Nike 5 Ring USA T-Shirt

Just in case I didn't already have enough Olympic spirit...
Yeah, I just bought this. I need to freeze my debit card in ice, like in Confessions of a Shopaholic (shut up, I have a major crush on Isla Fisher and am compelled to rent every romantic comedy she appears in! ). I have been doing way too much online shopping lately, but at least I can justify this one by saying that I did got the Nike 5 Ring tee for America. Plus, NBC is having a 37% off sale on a lot of their Olympic gear; the 37% comes, naturally, from the 37 medals Team USA brought home from Canada. With the discount this t-shirt is $12.60, and Nike usually does a nice job with their clothes so I think it'll be worth it. At the very least, I'll be able to wear it running, listening to my Olympic playlist (the highlights of which are "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers and "Change" by Taylor Swift), and pretending that I'm running for gold. Or at least taking a leisurely jog through the Olympic village, checking out all the hotties of the world.

Higher, Faster, Stronger, Cuter

Remember when I was writing, a few weeks ago, about the awesome Olympic hats (USA) and mittens (Canada) and how I want all of them so I can keep that Olympic magic going all winter. Well, never underestimate the power of the internet.

First, the awesome USA rings hat worn by Lindsay Vonn when she won gold; knitting pattern by Belgian Waffle Knit.

Next, the Opening Ceremonies Ralph Lauren moose/reindeer hat, courtesy of Helena Bristow.


And finally, the maple leaf mittens, by Pauline Wickens. My love for Canada was pretty diminished by the lack of Celine Dion at the Closing Ceremonies. I would even have settled for Shania Twain, but no, they give us Avril. So to symbolize my lowered opinion of our Northern neighbors, I'm only willing to knit mini Olympic mittens. Too small to wear, but perfect to put on a bulletin board or Christmas tree next year. (Sidenote: the last two knitting patterns are from Ravelry, which you need to be a member of to see more than one pattern. It's free to sign up, and really easy, and if you're into knitting patterns it's worth the 30 second hassle).

While I'm on the subject of the Olympics (and while I'm having issues with the fact that it's over), let's talk figure skating costumes! There were plenty of monstrosities, but there were a few that I wanted to have for real-life wear.

First, my #1 Olympic girl crush, the exquisitely named Tessa Virtue:
Her white, sparkly dress worn during the long program made her look like a Disney princess, and I also give her huge bonus points for not doing the flesh-tone mesh that is so rampant in figure skating costumes. It's so rare to see actual skin!

It's not every girl who can do perfect twizzles while wearing a backless dress.

There's nothing Kim Yu-Na can't do, however. She can make finger guns look sassy and sexy, not cheesy! Miracle on ice!
Her short program dress really made her stand out from all the other cheap prom dresses and cheap french prostitute costumes. Black but not boring, shiny but not tacky. Someone (probably the Fug Girls, who are the Joan Didion of fashion blogging--anything that can be said, has been said, and been said better, by the Fug Girls) compared it to a Klimt painting, and I couldn't agree more.

And, for Halloween, I want to be Miki Ando as Princess Jasmine/Cleopatra.


I couldn't find a full body picture, but you can get the general idea. But: lots of flesh tone mesh. Grody on the ice skating rink, but practical for New York in late October!

Olympic Fever on Ice!

I'm a bad fashion blogger, because not only do I not update for months and months, but I'm ignoring New York Fashion Week in favor of the Olympics. Sure, I've been reading the Fug Girls coverage on nymag.com, and I know that Tavi has died her hair a very strange grey color, but behind that--meh. This is the fashion I'm more interested in:

Yes, that is the Italian figure skater Samuel Contesti wearing a plaid shirt under dirty overalls. And yes, he's doing finger guns. I could write pages about the costumes in men's figure skating, but instead, I'll talk about things that are hilarious in a cute way, not a ridiculous way.

First, let's all appreciate how beautiful Vancouver is, and how the Canadians put a slam poet in their Opening Ceremonies. Canada is truly the Hufflepuff of the world (USA is Gryffindor, naturally, and I'd say Russia is Ravenclaw and China is Slytherin--I'm still bitter about those underage gymnasts), so they deserve this moment in the sun. And they're taking advantage of the TV coverage to plaster their flag everywhere, including...
...the cutest goddamn minutes I have ever seen in my life! Look at that little maple flag! So sweet and whimsical! I'm desperate for my own pair--anyone know where I could buy a pair in New York? Maybe the NBC Universal store in Rockefeller Center? There are plenty of pairs on ebay, going for around $20 bucks. A friend of a friend is a Canadian citizen, and his mom sent him a pair; he then convinced another friend that the Canadian government sent the mittens to all ex-pats, as a show of national pride. And they all teased the second friend for buying it--but doesn't that seem like something the Canadian government might possibly do? Free healthcare and mittens for all!

But let's get down to business, which is, and will always be: America, fuck yeah! The Opening Ceremony outfits are always a bit hit-or-miss.
I didn't love the bulky turtlenecks, but I adored the knit hats and am spending all my time daydreaming about getting one of my own. (I am also not ashamed to admit that these daydreams involve having luscious, curly red hair like Shaun White. Seriously, why isn't he doing Loreal commercials?) They're sold out on the RL website, and on ebay they're going for over $300 --and the weird, crazy, Olympics-obsessed part of me is thinking they might be worth it.
They have moose! And an American flag! Ok, I know that there's no way a stupid hat is worth $300. What I'm really hoping is that someone will create a knitting pattern for the hat, so I can make my own. I just recently learned how to knit with two colors (I made a big white circle in the middle of a blue square, for a pillowcase), and it can't be that much harder to knit a moose, right? No, I know that this is way above my skill level, but maybe I could manage this simpler (and more obviously patriotic) knit cap:
Lindsay Vonn is rocking it after her gold medal downhill skiing run; it makes me wonder if all US Olympians get a full set of Ralph Lauren gear (not just opening and closing ceremony outfits) before the games. This hat and mitten set is still in stock at RL, for $95, but they're made for children.