Fashion has become "so much a part of recent Olympics" that both out-of-competition, and even in-competition clothing, has "increasingly started to seem like basic runway merch," according to Vanessa Friedman of the N.Y. TIMES. A list of the designer brands that have "played wardrobe coach includes Stella McCartney, Giorgio Armani, Lacoste and Prada." However, this year, it is as if sports clothing has "effectively changed" the game enough so that when designers "move to the Olympics, their actual sportswear looks again like sportswear." The Closing Ceremony styles for the '18 PyeongChang Games by Ralph Lauren "involved a simple white down jacket over streamlined navy track pants with a red stripe down the side and a red, white, and blue striped sweater." They are "relatively no-fuss and low-kitsch -- especially compared to the offerings" for the Sochi Games that included "patchwork Americana grandpa cardigans for the opening ceremony, and pea coats for the closing event." It is the same story with Burton, which in '14 also "produced a weird patchwork-themed snowboarding style based on an old prairie quilt but this time around has gone with an astronaut concept that actually looks pretty cool." There are "exceptions," as Australia’s formal uniform "consists of a blue-and-white checked button-front shirt, blue suit, green crewneck, tie and brown pants." Canada’s outfits, created by The Hudson’s Bay Company, "include a red, white and black anorak and black pants that look like nothing so much as Supreme-lite, thanks to both the color scheme and the white-on-black rectangular 'Canada' logo slashed across the chest of the coat." One of the biggest challenges of designing for the Olympics is "balancing national pride and technical needs" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/2).
ONE SMALL STEP: In DC, Marrisa Payne notes Team USA's Olympic snowboarders will be wearing "astronaut-inspired uniforms" created by Burton for the upcoming PyeongChang Games. Unveiled Thursday, the uniforms "appear predominantly white with red detailing and feature what looks to be a NASA-inspired logo." Although the clothing appears white, Burton said that it is "actually made in part with an aluminum-coated iridescent silver fabric that’s used mainly in the manufacturing of audio equipment." The most fun part of the uniform "might be what most viewers won’t see." The inside of the jackets feature "sewn-in artwork in the lining, including Korean translations of phrases such as 'Do you speak English?' and 'Wish me luck!'" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/3).
