Image via Complex Original
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio have been a bit of a clusterfuck. With fabricated robberies that have seen one athlete—*cough* Ryan Lochte *cough*—lose sponsorships, press coverage that got one reporter sent back to America, and social media outcries centered around black athlete's edges, it’s been a steaming heap of trash. And that's to say nothing of the chaos going on in the lead-up to this year's events. Nonetheless, there were a few style high-points.
As with any event with a ton of eyeballs, fashion brands have long edged their way into the Olympic fray in hopes of profiting off of the events. From sponsoring athletes in strict, multi-million dollar deals (Michael Phelps might want to review his) to sponsoring the wardrobes of entire teams, Olympic appearances are big business. Here we break down who stood out amongst the crowd.
Italy's Opening Ceremony Looks
Starting the 2016 Games off strong, the Italians made an outsized impression. But, to be honest, it’s to be expected: we are talking about Italy after all. Having tapped Giorgio Armani as the designer, competitors donned navy double-breasted blazers made of stretch cotton. Armani upped the sportswear component of the looks by adding removable hoods to the looks.
The Existence of Miles Chamley-Watson
While he wears the customary fencing fit for competition, when he’s stateside, Miles Chamley-Watson logs time as a model. While his most recent outing included a turn on the Rochambeau runway, the 6-foot-4 dude has done work from everyone from Ralph Lauren to VFILES.
Russia's Gosha-esque Tracksuits
The former Soviet Union is the same place that birthed Gosha Rubchinsky, so it’s to be expected that the country would have a flex on their hands this year. And, boy, did the country deliver. In fact, the red, white and blue tracksuits could have just as easily been pulled from an upcoming Gosha runway show and considering everyone from Prada to Marc Jacobs and Burberry were all recently hocking zip-up tracksuits, they were pretty on trend.
The Golden Boys
When Usain Bolt darted across the finish line of the 100-meter dash finish line, he was already wearing gold, literally. The gold chain around his neck appears to be a nod to '90s hip-hop and some suggested the necklaces were also used as a fashionable visualization tool (easier to imagine winning when you’re already rocking gold around your neck). The accessories were a small but dope style point when used sparingly, but could obviously get out of hand when piled on like in the case of Tyson Gay.
Canada's Opening Ceremony Style
For the past couple of seasons, adding a fishtail to a piece of clothing has been the move. Everyone from Raf Simons to Ovadia & Sons were doing fishtail parkas while John Elliott and others started putting fishtails on hoodies. Working in their patriotic palette of red and white, Dsquared2 implemented the style trick in the uniforms they made for Team Canada. With the team name on their backs, those single breasted nylon pieces feel like a welcome step towards hypebeast culture.