US Olympic team will be outfitted in denim for opening, closing ceremonies

When Team USA walks with the world’s athletes at the Paris Olympics’opening ceremony, they’ll be doing so in snappy tailored navy blazers from Ralph Lauren — and blue jeans.

Just regular, everyday denim blue jeans.

Ralph Lauren, which unveiled Tuesday its ninth turn creating Olympic parade looks for the Americans, is billing the pairing as “unexpected” yet classic.

“Nothing says America like blue jeans, especially when we’re in Paris,” Lauren SAID. “And it gives the athletes a chance to feel a sense of a culture but also feel like themselves and what is natural.”

For the closing ceremony, the team will wear sharp white, moto-style denim jeans with matching jackets designed in, yes, patriotic red, white and blue.

The company gathered a few Paris-bound athletes to show off the parade uniforms for the Summer Games that begin next month in one of the world’s fashion capitals.

Daniela Moroz, 23, is competing in sailing at her first Olympics. She loved the racing details of the closing look she modeled, down to the shoes. The zip jackets have “USA” splashed across the front in huge letters, with “Team USA” in blue high on the outside seam of one pant leg. Team caps are duck bill: The visor is in white, with red and blue details.

The company also designed Team USA gear available for sale starting Tuesday at RalphLauren.com, TeamUSAShop.com and company stores in the U.S. and France. Some proceeds of retail sales go to help support U.S. athletes training for their Olympic moments. 

The opening and closing ceremony uniforms, the same for the Olympics and subsequent Paralympics, were made in the U.S. The gear on sale to the public was made in both the U.S. and other countries.





(Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)