As much as the Olympics is about celebrating sport, the games always come with a side-serving of fashion.
Whether it’s in the form of a custom designer dress for a figure skater, Swarovski embellishments for a gymnast, or a totally practical racing suit for a sprinter; sometimes, we can’t help but let our eyes wander to the event’s sartorial aspects.
Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, marie claire Australia is looking back at the most memorable fashion moments marked in Olympic history.
Cathy Freeman’s racing suit
2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney
The green and gold Nike Swiftsuit Cathy Freeman wore to claim gold for Australia is immortalised in history. Not only was the garment visually striking, but it featured a different fabric covering each body part in order to minimise drag.
“Ultimately, I simply enjoyed the way it made me feel when I ran, even though I had a reservation about the way it made me look,” Freeman reflected in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2020.
Lara Teixeira and Nayara Figueira’s anatomical swimsuits
2012 Summer Olympics, London
At the London Olympics, Brazilian synchronised swimmers, Lara Teixeira and Nayara Figueira competed in swimsuits inspired by human anatomy. The front featured a bejewelled heart and the back, a spine and ribs. Their swim caps were also designed to look like brains.
Michelle Kwan’s velvet Vera Wang
1998 Winter Olympics, Nagano
Team USA’s Michele Kwan turned to famed designer Vera Wang for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The figure skater was garbed in a pale purple, velvet Wang creation while competing in Nagano, Japan.
Florence Griffith-Joyner’s hood
1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul
A sartorial pre-cursor to Freeman’s famed look, Florence Griffith-Joyner, aka the fastest woman of all time, wore a hooded suit to the Seoul games. The US three-time gold medallist accessorised with six-inch nails and a some gold jewellery.
Miwako Motoyoshi and Saeko Kimura’s (literally) fire swimsuits
1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles
The competition was heating up at the 1984 Olympics, and so were synchronised swimmers Miwako Motoyoshi and Saeko Kimura. The Japanese athletes wore matching, flame-emblazoned one-pieces for their bronze-medal winning performance.
The Team US’s opening ceremony outfits, courtesy of Levi Strauss
1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles
Levi’s jeans are ironically American, so when founder Levi Strauss designed Team US’ (incredibly ’80s) uniform for the opening ceremony, the looks instantly went into the history books.
Ato Boldon’s bug-like sunglasses
2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney
Ato Boldon’s bug-like sunglasses are so renowned they were still inspiring fashion design two decades on from the Sydney Olympic Games. In 2020, eyewear brand Oakley brought the design back to commemorate the games, cementing the Trinidadian sprinter’s trend-setter status.
Tamara Larrea and Dalixia Fernandez’s Y2K accessories
2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney
The Sydney Olympics only occurred at the turn of the millennium, but these accessories worn by Cuban volleyball players Tamara Larrea and Dalixia Fernandez were a perfect precursor to Y2K style
The U.S gymnastics team’s Swarovski-covered leotards
2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro
The U.S women’s gymnastics team wore clothing fit for queens at the Rio Olympics. For the team event, Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and Madison Kocian wore red, white and blue leotards, all of which were embellished with over 4000 Swarovksi crystals (and carried a reported $1200 price tag).
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