The Best and Worst of Winter Olympic Fashion

Feb 7

Feb 7 The Best and Worst of Winter Olympic Fashion

As the Winter Olympics get ever closer, there's been an incessant barrage of politics. South & North Korea will have a unified ice hockey team. North Korea is sending over some of their famed cheerleading squad. And many Russian athletes remain banned.

I don't know about you, but all this talk has gotten me a little overwhelmed. So, after asking myself life's key question (What Would Anna Do), I'm going to turn to fashion. Below is a run through of the fashion bold, and fashion blind, uniform choices for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.

In my mind, there are three clear front-runners: France, Finland & Germany.

France's fits are designed, for the third time running, by Lacoste. And they are exactly what you'd expect from a nation hailed for its style - sporty, simple and sleek. The decision to go for monochrome is very on trend, and I love the ankle crop of the trousers. Plus the asymmetric zips stop the outfit from being slightly too elementary.

*France's Olympic uniforms, designed by Lacoste | Image Via*

Finland has enlisted Icepeak to design their getups. They've again shot for sleek and simple. The white and blue stays true to patriotic ties, whilst also just looking great. And the chunky dad trainers are a superb touch - practical and fashion forward.

*Finland's Olympic fits, designed by Icepeak | Image Via*

Germany has gone full out fashionable. Designed by Adidas, their uniforms are grounded in earthy tones. Understated and loose-fitting, these fits could easily pass as street-wear in downtown Berlin. I love the versatility and lack of out-there nationalism - it feels cool, calm and confident.

*Germany's Olympic ensembles, designed by | Image Via*

These three countries truly lead in the fashion department. But, where there are front-runners there too must be stragglers. Popping up in the very bottom of the rankings are three nations with truly questionable ensembles - Norway, Great Britain, and the U.S.

Perhaps the country most noticeably committing fashion faux pas is Norway. Their garish suits, designed by Loudmout h, are quite simply problematic. For a nation that I'd guess will play a rather prominent role on the podium, one has to ask how on earth they ended up with fits like this. The colours clash, the cut is old-fashioned, and the belt is just the cherry on top. These are undeniably ugly. Not in a fashionable fanny pack kind of way, but more in that they're the kind of outfits you'd expect a colour blind geriatric to sport to a second rate golf course.

*Norway's Olympic outfits, designed by Loudmouth | Image Via*

Great Britain's aesthetic choices have rather crushed my patriotic affection. When I first came across their suits, designed by Simon Jersey (a retailer it seems you should avoid at all costs), I thought British Airways has misguidedly overhauled their cabin crew's outfits. Sadly, I was mistaken. These uniforms are painfully bland, and seem wholly disconnected from the setting. Quite who thought it was a good idea for the British athletes to sport ties and heels (yes heels!) in the sub-zero temperatures of Pyeongchang I don't know - but I do know they ought to be out of a job. The blessing I suppose is that team GB is likely to do so badly that we shouldn't need to see these ensembles all that often.

Great Britain's Olympic ensembles, designed by Simon Jersey | Image Via — *Great Britain's Olympic ensembles, designed by Simon Jersey | Image Via*

And finally, we have good old 'Murica. The United States' outfits are designed by Polo Ralph Lauren, and once again the brand has demonstrated why it simply not up to par with its European contemporaries. The general fit itself is not catastrophic. The sweater is ugly in a relatively fashionable Christmas-jumpery kind of way. The jacket isn't too bad, the hat isn't overly offensive, and the shoes are surprisingly on trend. But, an outfit has to be evaluated on the sum of its parts, and we haven't dealt with them all just yet. First, the jeans. Just why? It feels try-hard, unnatural and a little clunky. And then there're the gloves - if you can even call them that. I don't even know where to start. They are out of place, utterly abhorrent, and the fringing is outright laughable. These ensembles will be sure to demonstrate to the world that America really is on a downwards spiral.