Fashion Moment: 2012 Summer Olympics Kit

I love the Olympics!  I love that they bring us together on an international scale, and the values of excellence, tradition, character, and inclusion that they promote.  In fact one of my besties is in London right now working for OBS in Communications.

I love getting updates from her, and I love cheering for the athletes from my country (and some favorites from other countries.)  I enjoyed watching Danny Boyle's Opening Ceremonies, but while we were watching (and as patriotic as I am), I have to confess I was a little disappointed with Canada's official uniform design...

CNW Group/Hudson's Bay Co.

There's nothing particularly wrong with them... They're not embarrassing, they include our national colours (unlike Germany's "blue is for boys, pink is for girls" approach, or Italy's black and white approach), they're clean and modern, and ever-so-slightly jaunty (the touch of tartan, the rolled cuffs), but they're just... underwhelming.  

Jorge Silva/Reuters

It's true that as Canadians, we are kind of known for being unassuming and unpretentious, but minus the "Canada" banner on the chest (and the lack of subtlety there is a little clunky), this looks like a generic person walking down the street!  I'm not sure it really transmits the message: "I'm an elite achiever, here to compete on the world stage." 

All I want is a little personality, creativity, or gender differentiation... Yes, we're polite, but hopefully not that boring!  We just hosted a fantastic set of Games in Vancouver 2010, haven't we earned the right to a little swag? 

That started me thinking about the 2012 London Summer Olympics from a sartorial perspective, and here are my random conclusions. 

Of course fashion is tangential to the experience of the games, but when you have the chance to say something about your country's heritage, pride, and identity in the most-viewed international forum, wouldn't you want to communicate something good?!

Here are a couple of other Winners of 'The Kitten' for Snooze-worthy Get-ups:

via Styleite

Ireland does the same boring unisex schtick as Canada.  And those pants don't look like they're really fitting well on anybody.

Lars Baron/Getty

Greece has a little better tailoring, but I still feel like they're there to sell me a used car.

But the real surprise in the boring category is...

Stefano Rellandini/Reuters

...Italy!  As one of the world leaders in fashion, this result is truly a shocker!  I'm not sure why they are applauding here, since the venerable Giorgio Armani has spent all this time designing kit exactly like what I regularly see at my local Y?  So bland, and there's absolutely no trace of Italy's red, white & green.  Donatella Versace & Roberto Cavalli are probably chuckling into their espressos.

Guiseppe Aresu/AFP/Getty

Armani might have redeemed himself slightly with the chic womens' swimsuits, but for the men... I'm not sure if the world is ready for white speedos?

And surprisingly, it gets worse before it gets better.
Here are the Winners of 'The Kitten' for Most Embarrassing:

via Styleite

First up: the anti-uniform.  What's up, Liechtenstein?  You didn't even try!  Or perhaps there's a secret backstory, like, "Oh crap, the opening ceremony is today?! Quick, jump in the limo, maybe we can still make it!"  

via Styleite

Estonia: At least this is unique.  But these jackets seem more suited to winter Olympics, and are sort of reminiscent of... Oscar the Grouch?

via Styleite

The British team tries to be fashion-forward, but may have unfortunately drawn too much tin foil inspiration from Justin Bieber.  But hey, who needs gold medals when you can have gold armpits?

Saul Craviotto/Twitter

One poor Spanish athlete tweeted this unhappy pic of his Olympic gear.  My first thought was "Would you like fries with that?", but there might be a little dash of NASCAR in there as well.  Maybe this is what Spain gets for outsourcing their uniform design to Bosco, a Russian firm!  Was Russia getting in a little bit of sabotage to increase their competitive advantage?

Misha Japaridze/AP

Er... Nope!  Sadly, they did it to their own unlucky athletes as well.  What can I say about this vaguely 80's flashback?  It gives me sort of a queasy feeling.

I need cheering up, so here are some Winners of 'The Kitten' for Expressing Cultural Heritage:

via Styleite

Jordan

via Styleite

Mexico

via Styleite

Tajikistan

via Styleite

Marshall Island

Mike Blake/Reuters

Nigeria

Jorge Silva/Reuters

Oman

via Styleite

and Turkmenistan.
Much better!  I think all of these countries did a beautiful job.

And here are my choices for Winners of 'The Kitten' for Sartorially Savvy (a.k.a. Best Dressed Contemporary):

via shrewdtennis

Well done, Belgium!  Patriotic and classy.  These uniforms look sharp individually...

via Styleite

...And en masse.  I love that there are options: red skirt, black skirt, red pants...

Reuters

The United States goes collegiate in their quintessentially Ralph Lauren designs.  Nothing here is really fresh territory for him, but it's preppy and tasteful.  I like the interest provided by the scarves & hats.

via Ecoterre.com

There was a brief uproar over the fact that the US uniforms were made in China, but I thought that was a bit of a red herring.  While this is an issue worth further attention, there's no way it should be a surprise to anybody!  North America has not developed or protected their textile industries, and has been outsourcing most manufacturing to Asia for years.

Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty

Belarus: looking so sharp and jaunty with those little fedoras.

via Fila

South Korea looking very nautical, which makes sense for games set in London. Again with the cute hats, and even some snazzy socks by Fila.

suitsupply.com

Have I mentioned that I love options?  The Netherlands also did their athletes proud in Adidas.

via styleite

The pieces are traditional, and the colours are modern, but mainly these get-ups are undeniably cheerful.  And I'm digging the unique patriotic touch provided by all those tulips! 

via High Snobette

And finally... Jamaica's uniforms are seriously dope.  They were the brainchild of a collaboration between Cedella Marley (yeah, she's Bob's daughter) and Puma.

Mike Blake/Reuters

Again, I love that there are so many options: green, yellow and black jackets, black or yellow pants, printed or plain skirts (not to mention the cool trainers and the driving caps), but they all coordinate.

Michael Regan/Getty

The tailoring is so sharp, but actually functional.  Really wearable silhouettes, modern materials, and actually hip!  My personal fave.  I think this is probably the ultimate fusion of sporty and stylee at this set of games.  Usain Bolt is a great showman.  Wonder if he'll repeat his sprinting golds?

Oh, and lastly, here's the Winner of 'The Kitten' for Spirit:

Mike Blake/Reuters

So these umbrellas and wellies don't really celebrate the Czech Republic, but rather the rainy city of London where the games are being held.  Maybe it's a little silly (or practical, depending on your perspective!), but I like that they aren't taking themselves too seriously, and are clearly having some fun with it.  Fun is always good in my book. :)

Congrats to every athlete from every country for making it there.  I hope you get a free moment to really savour it all.

I'm smitten: Kurt Vonnegut

My friend sent me this recently.  Love it!  I love this sentiment about the arts - I think our lives are flat and devoid of depth and meaning without any artistic venue to express ourselves - and I love Vonnegut.  He has an empathetic and humanist perspective that I identify with very much, and his writing is very darkly funny and accessible.  His style is very American, like Twain and Salinger (who I also love), and so unpretentious, he seems like he could be your (very smart, very moving) buddy at the bar.   And his thoughts on war, after serving in WWII, are honest and poignant - very relatable, but not romanticized.  If you haven't read Cat's Cradle or Slaughterhouse-Five (which in my imagination might have in some way inspired The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and been inspired by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald), I highly recommend them.  A different friend just recommended God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, so it'll be next on the reading list for me...

I'm smitten: Street Art by Banksy

My friends know I love street art.  

Graffiti is totally another medium for modern art.  But of all the current artists, UK-based Banksy is the stand-out revolutionary.  I've been watching him for a few years, and I'm still impressed.  His work continues to gain notoriety, but his identity remains a mystery - he refuses to reveal his real name or face.  He's gotta be the most famous anonymous person alive today.  Or is that the most anonymous famous person?  However you want to slice it - the man is a mystery.

He used to sign his work, but now his style is so recognizable he doesn't even need to. 

He's genius, because he often plays off of existing graffiti in a space, to make it work in a new way...

Sometimes he even incorporates nature, or other pieces of signage or infrastructure...

The real reason he rocks though, is the apt social & political commentary in his work...  I find his work just as witty, creative and heartbreaking as any "museum approved" art.  He offers an alternative to most of the messages we're bombarded with in the media these days.  He strives in a very innovative way to make us all stop & remember how to think for ourselves...

“A wall is a very big weapon. It’s one of the nastiest things you can hit someone with.”
— Banksy (Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall)

(If he were caught painting the one above, on the wall that defines the Israeli-West Bank border, he likely would've been shot.)

His messages are often intended to raise awareness about the consequences of poverty, war, discrimination and rampant consumerism.  He's trying to make us think about human rights and animal rights, and to consider our environmental impact...

Basically he's a badass vigilante social conscience.  A modern day Robin Hood, if you will.

He's here with a dose of perspective - the graffiti wake-up call the apathetic public so desperately needs.

"The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists... Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little."

- Banksy

I totally dig how he juxtaposes traditional art imagery with a modern street look.  It's an energetic mash-up that only a really savvy person could pull off.

“I need someone to protect me from all the measures they take in order to protect me.”
— Banksy

“Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing.
And even if you don’t come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can
make someone smile while they’re having a piss.”
— Banksy (Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall)

My personal favorites are this funny Star Wars one, below:

And this amazing early one below, where he manages to riff on freedom (twice!) both with respect to our own imprisonment within the relentless commodification of everything, and the cruelty of large animals imprisoned in zoos.  Break free!  This is the first one I saw that really impressed me with how much of a statement a motivated creative person can make with just a couple of stencils and a can of paint. 

And...

this one above, found in New Orleans right after the hurricane and the government's terribly slow response to help the people.  It really moved me when I first saw it - it struck a chord.  I can't put into words exactly why it resonates with me, I just find it particularly poignant.  This ability to convey emotion is what distinguishes an artist from a mere tagger.

Seriously, though, the fact that Banksy has to complete these pieces in such a fast & stealthy manner, to avoid getting arrested, makes me appreciate their artfulness all the more.  It's next level shit - part art, part adventure.  I can see why it'd be fun to do.  He'll make you laugh, and he'll make you want to cry, but he always, always makes a point.

“Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.”
— Banksy (Wall and Piece)

He's an artist cleverly making use of free speech, with a new vocabulary, in a new venue - and how can you not admire that?  The best part is, he doesn't take himself too seriously.  Banksy seems to do it all with a sense of humour, with tongue placed firmly in cheek.

To see more pics, check out his retrospective books, 'Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall' and 'Wall and Piece', or his movie 'Exit Through the Gift Shop', where he satirizes his own fame, street art, and skewers the whole "art as commodity" scene in general.  It's not to be taken too seriously.

(Any painting he does on animals is with non-toxic children's finger paint, FYI.)

Brilliance & hilarity!   
<Swoon>

 (all art by Banksy)

Watch the trailer:  

Exit Through The Gift Shop