Polo Ralph Lauren Offical Olympic Team Uniforms Sale & ‘It’s Just Not Done”

Thank. God. It’s. Friday. The Princess is clinging to a parapet here at the Palace, a tad frazzled from a whirlwind week consumed by too much travel and too little time with family. Sigh.

Perhaps news of a sale (imagine that, a sale on Labor Day weekend!) at Polo Ralph Lauren on their oh-so-popular Olympic Collection will prove to be a style-starter for you this holiday weekend. It appears all of the merchandise from both the Opening and Closing Ceremony Parade Uniform lines is marked down. This includes the Big and Tall sizes in Men’s, as well as the ‘Custom,’ polo shirts (which are not custom made, for heaven’s sake), cut closer to the body for a trimmer fit.

Styles like this Olympic Games Gold Medal Polo are available in Men’s, Women’s and Children’s sizing; below we show the Women’s version.

The men’s Custom Closing Ceremony Polo is now $99.99, originally selling for $125.

Should you be looking for a little treat for the Princess or young gentleman of the household, there is no shortage of Olympic apparel in those sizes from which to choose. The Girls Olympic Games Track Jacket might provide a delicious snuggle factor with the chill nights of Fall approaching; it is available in Sizes Small to Extra Large and comes in two colors.

It’s expected the markdowns, although at only about 20% they are not deep, will help move some of the merchandise. Naturally some of the line simply won’t sell and TP has her picks for those items most likely to hit the bargain bins at one’s local discounter of the TJ Maxx or Marshall’s variety.

For example, we don’t envision too many Moms successfully locating the Olympic Games Beret on the head of any young man in the Boys Size 2-7 and Boys 8-20 age groups. Actually, we don’t foresee any age group of either sex donning these of their own free will. The Princess was fond of the berets; they were a great look. However, the operative word in that sentence is “were” in our humble opinion.

Now a case could be made on behalf of the Olympic Games Sport Cap, a far more attractive proposition on a number of fronts if I am said Boy. (Or Girl, or anyone else.)

The style appeals to a much broader group and is much easier to wear. No peering about self-consciously and asking friends “Do I have this on right?” as many are wont to do when first wearing a Beret. Also, the price point is much more appealing for what most perceive as “dated” goods. Originally $20 for Boys 2-7 and 8-20, the Sport Cap is now $14.99; the Beret was $40, now $29.99, a substantial difference.

We do adore the sneakers (officially referred to as the Closing Ceremony USA Sneaker) on their own merits and hope to procure a pair for twinkletoes as soon as humanly possible. Below we show the Men’s sneaks.

At the very least, it never hurts to pop in and visit the folks at Polo Ralph Lauren for a few minutes; one never knows what may be discovered.

BTW, we had a request from the always-wonderful Momx2; she is seeking information on the dress Chelsea Clinton wore for her appearance at the Democratic convention Wednesday night.

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

Unfortunately dear Mom, we are of no assistance whatsoever: we couldn’t locate anything! We did find out that Michelle Obama’s dress was by Thakoon Panichgul, and is part of the designer’s pre-spring 2009 collection, so obviously it isn’t available for purchase.

Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters

If Thakoon’s name sounds familiar, it might be because he is one of the designers Target has doing a collection for them for its Go International initiative, similar to Cynthia Rowley’s earlier this spring or Rogan Gregory’s. The Thakoon line is due in Target stores in December. Momx2, we’ll keep trying on the Chelsea dress, which we also liked.

BTW, not that it’s TP’s decision to make, but for a campaign that has been somewhat ahead of the curve in its exploitation of technology, they need to grab the reins and create a Michelle Obama website. One all about Ms. Obama. Or separate and specific pages on the Obama site, not simply something one scrolls down to as part of the family page.

Now everybody knows it’s tennis time with the US Open continuing this weekend in Queens. What people may not be as familiar with are some of the following photos from the tourney, preceded by an installment of “It’s Just Not Done” which you may have already viewed on TV or in your local paper. It’s that notable in its poor sportsmanship.

Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

This is what was left of Eduardo Schwank’s tennis racket yesterday after his match with Dmitry Tursunov of Russia. TP understands (oh, how we understand!) personal frustration on the court, the green, the slope, wherever. But. There are standards of conduct. One does not resort to infantile displays of temper regardless of the arena. It’s just not done.

Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

Now, that is reaching to return a shot! Jelena Jankovic of Serbia makes *every* effort in her match today against Zheng Jie of China. She may have been blinded by the red Adidas tennis shoes sported by Ms. Jie, seen below.

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Jeff Zelevansky/Reuters

US Olympic gold medal swimmer Aaron Peirsol dropped by yesterday, and did not look like a fish out of water, not at all.

On that note, we’re off for the weekend, but may be able to pop in briefly via modern technology. We hope so!

More Ralph Lauren Olympic Uniforms, Hilfiger Tests Kids Store in Las Vegas, Luke Russert is in at NBC, Maria Sharapova is Out in Beijing

Hello everyone and Happy-Happy-Happy Friday! We hope everyone is expecting to enjoy some glorious sunshine and outdoors time this weekend; we’re headed to the Big Lake but will attempt to keep posting whilst away. Can anyone believe the Olympics start in just a week? My goodness!

When we first shared the sneak peek photos of the Ralph Lauren designed US Olympic Team uniforms on Tuesday we said we would be back with a little more follow-up and information. We’re not sure how you feel about them, but the reviews in the major fashion media seem to be positive. Words like ‘Preptastic’ and ‘Prepsterism’ were accompanied by phrases like ‘iconic as the polo symbol’ (?) to describe the navy blazers and cream trousers athletes will wear in the formal opening ceremonies. We’ve not seen as much about the white shorts and polo shirt offset by the red, white & blue belt for the much more relaxed closing ceremonies. In case you missed the original post, here’s a shot of the Opening Ceremony look for the team.

Naturally there is reaction other than that from the fashion and ‘preppy’ communities. Reuters (News Service) has been running a story about the factory in China where the uniforms are being made. They have soundbites with the manager discussing the “challenges” of creating roughly 1800 unique and different uniforms with all their nuances and variation; the gentleman is clearly stressed by the demands of the enormous task. Here is a link to the video that we can only pray will work; as you know, The Princess is more than a bit technically challenged.

The man’s stress is completely understandable in our humble opinion if the story-slash-myth is true that the intermediary for the deal was Tom Brokaw and the arrangements weren’t put to bed until December. That is more than a little late in the game (pun intended) for this sort of thing.

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On to the ‘next new thing,’ Tommy Hilfiger’s Kids store in Las Vegas.

Your young ones can ‘belly up’ to this bar and you don’t have to worry about them being served a drink. It’s a “candy bar” at the recently opened Tommy Hilfiger Kids store in Las Vegas. Right now the only Children’s section in a Hilfiger store is in Soho, so this is a new idea complete with a pinball machine, pint-sized furniture and novelties aimed at the younger set.

The retailer is testing this concept, but seems firm about the standalone denim shop and sportswear stores they’ll be opening in Las Vegas; those are concepts they plan to focus their energies on. As the company continues growing, look for a Tommy Hilfiger ‘flagship store’ opening in New York on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Isn’t that an interesting day to open store… probably very smart.

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This may be old news to many of you, but for those who haven’t heard, Luke Russert is joining NBC News. Most of America, if not the world, became familiar with the son of NBC News journalist Tim Russert following the anchor’s death in June.

Russert, 22, a May graduate of Boston College with a degree in history and communications, will cover the youth vote through the national political conventions and the general election, the network said. Russert said he would be an at-large correspondent reporting for many of NBC’s outlets, including “NBC Nightly News,” TODAY, MSNBC and msnbc.com.

Good for him. As Russert points out, he is not without media experience, having done a radio show for more than 2 years. His role as a big fish in a little pond will be changing as he shrinks to something smaller swimming in a much larger and choppier sea. TP wishes him luck.

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Speaking of that network, the NBC Olympics Grand Pooh-bahs are most likely having kittens about now. American gymnast Paul Hamm’s withdrawal is a definite ratings hit, and now there is word that Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova is also out. Both were forced to withdraw because of injuries; it seems likely Ms. Sharapova will be able to play in the US Open either.

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With the start of the Olympic Games so close, here is a great shot of No. 1 ranked Laser Radial sailor Anna Tunnicliffe (left) of Team USA. Find out why so many of the members of the US Olympic Sailing Team have been doing the major diet. Bigtime.

What is TP taking to the beach for reading material?

Well, one going in the tote bag is the newly released Party Favors, described this way:

Temple Sachet’s got style, smarts, and the party planning gene in her blood. Having grown up in New Orleans, surrounded by the pageantry of Mardi Gras, Temple learned a thing or two about how to turn a fantastic party into a money maker. It’s a skill that pays off big when her gala for the Missouri Opera turns into a Ray of Hope internship at the White House. Within weeks, Temple’s caught Potomac Fever—a hopeless, incurable addiction to D.C. for which there is only one cure: a nasty-tasting spoonful of disillusionment….

Party Favors gives a deliciously witty peek into the secretive world of political fundraising in D.C. Written by a former Director of Finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the novel explores the very real truth that favor means you owe, winning won’t save you, and, ultimately, you will be betrayed.

Bloomies Strike OFF, Ralph Lauren Preppy Olympic Uniforms ON

This just in to Preppy Princess Intergalactic Headquarters: word that Bloomingdale’s management and the Union representing many of its workers have a tentative agreement this morning. Apparently the agreement does *not* resolve the health care issue, and negotiations will continue on that front. Of course, workers must ratify the agreement; they vote on Thursday. (Okay, a dirty little secret: The Princess still adores saying ‘This Just In’, despite her immense pleasure at no longer doing the TV thing!)

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Many in the fashion world and sporting goods apparel industries have been eagerly awaiting an unveiling or showing of the Beijing Olympic uniforms our athletes will be wearing, as Ralph Lauren is now the Official Outfitter of said team. As of today, the wait is over with the release of photos showing US Olympic Boxer Deontay Wilder and Giuseppe Lanzone, an Olympic Rower in the new Ralph Lauren closing ceremonies look.

Some may recall that the good folks at the USOC wanted a more formal look, even citing the uniforms worn in ‘Chariots of Fire,’ the 1981 film about British athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics.

So what thinketh thee? Are they acceptable? Good? Great? I want one level?