The sixth Olympic ring could be a diamond solitaire from Tiffany & Co. by the time Los Angeles 2028 rolls around, as glamour slowly replaces grit in Paris.
Drag queens, singing smurfs and wardrobe malfunctions were a distraction from the sequinned assault on sport’s premier event at the opening ceremony in Paris.
Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower for the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony wearing Dior.Credit: Getty
While athletes were ferried like freight down the Seine, the spotlight was fixed on Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Aya Nakamura and choristers exquisitely outfitted in Dior designs, watched by supermodels Cindy Crawford and her daughter Kaia Gerber, flashing Omega watches in the stands.
There was barely an opportunity to take in the Australian athletes’ egalitarian Sportscraft attire, described on social media as channelling Kath & Kim’s Sharon Strzelecki, or the majesty of Team Mongolia’s opening ceremony uniforms.
The fashion takeover started in July last year with the €150 million ($241 million) deal from Dior’s owner, the luxury fashion conglomerate LVMH, to be the first “creative partner” and one of the premium sponsors of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Last week it looked like that partnership might be confined to a gala Louis Vuitton event on the eve of the Olympics, attended by Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Zendaya, The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White and Charlize Theron, but it has spread to monogrammed leather trunks holding Olympic medals and extensive coverage of celebrities dressed in designer clothing in the stands.
The Oscars, art and the Olympics
Resistance is futile for the Olympics.
Fashion has already conquered cinema. The Oscars, once a celebration of acting talent, have become a never-ending red carpet where people thank luxury designers and stylists instead of God and the Academy.
More people could tell you what the celebrities were wearing than who won the Best Supporting Actress award this year (It was Da’Vine Joy Randolph, in Louis Vuitton). What chance do gold medallists in judo have against models in Celine?
Mother-daughter supermodels and brand ambassadors Kaia Gerber and Cindy Crawford attend the opening night of Omega House Paris 2024. Credit: Getty Images
Art was the next institution to receive a fashion glow-up. Anna Wintour’s Met Gala fundraiser, regularly referred to as the fashion Oscars, now overshadows the annual exhibition it supports in New York.
Louis Vuitton, Prada and Loewe have all made their presence known at leading art fairs, with fashion titles and The New York Times now covering the street style at Art Basel in Miami.
Countries have also submitted to the luxury fashion invasion. In 2007, I watched from the Great Wall of China, built to keep enemies at bay, as models paraded in Fendi before the luxury logo was projected on the surrounding hills, signalling the arrival of countless boutiques.
The Olympics are next.
Sport’s time to shine
Fashion is already a part of the Olympics, with athletic labels Nike, Adidas and Volley making their presence felt on the podium for decades, but luxury’s elite messaging is different. It’s easier to imitate athletes in affordable sneakers than expensive designer attire from Berluti, who outfitted the French team.
A Berluti suit worn by French athletes during the opening ceremony.Credit: nna\BGossling
The Olympic creed says, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part”, but few viewers have the pay packets to take part in a luxury spending spree. Even the US women’s water polo team had members working three jobs to support their activities before the arrival of rapper Flavor Flav as a sponsor.
Luxury fashion has a place in this world, pushing the boundaries of design, technology and taste. As a style editor, I revel in the exquisite craftsmanship that went into the creation of Celine Dion’s gown decorated with 500 metres of fringing and thousands of beads. But fashion already has countless opportunities to shine without gatecrashing this party.
Twice a year at the haute couture shows in Paris, we witness the sublime talent of the Dior atelier before seeing swoon-worthy gowns rolled out on red carpets around the world. Surely, once every four years we can let the prowess of athletes take centre stage?
Some dismiss the prevalence of luxury labels at the Paris Games as a suitably French thing. France is the home of fashion but thanks to that €150 million deal we are only celebrating a slice of Parisienne style.
French labels such as Chanel, Schiaparelli and Saint Laurent, which sit outside the LVMH stable, have been kept out of the competition. This is about publicity as much as patriotism.
Sport has put up a good fight against a fashion takeover. Horse racing was conquered by hats and tight dresses, Ralph Lauren’s style dominates Wimbledon and the Australian Open and Formula One drivers are becoming fashion pin-ups.
It’s inevitable that luxury fashion will take gold at these Olympics, although those medals could be changed to platinum – it’s more expensive and goes with everything.
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