usually awful uniforms. It seems like they're either so so or over the top weird.
ReplyDeleteThis is SO much fun to look at and read. I watched and LOVED the Opening Ceremony, and I thought the Mongolian ceremony clothing was gorgeous, as at least one person above has already said. So was the Haitian ceremony costume. When it comes to athletic clothes, I also think the Nigerian outfits look great, not only because they're beautiful but because they aren't cut to immediately draw all eyes to the women's bottoms and crotches. Worst of all are the the skimpy bikinis all the women's beach volleyball teams are required to wear. We should be beyond this kind of thing by now!
ReplyDeleteJust when I was wondering why the USA women's gymnastic team members' hair was so sloppy looking, I got my comeuppance. As I first began to think this, there were some articles appearing about it the the messy hair, and not only the USA women, but there quite a few unfavorable things said about Simone Biles' hair. And one of the things I love most about Simone Biles is her ability to cut through the crap and respond succinctly. Here's what she said about her hair:
ReplyDelete" “Don't come for me about my hair,” she captioned the clip. “IT WAS DONE but [the] bus has NO AC & it's like 9,0000 degrees. Oh & a 45 min ride.” She followed that content up with a selfie, writing, “Gonna hold your hand when I say this 💋Next time you wanna comment on a black girls hair.“Don't come for me about my hair,” she captioned the clip. “IT WAS DONE but [the] bus has NO AC & it's like 9,0000 degrees. Oh & a 45 min ride.” She followed that content up with a selfie, writing, “Gonna hold your hand when I say this 💋Next time you wanna comment on a black girls hair."
She rocks.
DeleteI just read an article in the Boston Globe about how the Cape Verdean uniforms were designed and made by a small company here in Quincy, MA that was founded by four Cape Verdean immigrants. Great representation, and the article said the clothes would be publicly available soon.
ReplyDelete