Fashion is Awesome, Olympics Version

I gently mocked a friend recently when he suggested we needed to find time and a place to watch the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics. It was Whitney. I mocked Whitney.

He responded by telling me that I love the Olympics more than anyone he knows. Okay, that's fair. 

I do love an Olympiad, for all the reasons. The pageantry, the diversity of peoples and stories, the major sports and the minor, the moments of joy and agony, and how much it all matters to the participants. And the uniforms. Definitely the uniforms.

The Olympics, in particular the opening and closing ceremonies, are an opportunity for each nation to display a little bit of its personality to the world. From Tonga's barechested Pita Taufatofua to Armani's 2022 Italy capes to Haiti's kickass 2024 summer fits, the Olympics are a chance for designers to tell the story of a nation.

What follows is the definitive guide* to the best and blandest Olympic kits for the upcoming games. There can be no argument.

*half-assed overview that'll start hot and peter out because lazy.

Mongolia's 2024 summer fits were, frankly, spectacular. Hard to top, and I don't think they did this time around, but the designers at Goyol Cashmere still gave us a cool and culturally on point look.

Norway's look is classic, cool, and comfortable.

Ralph Lauren once again designed the USA's gear. I'm not a huge fan of Lauren's style, and so it follows that I think our kits are a bit much. Your mileage may vary. If it does, you can pick up that toggle overcoat for $1,998 at the online store.

The interwebs are *not* happy with the kits lululemon designed for Canada, and I'm with the masses on this one. They're both weird and boring, which is kinda hard to do.

Australia's are mid, New Zealand's are all-Black, and - shockingly - Italy's Armani-designed unis are just kinda blah.

adidas designed a bunch of uniforms this year, like this for Germany. It's...fine.

Ben Sherman's togs for Team Great Britain are sweet, tho.

France's, though? They may be the worst of the lot, or at least of the ones I've been able to find online.

Watch this space for more authoritative and insightful coverage from Milan/Cortina.