There have been plenty of memorable moments when it comes to uniforms and fashion in general when it comes to the Winter Olympics. We've come up with a selection of some of the most distinctive, unique and all-around memorable looks over the years of competition at the Winter Games.
The legendary "Miracle on Ice" may have happened nearly four decades ago, but the moment itself will live on forever in the annals of time. That includes the uniforms that Team USA wore as the Americans upset the juggernaut Soviet Union hockey team and went on to win gold. Those uniforms were timeless classics back then, and they continue to be the gold standard of hockey uniforms when it comes to USA's hockey program.
While the team's 1980 uniforms are always going to be hard to top, what the USA wore for the 2014 Games was pretty close. It was a perfect mesh of a throwback design on a modern template, and as a result, Team USA looked very classy on the ice in Russia.
While USA hockey and other countries have gone through plenty of changes, there is one thing you can count on when it comes to international hockey: Sweden will be in the mix, and the Swedes will be wearing gold uniforms with three separate crowns across the chest. It's an iconic look and one that they know better than to mess with.
Sweden's excellence in uniform taste meshed with the excellence on the ice as the Swedes made it to the Gold Medal Game in 2014. The uniform matchup was also worthy of a gold medal, since Canada came up with a solid batch of uniforms as well. The result was an aesthetically pleasing matchup between two elite teams in terms of hockey and uniform looks.
The tiny nation of Moldova only had four representatives at the 2014 Games, and Bogdan Macovei was one of them. He did so wearing what was easily the most distinctive suit during the luge/skeleton portion of the games, sliding down the track while proudly wearing bold and bright versions of his country's colors.
While luge sliders go down the track on their backs, skeleton sliders ride their boards on their bellies. As a result, that puts the emphasis on the sliders' helmets as they speed through. A handful of sliders in the 2014 Games took advantage of this focus on the helmets, and Sarah Reid's distinctive take on Canadian patriotism was one of many excellent helmet designs in the event.
While John Fairbairn didn't go patriotic with his helmet design, he still went with a helmet design that wouldn't be forgotten quickly. Maybe he wanted everybody to know that he had the brains to be the best on the track?
Once again, the Canadians found unique ways to incorporate the maple leaf into their helmet designs. Eric Neilson's helmet put the leaf front and center while also doing a good job of reminding you to buy yourself a nice, creepy mask for Halloween.
Meanwhile, Katie Uhlaender just went with a good ol' fashioned bald eagle when it came to showing off patriotism for her home country. That works because seeing an eagle hurtling toward you at a very high rate of speed is still very, very intimidating.
The Dutch had a great time at the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City as they snatched up three gold medals and five silver medals. They did so wearing a distinctive suit that was colored in the country's iconic orange and a beautiful shade of blue.
It's now time to pay tribute to the group who stole the show back in 2010 with a flashy choice of pants. The Norway curling team showed up for the Vancouver Games and won a silver medal, but the Norwegians clearly deserved the gold if we were going by who had the best pants.
The flashy patterns combined with the immaculate color coordination placed Norway's uniform choices on the curling rink in a class of their own. Even when they left blue out of the color scheme, they looked great.
The Norwegians showed up for the Sochi Games looking to top their efforts in Vancouver. While they didn't reach the medal stand on the rink, they managed to top things when it came to their fashion. Just look at this patriotic number!
The team may not have won most of its matches at the 2014 Games, but if we were to determine the winner by who was wearing the loudest pair of pants, Norway would have easily taken a gold medal.
The Norwegians proved that they could go from clearly defined patterns to something completely abstract and out of the norm, like these "paint-stained" pants that they wore during one their matches in 2014.
Norway even broke out a houndstooth design that was in the country's shades of red, white and blue. The team combined this with a high socks look that was, quite frankly, amazing to witness as the stones were sent down the ice.
By the time the Norwegians hit the ice while wearing a floral pattern on their pants, they surely must have known that they were making uniform history with their trouser choices and were just showing off at this point.
Even after clearly showing superiority over their curling rivals in the pants department, the Norway curlers showed no mercy and continued to win the battle of the pants at the 2014 Olympics.
The good news is that the Norwegian team has qualified for the 2018 competition in PyeongChang, and the team's outfitters, Loudmouth, has a bevy of outfits planned for the squad. Norway will be curling in style once again.
Normally the focus is on board designs, but 2010 was interesting due to of some of the fashion choices when it came to the gear riders wore. Plaid was clearly in style, evidenced by what Rana Okada wore while representing Japan.
While Okada from Japan may have simply chosen plaid, USA's snowboarding representatives at the 2010 Olympics decided to fully embrace plaid by wearing a red, white and blue version of the lumberjack look.
While other countries went with looks that were somewhat neutral, it was pretty easy to notice a Canadian snowboarder at the 2014 Games. Dominique Maltais showed off the look that managed to find another way to incorporate Canada's famous maple leaf onto her gear, and it definitely worked.
Normally for the opening geremonies, we get to see the countries show off local flavors or wear patriotic colors as they walk out for the whole world to see. However, Germany decided to throw everyone for a loop with what its athletes wore for the 2010 Opening Ceremony.
The Germans must have figured that 2010 went over really well, because they showed up for the 2014 Opening Ceremony wearing even louder outfits than what they wore four years earlier. Astonishing!
While our fellow Americans may not have worn colors as loud as what the Germans wore to the 2014 Opening Ceremony, someone must have gotten the event confused for an ugly Christmas sweater party. If this was indeed that type of party, then the USA would have won the pool for the wackiest sweater.
Once again, Team USA's opening ceremony attire was provided by Ralph Lauren at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, and once again, it was a preppy look and feel for the American athletes, donning sweaters, large gloves, jeans, brown boots and USA knit hats.
Back in 1994, the drama between Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding gripped our country as we watched the saga come to its conclusion in Lillehammer. Neither of them won gold, but they looked good while skating.
While Kerrigan went with a simple look, Harding's ensemble was loud and bold. Considering her reputation going into what ended up being her final major event, it was the perfect look for her.
Twenty years later, there was far less controversy surrounding the figure skating event. That didn't stop Ashley Wagner from hitting the ice with a very lovely look for her sessions. She may not have finished on the podium, but it was still a nice look for her.
If there's any figure skater who could have been instantly recognized by what he was wearing in addition to his skills on the blades, it was Johnny Weir during his time as a competitive figure skater. Weir's interest in fashion translated onto the ice, where he was always likely to show up wearing a stunner.
Weir has also taken that fashion sense into the commentary booth. In addition to being entertaining on the microphone with Tara Lipinski, you can also depend on Weir showing up to the booth wearing something that will be seared into your memory for years to come.
Jamaica shocked the world just by qualifying for the 1988 bobsled events. While not as shocking as Jamaica simply being at the Winter Olympics, what George Fitch wore for press events at the games was still a bit shocking. Anytime someone shows up in public wearing a yellow blazer, it has to be mentioned.
Hubertus von Hohenlohe is truly a Mexican trailblazer on the slopes. He's represented Mexico at the Winter Olympics on six occasions since 1984 and only missed out on 2006 because Mexico's committee didn't want to send only one athlete to the games. His latest appearance in 2014 was notable because he decided to wear a Mariachi suit, which was easily the most distinctive look at the event.
If it wasn't for Hubertus von Hohenlohe showing up to Sochi wearing a mariachi suit, then maybe this look from Argentina's skiing team would've gotten a lot more attention. After all, it's not every day that you see someone flying down the slopes during the Olympic Games while wearing polka dots, right?
Demetrius Bell can be contacted on Twitter @fergoe, which is where you can catch him tweeting mostly about any and everything under the sun. If you enjoyed what you've been reading, then go ahead and give him a follow!
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