Notes from the fashionable Olympics

Patriotic nails

MANILA, Philippines - Leave it to the Brits to put on a show –– a psychedelic montage of lights, music and pop culture icons from the “Isles of Wonder.” And then there’s the fashion. No longer a footnote to the main event, Olympic style –– led by the ubiquitous Union Jack –– has taken over the world stage.

The Union Jack is back –– mostly on the nails of Brit athletes and fans. Twenty-three year-old swimmer Rebecca Adlington sported the flag on her talons when she won Britain’s first swimming medal of London 2012 for the 400-meter freestyle event. Her nails were done by Sophy Robson, who paints the nails of celebrities like Kate Moss and Alexa Chung. Robson, together with 18-man team called “NailPorn,” created 214 different designs for the countries competing at the London 2012 Olympics. Meanwhile, singer/songwriter Lily Allen tweeted her Olympics-inspired nail art, which looked a bit more DIY.

Mystique plastique

Team USA Gymnastics wore a nylon spandex leotard called “Mystique,” the product of the Adidas x GK Elite collaboration for the 2012 squad’s uniform. The fabric moves with the gymnast’s body like liquid plastic, a look achieved with a foil laminate that shows the color of the actual fabric when stretched. Olympian Aly Raisman (whose parents recently became YouTube-famous thanks to their funny/intense reaction to her routine), wore a leotard that contained Sangria Mystique, Berry Mesh and Merry Mystique embellished with Swarovski elements.

Meet Michael van der Ham, Christopher Shannon and Nasir Mazhar

Christened as the new guard of British fashion, these three London-based designers created over 350 costumes for the Opening Ceremony. Van der Ham, born in the Netherlands, has worked at Sophia Kokosalaki and Alexander McQueen with a knack for knit and resort wear. Shannon hails from Liverpool and designs men’s street wear. Nasir Mazhar, born in the east of London, claims to draw inspiration from “cyber Goths, punks, grime, sportswear, kitted-up cars” and of course, London.

Global runway

Cedella Marley, daughter of music icon Bob Marley and designer behind label Catch a Fire, was tapped by Puma to design uniforms for Team Jamaica. Team USA looked sharp and decidedly all-American in Ralph Lauren. Team GB scored gold in Stella McCartney for Adidas, while Italy, of course, stunned in Armani and Prada. Team Pilipinas emerged, led by Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, in Rajo Laurel at the athelete’s parade.

Isles of Wonder

Isles of Wonder: Music for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games is the sonic equivalent to the sartorial wonders we’ve seen so far. The 36-track compilation features music from the artists that performed during the ceremony (Emeli Sandé, Arctic Monkeys, Two Door Cinema Club, Sir Paul McCartney), as well as unofficial music like David Bowie’s Heroes, which played during the entrance of Team GB.

Memorabilia

This year’s Olympics is turning out to be so epic, souvenirs are in order –– £600 collectibles, anyone? Gucci came out with “City Collection,” which features the silhouette of the host city. Church also issued “Stratford” lace-ups, with the Union flag on the instep.