It’s time to play fashion critic: Which Olympic gear do you find more fashionable (however you define it) and would be most likely to wear – the U.S. collection, designed by Ralph Lauren or the Canadian, designed by team Team Hbc (photos after the jump)?
The U.S.: “A handful of attractive members of the U.S. Olympic team modeled the new Ralph Lauren designed clothing line for the upcoming Olympics on Tuesday. The photo session in New York provided the first public public peek at the new threads.
“In a word: preppy.”
The Canadians: “For consumers, the Bay design team has played with bold patterns and graphics in an ebullient mix of Canadian and Chinese icons and colours. Much of it is produced in super-light, silky fabrics, and eco-friendly materials, all trends consistent with looks seen on runways.”
See more Canadian photos here.
I am anything but a fashion-plate (jeans and a T-shirt are about my limit), but I find the U.S. look a bit too stuffy and the Canadians like a 5-year-old walked on white fabric with paint all over his feet. –Jim Buzinski
Hat tip to Matt Hennie, for the U.S. item.
Hat tip to poster Travel Pat for posting the Canadian news on our Discussion Board.
on May 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 AM
Is “none of the above” a choice?
on May 2nd, 2008 at 6:30 AM
Team Canada looks like they’re wearing pyjamas. And Team USA looks very, uh, white.
on May 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 AM
Yeah it’s Ralph Lauren, but it’s um, boring. Really, really, boring. It’s like he recycled his Spring/Summer 1997 left over collection and added a flag to it…oh wait, olympic rings to it…
on May 2nd, 2008 at 5:25 PM
The USA stuff…dull. The Canadian stuff runs the gamut from interesting to train wreck.
on May 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 PM
I prefer the canadian.
on May 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 PM
Hate the US look; Canadian is an improvement, but I wouldn’t wear it out in public.
on May 3rd, 2008 at 2:04 AM
USA by eight strokes. That Canadian uniform looks ridiculous.
on May 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 AM
In today’s Globe and Mail they did a fashion faceoff between Team USA and Team Canada, and I had to chuckle because, once again, Outsports had scooped the world media. Everyone knows that Olympic fashion is far more important than human rights, steroids or super-fast swimsuits.
The Globe’s verdict: Team USA
TEAM USA
THE STYLE – Two words: Ralph Lauren. All-American country-club fashions for the jock set.
GIVING IT 110 PER CENT – Thanks to Gossip Girl, prep-school style is so hot right now. We’d happily sport the look outside the Olympic village.
NEEDS PRACTICE – All white isn’t practical for eating, sitting down or anything other than standing perfectly still.
PODIUM POSITION – Sexy and clean-cut? That’s a gold medal, baby.
TEAM CANADA
THE STYLE – A nod to the East, designed by Tu Ly and Vivienne Lu in consultation with The Bay.
GIVING IT 110 PER CENT – The fashions are made of bamboo and organic cotton and were designed with input from athletes.
NEEDS PRACTICE – Incorporating the five elements of Chinese astrology and Canadian symbols makes for busy prints. The full-length pants look like pyjama bottoms.
PODIUM POSITION – The mishmash look screams bronze at best. Sorry, team maple leaf.
on May 3rd, 2008 at 3:32 PM
IMO it’s a bit of a problem that the Polo logo is bigger than either the Olympic rings or “USA”.
on May 4th, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Personally, I like neither of the designs. I tend to like winter designs a lot more, especially the US when they had some really classy opening ceremony outfits in (I think) 2002 in SLC. I don’t have any good sense of style so my opinion my not even count much.
Although I like neither of the designs, I like Canada more:
-If you look at the Canada slideshow, the third picture, I really like the look. Very sporty… I like the board shorts and the color combination. The guy is pretty hot too
-Canada seems to have more of a sporty look, which fits the Olympics; however, the US… I don’t know what it is about their outfit… it just looks so elitist/preppy. Almost snobby.
-Also, the US looks like they are already wearing a medal, which is sort of pretentious (‘m not sure if that’s a good/correct word to use)?
That’s all my opinion anyway.
on May 5th, 2008 at 1:29 AM
What Jim Buz said, I’ll go with that.
on May 6th, 2008 at 5:46 PM
The US version, I quit wearing back in ’67. It was silly and pretentious then, too. As for the Canadians, I’ve worked to hard at being gay to go back to being queer. No way I’d be caught in daylight in one of those outfits.