Fashion Line Up for the Olympics – TeamUSA

The Americans always go overboard with everything and their Olympic Games Apparel is no different. Ralph Lauren has designed their Village wear, for lounging in fashion when not competing. Definitely chic!

Drawing on the heritage and sophistication of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and a tradition of refined American style, Ralph Lauren’s 2012 Team USA Closing Ceremony Uniforms feature exceptionally elegant silhouettes in a timeless palette of all white with touches of red and navy.

http://www.parispopcorn.com/2012/04/ralph-laurens-signature-u-s-olympic-team-uniforms.html

Fashion Line Up for the Olympics – Great Britain

The uniforms for the 2012 British Olympic team, designed by Stella McCartney, were unveiled  back in March, and the immediate reaction was to say the least, mixed.

McCartney said that the uniforms started with a meditation on the Union Jack, the flag of Great Britain. “For me it’s one of the most beautiful flags in the world and it was important for me to stay true to that iconic design, but also to modernise it and present it in a contemporary way,” she said. “Ultimately, we wanted the athletes to feel like a team and be proud with the identity we created.”

To that end, McCartney infused her athletic gear with the same attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes into her ready-to-wear pieces. The entire kit, which is composed of nearly 600 different pieces created in collaboration with Adidas, will be distributed to the over 900 athletes who make it on the team.

http://www.fashionologie.com/Stella-McCartney-Olympic-Uniforms-Pictures-22325607

The BBC News reported the unveiling of the uniforms by stating:

Where Stella McCartney has excelled in her collaboration is in understanding how to create the perfect mix of sportswear functionality with fashion edge.

Since first collaborating with Adidas in 2004, Stella has shown she understands the mix needed to create directional fashion focussed sportswear that looks equally at home in the gym as it does in a club or on the street.

Using blue as a dominant colour has received some negative coverage but as a designer you have to make the whole range cohesive.

This is done by choosing a main colour and having accent colours, which is what Stella has done with the red, otherwise you effectively end up being wrapped in the flag.

Comments from the athletes  that tried out the kit ranged from:

“It needs to be lightweight, which it is,” he said. “It needs to be aerodynamic and it is.”

“There is no flapping about so, from a performance perspective, it’s exactly what we were looking for.”

“The colours are different but it’s definitely British. I get excited putting it on. It has the Olympic rings on and that gives you pride.”

So all in all, the athletes approved. Lets hope they perform with success in London. All eyes will be on them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17474404

Fashion Line Up for the Olympics – Italy

This is where my double citizenship creates problems – Do I support the English Team or the Italian one? I suspect that the Italians will be smarter, their uniforms having been designed by the archetypal Georgio Armani.

Azzurro is a shade of dark blue and it’s been a part of the strips Italian Olympic teams – known as the Azzurri – have worn since the 70s. Giorgio Armani – his brand EA7 Emporio Armani is the official outfitter for Italy’s 2012 London squad – presented yesterday afternoon in his Via Borgonuovo headquarters the strip created for the Olympics in July.

There were athletes there to model it too: the multi-medal winning Valentina Vezzali, the diver Tania Cagnotto and the fencerAndrea Cassarà. Each member of the national team will have a modular wardrobe (complete with luggage) ranging from the formal suit to nylon jacket with asymmetrical fastenings.

Then there are shorts, trousers, t-shirts, and running and training shoes created using innovative C-Cube (Carbon Cushion Control) technology that guarantees maximum comfort and reactive response in any situation. Patriotism is the heart of the collection: the words of Goffredo Mameli’s Italian national anthem are embroidered inside the uniform jacket and all the clothes bear the word Italia, accompanied by a stylised image of Rome’s Stadio Olimpico and the CONI and EA7 Emporio Armani logos.

Marta Casadei for Vogue Italia

Things to See & Do – Hat Musueum

 Hat Museum at Ghiffa

Cap 1500 - typical pointed shape

The Hat Museum (more precisely “Museum of the Art of Hat-making”) in Ghiffa, overlooking Lake Maggiore, illustrates the history of Italian glamour in hat-making.

1550 - Renaissance Felt Hat

What is now the Museum was once the factory where the hats of the historic Panizza brand were made. This internationally famous company exported its hats of a unique style and quality all over the world.

1570 - Henry III of France

The exhibition is arranged thematically. The first part takes visitors on a chronological tour of hat history, including examples of today’s fashion leaders; you can see the unmistakable top hat of the Romantic period, and the classic hat linked with the name of Rudolph Valentino, which was all the rage in the Twenties.

1804 - Postillion style

The second section is devoted to Panizza’s own production, with evergreens such as the Safari hat, or the Texas, famous as a symbol of Western movies.

1927 - Rodolfo Valentino

The exhibition includes the machinery used in making the hats, along with filmed sequences illustrating how hats were made: a skilled craft whose products are nothing short of works of art.

• Machinery and tools
• The felting process
• Hat trimming

HOW TO GET THERE

A26 toll motorway going in the direction of Gravellona Toce, Baveno exit, in the direction of Verbania, take A-road no. 34 for Ghiffa

FURTHER DETAILS: Admission free.
Access April to June, September and October: Sat- Sun 3.30 pm / 6.30 pm
July and August: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 3.30 pm / 6.30 pm
September: booking required
Price: € 1,50

CONTACT: Museo dell’Arte del Cappello
Email: museodelcappelloghiffa@libero.it
Address Corso Belvedere, 279 – Ghiffa (VB)
Web site: www.museodellartedelcappello.it
Phone number +39 0323 59174

via Hat Museum.

How to be Ecological and stylish all at the same time

For Alexandre Herchcovitch

The Brazilian made Melissa plastic shoes are way more comfortable than the old school jellies. These plastic shoes are made from recyclable PVC in a socially responsible factory where 99,9% of the waste is recycled. Collaborations include Jean Paul Gautier, Vivienne Westwood and Alexandre Herchkovitch.

So stride out in style and leave only a soft jelly carbon footprint