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.

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Ralph Lauren’s Olympic Games Collection on sale now

August 1, 2008 – If you happen to have an extra $125.00 to spend on a polo shirt or $50.00 for a tee, or you’re one of those people who likes your apparel covered in logos and symbols, then by all means check out the Ralph Lauren Olympic Games Collection.

Lauren was selected to design the official Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony parade outfits as well as an assortment of Olympic “village wear” pieces for the 150 U.S. athletes competing in Beijing and they’re now available at Olympic Spirit stores, select department stores and RalphLauren.com.  Ah…capitalism at it’s best. Wonder if the garments are made in China?

Lauren’s  logo-festooned designs are “inspired by the rich past of the Olympic Games and in keeping with the time-honored tradition of this historic event.”   Reflecting Ralph Lauren’s trademark sporty sophistication, the collection offers casual sportswear styles in combinations of red, white and blue adorned with the U.S. Olympic Team and iconic Polo Pony logo.

None of the offerings we viewed made us want to take out our credit card or shell out any hard-earned cash. All carry an unmistakable air of preppy confidence and there’s the added touch of patriotic team spirit but even though we’re big supporters of the Games we’re not that inclined to line Lauren’s already heavily padded coffers. If, however,  you are one of those people who likes to wear red, white and blue polos heavily embroidered with official-looking badges  — you’re in luck.

Fashion: Ralph Lauren takes on the U.S. Olympic Team

Later this summer,  the U.S. Olympic team will be sporting preppy styles and miniature polo players. That’s according to an announcement that none other than Ralph Lauren will be outfitting the Team USA during the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as designing clothes for them to wear during their down time. 

Ralph and Co. signed a contract with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to replace the Canadian apparel company Roots Ltd., which outfitted the United States team for the past three Olympic Games and was to continue through 2008. The two parted ways in January.

Apparently, the committee was looking for something a little more formal for this year’s Olympians. The head officer of the USOC told Lauren that his inspiration for this year is Chariots of Fire, so expect lots of V-neck sweaters and blazers in a patriotic palette of red, white, and blue.

The Olympics deal could translate into millions in sales of Olympics-branded products that will be carried at Polo boutiques in the United States and on the company’s Web site. The company is in talks with several United States department stores to carry the clothes and is working with officials to potentially set up shops in Beijing.

In keeping with Olympic tradition, attire for the opening ceremonies won’t be revealed until August 8, the first official day of the festivities.

What do you think of the designer choice?