The Olympics are great for a bunch of reasons. You can spend entire afternoons watching a sport you didn’t realize existed until 10 or so minutes ago, you get a hall-pass to be stupidly patriotic, and you get to say fun stuff like “I can’t believe she got a penalty for knocking the oxer, what has dressage come to nowadays” and really, truly, wholeheartedly mean it.
But our favorite part of the Olympics is the unexpected little style moments. There's been plenty so far, including a shock uniform masterclass, and several sport kits that we never knew went so hard. It’s all part of the fun.
If you’ve spent all your time watching actual sports and not looking into minute fashion details, that sucks, but we understand. Which is why we've pulled together GQ’s rundown of gold-medal moments.
Skateboarding is fun to watch. Not least of all because of how chill everyone is. While some Olympic sports are (understandably) pretty high-strung, the kids competing in skateboarding are, literally, just kids skating. Japan's Yuto Horigome got around wearing a pair of cotton slacks, a jersey and his own Nike collab, the Yuto Horigome x Nike SB Dunk Low. American Poe Pinson wore a similar fit, except with some Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Safari Olympics’, hot off the press, and a pair of headphones, while Brazil’s Rayssa Leal went for a sports bra, cargos and, yeah, her own Nike collab trainers.
There were a couple of… divisive style moves during the Opening Ceremony, and a couple of really, really pleasant surprises, including South Sudan. The South Sudanese team stepped out in black suits designed by Rwandan label Moshions, featuring double-breasted blazers, shining gold hardware and ribbons and regalia in the colors of the nation’s flag.
If this were a real event, Princess Anne would be back-to-back-to-back champ, because she’s been doing this for decades. The Princess Royal attended the Rugby Sevens wearing a pair of the Adidas Adizero Tempo shades, and, once again, accidentally looked like the sort of technohead who goes buck wild when the set hits 150 BPM.
“Sorry, since when did the Olympic shooting kits go this hard?” asked Murray Clark, British GQ’s senior style editor of the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team. Unlike the flimsy and skin-baring uniforms of sports past, the Air Rifle team kitted up in patchwork leather suits and visors, which were somehow futuristic and tapped-in and outrageous all at once. Hey, do you think Rifle Clubs are accepting losers in their 30s? Asking for me?
Team GB medalist Adam Peaty made a splash (!) on the weekend in his Speedo FastSkin mirrored goggles, cutting through the water as futuristic as you like. Peaty is a devotee of the FastSkins, having worn them since 2022 at least. When you look this cold, we can understand why.
Like South Sudan, Mongolia took the Opening Ceremony event as a ripe opportunity to show these other nations how it’s done. Fashion Twitter went nuts over their uniform, designed by Michel & Amazonka, which featured white and blue Mongolian deels and vests, all threaded with golden embroidery, and featuring sash belts, traditional hats and boots, and earrings. A full on masterclass.
LeBron James has a mind-blowing watch collection, this is well known. But pairing his preppy Ralph Lauren blazer-and-jeans combo at the opening ceremony with a sapphire-bezel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is a move you have to respect. That’s why they call him King James.
If I was holding up a huge pistol at the Olympics, I’m pretty sure I would be crying tears of blood. But take a gander at South Korea’s Kim Yeji who broke a world record while looking like the chillest person on the planet, hand in her pocket, her daughter’s elephant toy hanging out of her pocket, in another event, her cap backwards. When people say ‘aura,’ this is what they mean.
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Running at the pace Richardson does is inhuman enough, so we can’t even think about doing that with nail extensions—but that’s why she’s the Olympian and we’re at home covered in crisp crumbs. On the Opening Ceremony boat, Richardson showed off her Games manicure, featuring flags, charms and some appliques.
This story originally appeared on British GQ with the title ‘A running tally of all the big Olympic style moments (so far)’