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Fashions on the Field

 

Fashions on the Field

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AOC
Fashions on the Field

It’s not all abut sport. At the Vancouver Olympic Games, National Olympic Committees have been expressing themselves like never before. From the spectacular, to the stylish, to the questionable it’s been a glam-tacular Games.

It’s not all abut sport. At the Vancouver Olympic Games, National Olympic Committees have been expressing themselves like never before. From the spectacular, to the stylish, to the questionable it’s been a glam-tacular Games.

The athletes are showing their best on icy tracks or snowy slopes rather than a red carpet, but it hasn’t stopped them from putting their best foot forward. Athletes don’t have just one uniform, but many ranging from formal wear to competition ensembles and street wear.

Some really stand out. If you've tuned into the Olympic curling, it would have been impossible to miss the garish blue, grey, red and white diamond patterned golf pants worn by a conservative nation in a conservative sport - the Norwegian curling team.

US Snowboard Anti-Uniforms


After wearing them in training last week, skipper Thomas Ulsird said the team was uncertain whether or not to go with their new look.

"We said, 'no way, we're just wearing them to practice in'. But on TV? (During the Olympic Curling competition) well we might wear them then. I guess we have to have a team meeting and see what happens."

It happened and viewers shielded their eyes, as did perhaps the British team - which could explain their loss to the Scandinavians despite being the favourites.

While the jury is out on the Norwegians choice of pants, the “Anti-Uniform” designed by Burton for the US snowboard team has been a winner. The sport of snowboarding, traditionally one of the more creative sports involving individual flair, is difficult to reconcile with uniforms.

Creative designer Greg Dacyshyn used traditional red, white and blue, but with a flannel shirt look that would bring Jimmy Barnes to his knees. Combined with Gortex pants, made to look like well worn jeans complete with rips and faded colouring.

“The inspiration was sort of that classic Americana look: the plaid blazer and old jeans,” Dacyshyn said. “Yeah, it’s a uniform, but it’s also an anti-uniform at the same time.”

In the 500m speed skating, Japanese Keiichiro Nagashima and Joji  Kato scored silver and bronze respectively. But they were wearing gold. Black and gold, to be precise, in one-piece suits that made the females look like ice queen superheroes.

The figure skating short program had some of the more unusual outfits, including tiaras, clown suits and tops featuring flocks of sequined geese. But the award for most ‘creative’ outfit went to the Ukrainian team of Tatiana Volosozhar amd Stanislav Morozov. Matching Avatar-blue lamé skin tight catsuits. One spectator twittered “Shine on, you loveable Ukraines, shine on”.

The Australians have one of the most heavily complimented outfits of the Games. Designed by Sportscraft (for formal wear) and Karbon (for sport wear), the range has been popular with our athletes and other nationalities alike.

Shane Redenbach is head of the Uniform Distribution Centre in Vancouver, issuing over 5000 garments to 40 athletes and associated coaches, officials and Australian Olympic Committee team members.

He says that getting the fit and look for an athlete is paramount. “It’s not just about looking good but feeling good. I don’t know if it’s psychological or not, but we don’t want athletes feeling that the uniform wasn’t right and they could have done better if it was different. We just want to help the athletes perform their best”.  

The big hits have been the “skeleton” outfits, the one piece green and gold outfits with the inbuilt six pack. Worn by alpine, luge, skeleton, cross country, biathlon and speed skating competitors, the design is distinctive as are the colours.

Redenbach said the feedback had been athletes enjoy wearing the green and gold. "They say it makes them feel like they are competing for their country”, he said.

Winners

Australian “skeleton” outfits
Japanese gold and black speed skating suits
“Fresh” French blue, white and red snowboard jackets
The blue and yellow knitted Swedish caps
Gold snowboard helmets

USA faux denim pants 

Flip Byrnes
AOC - Vancouver

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