Tokyo
The Opening Ceremony of every Olympics is a confusing and wonderful fashion show. Athletes from most countries have specially designed outfits to wear during the parade of nations, so it’s automatically like a massive red carpet event.
Most of the outfits are relatively inoffensive, but a few always stick out. Sometimes it’s because they’re good, but usually because they’re bad.
Enter Italy. Their outfits were immediately noticeable for being utterly, confusingly awful. It looks like the Italian flag ate Pac-Man and then got violently ill all over a white shirt. Even the shoes were covered with the Italian flag.
They were completely baffling. And like all of Italy’s Olympic uniforms since 2012, they were designed by Giorgio Armani.
While they look like something you’d buy on the boardwalk at Atlantic City, the New York Times reported that they were designed with a lot of symbolism.
The jackets — which are all made of recycled polyester, which may be a trend of these Games — are white, to represent “purity in sport” (that’s according to Armani).
The opening verse of the Italian national anthem, generally known as Fratelli d’Italia, or Brothers of Italy, after the first line, is actually written on the inside lining of each one.
And the graphics symbolize the Japanese flag, done in the Italian tricolor.
Symbolism and tributes are great, but if it makes the outfits look like rejected video game merchandise, maybe go back to the drawing board.—AP
