Olympic athletes to sport vintage-inspired style

The Countdown to the Olympics includes a lot of important  preparations, not the least of which is what the athletes are going to wear at the Games.

As he has done before, Ralph Lauren will have a hand in outfitting the athletes. His  affinity for Americana will be on full display  at the Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia — complete with a patriotic palette of red, white and blue, along with stars-and-stripes flags and, of course, polo ponies.

Long-sleeve T-shirts with big bold graphics printed on the chest are part of the Olympic Village wardrobe, as well as white warm-up jackets with red and blue stripes down the sleeves and old-school alpine ski sweaters decorated with reindeer.

The closing-ceremony parade outfit includes a mostly red and blue shawl-collar sweater with antique buttons, a newsboy cap, a plaid shirt for the men, and a navy ribbed turtleneck for the women.

“We took a lot of inspiration from the 1930s games, reaching into the heyday of the Olympics and bringing to a more modern sensibility,” said David Lauren, the company’s senior vice president of advertising, marketing and communications.

During an Olympic fashion segment on the TODAY show, freestyle skiers Sho Kashima and Emily Cook modeled the closing ceremony outfits, including the vintage-inspired newsboy caps, cardigans, alpine boots and fleece pants.

Ralph Laureh, who dressed the American athletes for the summer games two years ago, has signed on with the U.S. Olympic Committee through 2012 in London to provide ceremonial clothes as well as recreational looks. It’s also creating the outfits for the Paralympic teams.

While the winter athletes will sport Ralph Lauren for the open/closing ceremonies,  Nike will rock the podium. The sportswear giant, who has also signed on as an official supplier for the winter games, will provide apparel and footwear for Olympians — for the competition, on the medal stand, and for wearing casually in the Olympic village. Focusing on incorporating sustainable “considered design,” Nike’s design team researched the variety of winter sports conditions the athletes are likely to encounter, from icy storms to heavy snow, and created fashionable modern looks that will also be available to the public at Niketown stores.

Nike unveiled the medal stand looks — blue waterproof down jackets — on short track speed skater J.R. Celski and snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler during the Olympic fashion segment on TODAY. The jackets featured 100 percent recycled fabric, 800-fill down insulation, and a unique faded fabric print that is customized for every single jacket.

With Nike and Ralph Lauren teaming up with the USOC on the fashion front, at least the U.S. athletes will sport a winning look.