Opening Ceremonies

The Olympics are full in swing right now with the United States currently holding the title as the country to beat in the medal count. I just finished re-watching the 4x100m men’s swimming freestyle relay which the U.S. won in world record time! I must confess, I am an Olympics nerd and I probably watched more than 5 hours of programming over the weekend.

The winning men's relay team. Look mom, I won GOLD!

The 2008 Olympics, being held in Beijing has infiltrated our current pop culture and the fashion side of it as well. Just last week, on Project Runway the challenge for the remaining designers was to create an opening ceremony look for the U.S. team.

Leanne Le Animal's look should of won in my opinion (look 1). Terri's design wasn't bad either (look 2).

Ralph Lauren dressed this year’s U.S. Olympians in preppy navy blue blazers, white pants, and white newsboy caps. I think Ralph totally forgot that these outfits were supposed to represent the good ol’ U.S.A. and not his own brand. The Polo logo practically overshadowed the Olympic rings logo. Walking billboards much?

Anyone care for a game of polo? Anyone?

Harper’s Bazaar recently had an Olympics-inspired spread with Lucy Liu.

Lucy Liu likes spearing things with long toothpick like objects.

Opening Ceremony, a boutique and label created by Carol Lim and Humberto Leon started as a retail take on the Olympics, pairing U.S. designers with 15 international offerings for a competition of sales. In the fall, Japanese designers will be pitted against designers from the U.S. It is only natural that the Opening Ceremony boutique in NYC hosted an opening ceremony party for the Beijing Olympics with the store open 72 hours straight this weekend. There were scrabble games hosted by Su Chin Pak, ping pong tournaments hosted by Philip Crangi , free burgers and ice cream, and limited edition Olympic merchandise.

This is where the party was at!

Humberto Leon and Carol Lim were last week’s guest bloggers for The Moment. In one entry they hand-picked designers that they thought would be good fits to redesign what these olympic atheletes would wear.

Here are some of their picks:

Baseball - Acne
Baseball has always had just one fit: skinny. Acne is the perfect designer to introduce a new fit to the sport…perhaps a flare leg?

Boxing - Rodarte
Instead of using bulky, cushioned gloves, Rodarte has the perfect solution with their cat-claw leather gloves from Spring. One hit and your opponent is out. This is the perfect inspiration for their next bloody, horror film collection.

Canoe/Kayak - Martin Margiela
Since Margiela likes to wrap things, we thought it would be fitting for him to not only wrap this canoing team in form-fitting, waterproof outfits, he could also wrap the canoe as well.

Cycling - Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier is perfect to bring cycling to a more couture level. We are imagining a striped cycling outfit along with a helmet in the shape of a beret, perhaps? Add a drawn-in moustache and voila!

Equestrian - Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere
Riding boots are too predictable. Instead, why not go for those Balenciaga wedged knee-high boots for the perfect pony look?

Fencing - Proenza Schouler
Proenza Schouler is perfect for fencing because you can wear your bandage skirt and be stylishly prepared for any injuries. You can continue to fence, even if you have been stabbed.

Shooting - Viktor & Rolf
We think guns are passé. Instead, the sport should involve how far you can shoot a staple gun. Viktor & Rolf’s Fall collection incorporates staples and it comes with ammunition.

Taekwondo - Dries Van Noten
Instead of wearing your typical white Taekwondo uniform, why not do a printed version by Dries Van Noten? He can even do a limited edition gold, silver and bronze belt just for the occasion. That way, everyone’s a winner!

Tennis - Lanvin
Since this is known as the gentleman’s sport, Lanvin is the perfect designer to bring formal dressing back to tennis. Sorry Nadal, the all black jersey is just not dapper. Instead, you’ll need to sport a bowtie, grosgrain collar dress shirt and a perfect pair of pleated shorts.

Table Tennis - Opening Ceremony
Since we are obsessed with table tennis (we own 10 tables!) it only seems appropriate that we design the table tennis outfit. You might be wearing a short sleeved flare coat and some cut out heels, but they will meet table tennis regulations.

Archery - Comme des Garçons
With their signature polka-dot print, Comme des Garçons is the perfect designer to confuse audience/opponents as to who the (fashion) target is.

Volleyball - Alexander Wang
Alexander Wang’s silhouettes resemble the perfect 80’s volleyball uniform: loose tank, double
layers, and cutoff shorts. Why did things get so technical?

There are still 2 more weeks of Olympic competition left. That's more than enough time to start getting into the Olympic spirit!

xoxo,
Cynthia