The Games of the XXX Olympiad have begun and the opening ceremonies are done. Team uniforms stirred up controversy prior to the big event. Ralph Lauren-sponsored Team USA uniforms were made in China and, consequently, a vow was made to produce the uniforms stateside for the 2016 Olympics. Meanwhile, Egypt was *this close* to wearing counterfeit Nike outfits complete with Nike athletic bags bearing Adidas zippers.
A great deal of eyes were on Stella McCartney and her designs for Great Britain's uniforms. McCartney designed the performance kit, podium suit and villagewear, not the ceremony suits. The designer's excitement about the opening ceremony was revealed through a series of Instagrams. A Superstylin* favorite being a closeup of cuff details on a jacket designed for her father Paul's performance.
A close up of Paul's bespoke Stella McCartney jacket>instagr.am/p/NmLgFVrmO1/ #openingceremony
— Stella McCartney (@StellaMcCartney) July 27, 2012
The hours-long production was filled to the brim with music. Unfortunately, many of the recorded clips lasted only a matter of seconds (Prodigy "Firestarter" anyone?). A welcomed performance was one by Dizzee Rascal, who I first became familiar with several years ago through a mini disc from some midweek party or comped mag.
On a side (programming) note: During the early afternoon hours on the west coast, images started appearing with glimpses of the ceremony already taking place. A self-imposed social media shutdown occurred to avoid any spoilers. The little girl in me felt cheated by all the Mary Poppins hype. Not only was I hoping to see dancing chimney sweeps along with the umbrella-flying nannies, this girl just wanted some Supercailfragilisticexpialidocious.
