Team USA’s uniforms for the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were released on Tuesday, designed once again by iconic American fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
The opening ceremony uniforms attempt to show a casual appearance, including jeans, a navy and white striped button-down Oxford shirt, an optional tie, and a three-button navy blue jacket. It reflects Lauren’s “classic” American design aesthetic, but one thing it doesn’t reflect is the concept of summer.
The blazers also feature Lauren’s Polo logo. The sport of polo has not been contested in the Olympic Games since 1936.
Closing ceremony uniforms are definitely more casual. Lauren has used white denim throughout, modeling the jacket after a classic racing jacket. The sport of car racing has never been contested in the Olympic Games.
Lauren has designed Team USA’s uniforms since 2008, and since that time, Olympic fashion has looked less like “we play sports in the summer” and more like “hello and welcome to the Ralph factory store “Lauren, would you like to try this cologne?” ?”
This is what the 2004 Summer Olympics uniforms looked like for the opening ceremony. They featured shorts and joggers, T-shirts, hats, and short-sleeved button-down jackets. It looked like something you could actually wear in the summer.
Here’s what they looked like in 2008, Lauren’s first year as Team USA’s designer. The vibe is decidedly unsummery, with long white pants, a white hat, a white button-down Oxford shirt, the signature navy blue jacket. of Polo and a scarf.
Nothing screams summer more than wearing a scarf and jacket on the boardwalk, right?
The upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles and will mark Lauren’s 20th year as an Olympic designer. Maybe by then she’ll be willing to design an Olympic outfit that doesn’t include things like scarves, ties and blazers.
