*SPOILER ALERT* Closing Ceremonies Photos, Team USA’s Polo Ralph Lauren Uniforms

Photo: Bill Frakes/Sports Illustrated

SPOILER ALERT

***Today’s post features photos and editorial copy of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies***

SPOILER ALERT

Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters

Photo: EPA/Nick Bothma

AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan

Hello-Hello! We hope everyone is enjoying themselves this day, where here in the Great Midwest the beastly humidity has left us after providing a welcome downpour for the gardens and grounds. With the Olympic Closing Ceremonies over and done (not counting tonight’s taped broadcast on NBC) we thought it might be a good time to do a few updates.

But first, a few more of the spectacular images from the Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Games.

Aren’t they just fabulous? The photos actually make us want to watch even more than originally planned this evening. There may be no spontaneity in these ceremonies as produced by the Chinese, but we have also previously noted they do pageantry on a grand scale, resulting in remarkable spectaculars that leave one breathless.

It seems Team USA’s Official Polo Ralph Lauren Closing Ceremony Parade uniforms worked out just fine, a great look for the athletes and officials. We share a few photos of them below.

Photo: A Tielemans/Sports Illustrated

Photo: A Tielemans/Sports Illustrated

Of course if you are looking for your own piece of the Olympic Polo pony, here are a few of the items waiting for you at the Polo Ralph Lauren website, starting with the Men’s Closing Ceremony Sneaker, described by the company as “classic canvas sneakers in white with red and blue lateral stripes.”

PRL Men's Closing Ceremony Sneaker

As the company wrote in their news release about the uniforms:

“Reflecting Ralph Lauren’s trademark sporty sophistication and refined sensibility, the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Closing Ceremony outfits feature timeless Polo knits tipped in bright red and royal blue piping and chino Bermudas in crisp white, all adorned with the iconic Polo pony and the 2008 U.S. Look of the Team logo.”

Now if you are looking for one of the shirts, here is a sample, the Ladies’ Olympic Closing Ceremony Polo.

Perhaps you prefer a look at the entire Ladies Olympic Games Collection, with a little time to peruse things at your own pace. Of course, there are identical items for your future Olympians, like a pair of the Olympic Games Shorts for Sizes 2T to Boys 7.

With the seasons changing, snuggly clothing can suddenly become appealing, like the Olympic Games Fleece Hoodie in Girls Sizes S-XL.

Overall a very nice presentation for Team USA by the Polo Ralph Lauren folks, classic and elegant with a timeless ease that is tough to replicate. The Princess thinks it was a smash hit almost across the board, with the exception of the Logo from H***, but we’ll actually behave ourselves this evening and leave it at that. (We know, you are stunned and amazed…it’s fun being a good Princess once in a while!)

A short paragraph in one of the NYTimes online stories wrapping up the Beijing Summer Games grabbed our attention, enough to make us stop, pause, re-read, pause again and reflect for a moment before going back to the rest of David Barboza’s story .

“India, a country of one billion, won its first gold medal. And Togo, a West African nation of 6 million people, won its very first Olympic medal, a bronze in the kayak.”

That made us think for a few minutes; we like this, especially when it nudges us to perhaps contemplate re-adjusting our perspective on the world just a bit.

We’ll close with a few more photos, including Team USA Basketball and their Gold Medal moment.

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

AP/Charlie Riedel

Kobe Bryant gets a kiss from his daughter Gianna Maria-Onore as his wife Vanessa watches.

Photo: AP/Dusan Vranic

Photo: AP/Eric Gay

Rehearsals for the Closing Ceremony…

Photo: REUTERS/Donald Chan

Photo: AP/Oded Balilty

Below we see soccer great David Beckham, singer Leona Lewis and guitarist Jimmy Page (you remember…Led Zeppelin) posing before they take part in the Closing Ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Clive Rose/Getty Images for London 2012

Yao Ming walks toward the stadium to attend the Closing Ceremony.

Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Photo: REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Photo: REUTERS/Ruben Sprich

Photo: Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated

Photo: Bill Frakes/Sports Illustrated

Simultaneous to the ceremonies in Beijing, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps greets a crowd of 40,000 at a party in London; people are watching those same closing ceremonies on a massive screen erected outside Buckingham Palace. The party celebrates London’s role as host city for the 2012 Games.

Photo: AP/Akira Suemori-Pool

Below, President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai among the heads of state attending the ceremonies, followed by Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf (R) and Queen Silvia.

Photo: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Photo: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

There were any number of images from the Ceremonies….

Photo: AP/David Guttenfelder

Guitarist Jimmy Page, front, soccer star David Beckham, back left, and British pop singer Leona Lew.

AP Photo/Matt Dunham

Photo: Getty Images

Phil Walter/Getty Images

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Julian Finney/Getty

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Al Tielemans/SI

Team Canada’s group is in a celebratory mood in their ahhhh…vivid uniforms.

Below, Belgian athletes with some of the performers and volunteers at the Closing Ceremony.

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Team Canada is still in a party mood!

AP/Luca Bruno

The Polish team is clearly having a good time….

REUTERS/Issei Kato

AP Photo/Kevin Frayer

Above we see USA’s Andra Manson (holding the flag) and Canada’s Karina LeBlanc. Below Yao appears wistful…

AP/Luca Bruno

AP/Luca Bruno

AP Photo/Luca Bruno

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan

REUTERS/Dylan Martinezpreppy clothing, preppy clothes

Olympics Special Issue: What are they Wearing? Plus New Ralph Lauren Olympic & “Create Your Own Flag Polo”

Hello-hello and happy Thursday to everyone! The Princess remains flabbergasted by the fact the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympic Summer Games are tomorrow. Barely 18 hours away. And the summer went where…..?

Because TP has bored you to tears previously shared photos and information ad nauseum about the Ralph Lauren uniforms for the Olympics…

… we thought it might be fun to peek at some of the other uniforms being worn. However, before we do anything else, there are some recent additions to the Polo Ralph Lauren Olympic Games Collection online site that may appeal to you, including the new “Create Your Own Flag Polo.”

This process works almost identically to that used for simply ordering a standard “Create Your Own” product in any other group, be it an oxford shirt or a Men’s tie. Below are just a few of the flags offered; there are more than thirty that we counted available in this line.

Once again, these do not appear to be offered in Women’s sizes. Ahem. Apparently one must determine the closest approximation in a Men’s sizes, cross their fingers, and hope for the best. It’s somewhat challenging to “…Wear your pride in a style all your own..” if the shirt isn’t sized for the ‘fairer sex’ to start with. Harrumph. (Ooooh, did we just see Crankenstein Princess poking her nasty head out of her horrid little cave?!)

Another Ralph Lauren Olympics fashion update: it appears you can now purchase the same belt the US Team will wear with their uniforms for the Closing Ceremonies.

This is the red, white & blue striped grosgrain belt at Polo Ralph Lauren, and TP can’t actually tell if it is offered separately in both Men’s and Women’s sizing.

Recently introduced to the Ralph Lauren Men’s Olympic Games Collection is the Men’s Passport Polo, seen below. You can select from Japan, Russia, Great Britain or the United States for your shirt.

Our memory isn’t entirely clear, but we don’t believe we featured (or even mentioned) the Big Pony Flag Polo for Men in both the Slim and Classic fit; this is the one with the national flag on the back with the number ‘3’. One may select from several countries other than the USA, including two colors for England and one for the UK, Italy in both green and blue, Japan in Black, Korea in red, and others.

Now on to some uniforms. Let’s start with China’s outfits for the Opening Ceremonies. Oh my. Where does one start?

The uniforms were revealed last week, and met with an almost universally negative response; some of the harshest criticism coming from within China’s own borders. The colors mirror the country’s national colors; many are calling these the “tomato scrambled egg” uniform, referencing their likeness to the popular Chinese food dish. (See AP photo montage above.)

Yao Ming has been chosen as Flag Bearer for the host country, but still no word on who will light the torch. If Yao looks familiar, it’s because he plays in the NBA with the Houston Rockets. For those not familiar with Yao, this is a human being with an extraordinarily generous heart who has made substantial donations to multiple philanthropic endeavors. Most recently Yao gave a not-insignificant donation to assist with Chinese Earthquake relief. We are a bit confused because in the photo below Yao’s uniform is red with a white shirt, while in the other shots of the oh-so-bright uniforms the colors are obviously red with yellow. (Have you heard who has been selected as our flag bearer?)

Yao Ming, Chinese Flag Bearer

Here are the USA Track & Field uniforms… how cool are these? Wow! As you can see from the swoosh, Nike is responsible for their creation, and they have that distinctive graphic look in a rich blue. Beneath, the Chinese Track and Field Team uniforms.

These days with the sneaker craze it’s simply not possible to talk about Olympic uniforms without looking at some of the shoes the athletes will be wearing. Behold the Nike Dunk Gyrizo Men’s BMX Shoe. Don’t tell anyone, especially not The Princess Consort, but we do lust after it. Ssshhh! Yes, I know it’s a little over the top, but the red, white and blue are appealing to my patriotic side. A shame it only comes in men’s sizes as best we can tell. Sigh.

Next we move on to the Team USA Basketball look.

US Men's Olympic Basketball Team

This next shot doesn’t show us uniforms, but it does show the the US Women’s Olympic Basketball Team finish their huddle before practice Thursday in Beijing.

USA Women's Basketball Team

Here is a quick shot of the Australian Team’s Opening Ceremonies style with what appear to be classic lines, and heels for the women. Of course, heel height (or lack thereof) is always a topic for chatter during the evening whilst watching the Parade of Athletes.

Below we have a shot of Team USA as they enter the Flag Raising Ceremony yesterday. Now despite all of the minders and ministrations and memos and scurrying about it seems someone participated in an event carrying an item clearly not from one of the major sponsors. Oh no! Did we all spot the errant Burberry bag? It appears to be what we call a messenger bag, possibly the Men’s Haymarket Messenger, if we’re not mistaken.

DANGER AHEAD – FAIR WARNING – PRINCESS SOAP BOX ALERT – FAIR WARNING – DANGER AHEAD

Stand back.

This is the part in those TV medical dramas where the paddles are applied to the victim’s chest and a matinee idol scans the room, then bellows authoritatively “Clear!”

The Princess is discreetly sharing that sentiment shrieking that very word now: C – L – E – A – R!

At the very least have Nanny remove the children from the room, then consider having that conversation with the teenagers about the hazards of speaking loudly in public. About political issues. And be advised The Princess is about to engage in the unthinkable here, at least it would be unthinkable at any social gathering we hosted, and that is how we view our little online get-togethers.

But honestly, things seem a wee bit out of control. We can natter on about uniforms and fashions and heels and colors and all of that; you know and I know it is intended to be nothing more than nonsensical fun.

However…if anyone still wants to criticize some members of the American cycling team for wearing their masks getting off the airplane, they might want to take a look at this shot from an ESPN reporter, taken Thursday, Beijing time:

ESPN Smog Photo Thursday

Yet what did US officials do? It seems they helped the cyclists decide the air was not as bad as they thought it was and they Did. Not. Need. Those. Masks. Presumably that would make the apologizing for wearing them all the easier. Here’s a portion of the story’s coverage in the Times:

They were the first athletes at these Summer Games seen wearing masks publicly to combat the effects of pollution, and the sight of them drew considerable attention and criticism from United States Olympic officials.

This must be the USOC’s version of a wardrobe malfunction, or worse.

Granted, Tuesday’s air pollution was not as bad as it was in the photos of Thursday’s air seen here. TP asks the question: how bad is it supposed to be? We looked for a non-biased view in the matter and  selected a UK viewpoint from the Times (of London) in an online story yesterday about Tuesday’s incident. This is as best TP can calculate the International Dateline! (Oh where is The Consort when he is *really* needed? On the back nine, that is where.)

Four US Olympic cyclists who caused an outcry when they arrived at Beijing airport wearing smog masks have today apologised to Games organisers.

As the Chinese capital remains shrouded in smog today, Jim Scherr, the chief executive of the US Olympic Committee, revealed that the four had said sorry.

“It probably wasn’t the most opportune time for these athletes to wear these masks,” he said, adding they had written an apology to Beijing Olympic Organising Committee (BOCOG).

Here is another photo of the air quality from ESPN’s Arty Berko:

Here is a statement from an official with the Beijing Organizing Committee:

“We have all along said that it is not necessary for the athletes to wear masks because the air quality in Beijing has improved,” Sun said. “We have to explain that looks can be deceiving, and that it looks like fog, but actually the air quality is good.”

You know, I always feel so much better when someone else helps me grasp this sort of thing. TP is truly beginning to feel like she’d best have Cook mix up a Prozac Latte. (On the rocks. With one of those little umbrellas.) More from the NY Times.

“They told us that the Chinese were mad and that this is a politically charged issue, but we didn’t mean to offend anybody,” Friedman said. “When they handed us these masks, they never said, ‘Here they are, but don’t wear them.’ ”

If you really want to get your blood boiling, go to the USA Cycling home page to read the Statement from U.S. Cyclists Michael Friedman, Sarah Hammer, Bobby Lea and Jennie Reed. Seriously.

For a great perspective on an “average Joe” exercising in the air seen above, check Will Pavia’s story in the Times of London.

This is the Princess Consort stepping in to restore some semblance of order to this situation. It is rare to see The Princess so exercised. I happen to have a close chum marching in the Opening Ceremony Parade and I’ll get some back-channel information from him. Until then, I must apply a cold compress to my lovely bride’s forehead. Enough for now.

Polo Ralph Lauren Olympic Games Children’s Collection, Martha Stewart at Wal-Mart

The Princess promised in a previous post about the Polo Ralph Lauren Olympic Games Collection that she would alert you when the Children’s merchandise arrived. It is now available on the Ralph Lauren site.

Well, let us be a bit more precise in our description: there are 11 pieces shown in the Boys Section of the Olympic Games Collection, but this breaks down to only 6 different items, if The Princess did the math correctly. (An unlikely occurrence, we recommend counting yourself if this trivial piece of information is at all important.) This is a result of the same items being listed repeatedly for as many different size classifications as that particular piece comes in; for example, the Olympic Games Logo Polo is offered in Infants, Boys 2-7 and Boys 8-20.

There is one piece available as of this writing in the Girls area; that is the Olympic Games Stripe Polo available for Girls 7-16 (in Small, Medium, Large & XL) and Girls 2-6x. It is shown below and described as a “Preppy short-sleeved polo shirt in breathable stretch cotton mesh, mercerized for added luster.” The Princess is confident in her belief that the good folks at Polo Ralph Lauren have much more Girls merchandise coming for this collection. (There is an identical Olympic Games Stripe Polo for boys available as well.)

On the Boys side, we show a great pair of cotton twill shorts for Boys 2-7, officially called the Olympic Games Short and lower right, the Olympic Games Big Pony Polo. Should you fancy other colors, you’re in luck as the shirt also comes in red and white.

Probably the most detailed piece in the Boys Collection at this point is the Olympic Games Sweatshirt, available in white or red. This is currently available in Boys 2T-7; below we show the red version.

Here is the Boys’ Olympic Games Logo Polo, available in white, green and red.

The Princess fully expects a significant amount of goods to be added to the Children’s Collection in the next several weeks. This group is far too important to the company to allow the Boys and Girls clothing group to be anything less than robust. Whilst the Adult segments provide more to the bottom line, there is also an image component to this equation.

One other note on the Polo Olympic Games group: some pieces are also available on the USOC’s USA Olympic Shop online. When we see additions to the Boys and Girls groups we’ll let you know.

It’s All About The Nails

Chanel once again proves to The Princess how techno-hip it really is with a free collection of online wallpaper for your computer that is extremely stylish.

These are the $25 Limited Edition colors created to promote the company’s recently opened boutique on oh-so-trendy North Robertson Blvd. in Los Angeles. The colors have been given names synonymous with a few of LA’s nicer traits: LA Sunset, Melrose and Rodeo Drive.

A few more sale updates, beginning with Sak’s, where the price points on some items reflect some very deep discounts.

The summer sale at Ann Taylor is also getting well under way with additional markdowns.

And finally this evening, word that Martha Stewart Crafts are going to be sold at Wal-Mart stores; some merchandise will be available within the month. This is apparently an effort to replace K-Mart, where the line is now sold, with another low-price retailer. The collection will be made by EK Success, a name familiar to most scrapbookers. The Princess is unclear how the executives at Michaels craft stores are feeling about all this, as they also carry Martha Stewart crafts.

Polo Ralph Lauren Olympic Games Collection, J Crew and the Madewell Brand

We celebrate with our friends across the border! Happy Canada Day!

With 8.8.08 only 5 weeks away, it is good to see that the smart minds at Polo Ralph Lauren have made some of the Olympic Collection available. We thought it wise to follow their lead, as they frequently do know what they’re about, and share some pieces from the line with you.

We start with the Men’s Classic-Fit Olympic Games Polo in white, and then we have TP’s favorite: the Olympic Games Newsboys Hat.

Below is the Men’s Slim Custom-Fit USA 08 Polo (both front and back), available in three of TP’s favorite colors, red, white and blue! This one is constructed of cotton mesh, comes complete with the official embroidered logo of Team USA for the 08 Olympics, and runs $125 retail. We’re thinking it will be a big seller for some reason… people will favor the back, as you don’t generally have that sort of lush look with Lauren until you hit the rarefied strata at the Lauren Collection level.

Above we show the Slim Custom-Fit US Shield Oxford described as:

Long-sleeved shirt cut for a trim, modern fit in preppy oxford-woven cotton and featuring the embroidered US Olympic shield logo at the chest pocket.

Also above, the Olympic Games Track Jacket in cotton mesh. Below we show the Olympic Games Cargo Pant, available in white only, with some interesting visual points of interest.

And now, another of our favorites, the Olympic Games Bucket Hat, which looks pretty cool, even with the guy on the horse.

Now we move on to the Ladies apparel, starting with the Womenswear version of the Olympic Games Pony Polo, available in white, or navy as shown.

Similar offerings for women are seen below with the Olympic Games Character Polo,

Also seen below, the Olympic Games Rings Polo.

And finally, there *is* a tee available in both men and women’s. Here is a look at the ladies version.

If you are looking for Children’s Olympic merchandise, it is on its way. (According to the website.) If this is something that is of interest to you, TP recommends checking the Polo website regularly or being in touch with your favorite salesperson at your local Polo store. But you already knew this.

All told, there isn’t anything groundbreaking here, nothing that makes us want to race to the nearest phone, dialing up TSU (The Spousal Unit), shrieking carrying on about our great shopping discoveries. There are some very solid pieces, and a few of the hats display a touch of whimsy. Of course, all of the pieces carry an unmistakable Polo air of preppy confidence and nonchalance. An added element this go-round is a touch of patriotic team spirit on some level The Princess is unable to discern…hhmm.

We can tell you there is more Men’s merchandise in the Collection than Women’s by good measure, even allowing for the four different varieties of hats or caps shown on the Men’s pages. Several of the “cooler” items are also clearly on the Men’s side of the store, in a virtual sense, such as the Slim Custom-Fit US Shield Oxford, and the Olympic Games Cargo Pant. We’re sure there is a rational retailing reason for this we simply aren’t aware of, and we will make every effort to learn what that is.

In other Preppy News…

Just so everyone doesn’t think the only thing going on at the White Elephant on Nantucket is a massage after golf, an update on J. Crew’s youthful Madewell 1937 brand actually came from there last week. In reality, it came in the form of comments from Chief Financial Officer Jim Scully during the huge financial conference held every year at the hotel. Scully said the company will decide sometime before the end of the year whether or not to expand the brand.

Madewell is the brand created by J Crew to appeal to a younger, more trend-driven demo than those shopping their J Crew stores. Below we show a few looks from the Madewell Fall 2008 collection.

Price points on the merchandise are substantially lower than at J Crew, which could make the hipper, edgier stores a more popular shopping spot during an economic downturn. That could also make marketing and merchandising mavens at shops like Gap and American Eagle Outfitters a little nervous; unfortunately, there are currently only eight Madewell stores open, with plans to open two more this year. Additionally the company plans to make the Madewell website operational for online shopping later this summer; that would be a plus as currently it is a very hip, slick and annoying place to be IMHO.