Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Fashion Breakthrough or Bust

 When American television viewers turn into Friday night’s telecast of the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia they’ll see the United States Olympic Team strutting into the stadium in those sweaters.

In case you haven’t seen them, the sweaters, by Ralph Lauren, are shawl-collared cardigans featuring a mixture of stars and stripes, the American flag and a large patch with the Olympic rings.

Cathy Horyn, the recently departed New York Times fashion editor, wrote that while there was something to be said for Lauren’s blending of traditional and contemporary, at first glance, “the cardigan invites comparisons to hideous Christmas sweaters. “ In the same article, John Doyle, a television columnist for the Globe and Mail in Toronto wrote, “Oh, America. What a jumble; what an eyesore.”

Thankfully there’s more to Olympics fashion than the sweaters.

Just ask designer and “Project Runway” alum Nick Verreos. In addition to designing for his line and his current duties as a mentor for the new “Under the Gunn” edition of “Project Runway” currently airing on the Lifetime cable channel, Verreos also writes “Ice Style,” a popular blog about figure skating fashion.

And he’s also been keeping a close watch on what the Olympians are wearing in Sochi. For example, Verreos notes that the outfits Team USA will be seen in most often (hopefully) are their medal ceremony outfits—shiny silver ski jackets by Nike (almost identical to those worn on the sidelines during the Super Bowl).

“I’ve read some people have said it looks a little bit like Jiffy Pop popcorn, but I think these look chic,” Verreos said of the silver quilted ski jackets. “They look modern, almost like something from a movie for the future like ‘Space Odyssey 2000.’ These jackets would be what the flight attendants wear on the space shuttle.”

And the navy peacoats with a red stripe by Ralph Lauren that Team USA will wear at the closing ceremonies have won universal praise, Verreos among them. “The peacoat is great. It’s very wearable, very Ralph Lauren,” he said.

Verreos pointed out that there are plenty of loud and proud outfits from other countries that may make Team USA’s  Grandma sweaters look downright sedate.

The Norwegian curling team, for example, has become something of a fashion darling with its  collection of loud, patterned pants. And the German Olympic Team’s opening ceremony ski suits are so Rainbow Britesque that there was speculation the outfits were a Gay rights statement. German officials have denied that assertion.

For Verreos, the real highlight, from a fashion perspective, will be the figure skating competitions.  Unlike Team USA’s other competitors who all wear the same uniforms in competition, figure skaters can show their individuality and personal flair. That means plenty of opportunity for fashion hits as well as misses.

“It’s exciting. For the figure skaters, the Olympics really is the Oscars of the season so some of the skaters will probably be wearing something entirely new just for the Olympics,” he said. “You can never really guess if they’ll wear something they’ve already worn or have that special something for the Olympics.”

The special demands of creating outfits for a sport that mixes athleticism with artistry and a boatload of beading means that household name fashion designers rarely are represented on the ice, although Italian skater Carolina Kostner has, in the past, been costumed by fashion designer Roberto Cavalli.

But Verreos said the fashion highlights aren’t just coming from Cavalli. Other designers who create exclusively for skating regularly create winning looks for top skaters like defending Olympic champion Yuna Kim of South Korea, Mao Asada of Japan and US figure skating champion Gracie Gold.

“There are some skaters whom you always look forward to. Yuna Kim, the South Korean princess, really stands out in terms of showing off gorgeous, beautifully made figure skating costumes,” he said. “She’s known to be a sort of fashionista. You know her costumes are $10,000 and they look it so that’s always exciting.”

Verreos noted that both the Japanese men and women are also known for their flamboyant, dramatic costumes adding, “They really appreciate the costume element of skating.”

If there’s a surefire fashion disappointment for Verreos it’s the American men figure skaters, Verreos said.

“The American men always seem to try and be more subdued, more manly and to me it’s just boring,” he said. The exception to that rule has been the now retired American skater Johnny Weir. “You see so many (American) men wearing a shirt and black pants with a belt. It’s a look that they could have gotten at Express. It just doesn’t show creativity. It feels like you didn’t try. A good outfit shouldn’t look like you just picked it up from the local mall.”

—Karyn D. Collins