Team USA’s outfits for the 2020 Olympics opening ceremony in Tokyo were ripped by Twitter denizens Friday, who mocked the Ralph Lauren-made ensembles for being “pretentious,” too “preppy” and severely lacking in “drip.”
“Why do the Team USA outfits look like they’d report you to HR for cursing,” comedian Molly Mulshine wrote Friday morning of what Ralph Lauren called an “all-American look” — jeans, a blazer, white sneakers and a discreet, star-spangled neck scarf.
“They are the lady with the ‘communal’ bowl of candy on her desk who looks you up and down in a judgmental manner whenever you take some… These outfits picked me last in gym class every time.”
One Twitter user said the outfits looked more like yacht club uniforms than an Olympian’s garb.
“The Team USA Ralph Lauren outfits look like they’re meeting at the Yacht Club for brandy after a hard day of watching their trust fund grow,” JSWilliams1962 wrote.
“I love the Olympics but I can’t tell if Team USA’s outfits look more like ‘I’m going to call my dad, he’s a lawyer’ or the higher end clearance section of Ralph Lauren,” added Meghan Lawrence.
“usa olympic team is still on the bus on the way to the opening ceremony bc they had to stop by old navy to get their outfits,” denizen Lysi quipped.
One Twitter user wrote the outfits look like something the proverbial “Karen” would wear.
“Ralph Lauren’s Team USA outfits patriotically scream ‘I’d like to speak to your manager!’” AmyOScorpio wrote with the hashtag “Our Olympians Arent Karens Ralph.”
Columnist Drew Magary said “every Summer Olympics they let Ralph Lauren dress our team like they’re on vacation in Newport” and user Tori Hoover agreed.
“Team USA wear the same damn outfit for every opening ceremony, somebody rescue them from this WASP hell,” she wrote.
In a July 14 press release, Ralph Lauren described the outfits as a “classic all-American” look that incorporated US-made sustainable materials within each piece.
The navy blazer with the Ralph Lauren emblem on the breast pocket was made from US-grown wool and the striped T-shirt was “powered by” ECOFAST™ Pure — a pretreatment solution that allows cotton to be dyed with less chemicals, energy and water, the company said.
The blue masks that were matched with the attire were made from “verified US-grown cotton” and the red, white and blue striped belt was made from recycled polyester that was created with plastic water bottles.
The jacket Team USA’s flag bearers were wearing included “state-of-the-art wearable technology” that act as a self-cooling system using the same science that keeps computers chilly and prevents overheating.
Plenty of other Twitter fans loved the outfits and said the team looked great.
“Love the outfits!! Show ‘em how it’s done,” Anna Tarnawski wrote.
“#TeamUSA opening ceremonies outfits are very preppy chic. The athletes looked great,” added Lauren Maloney.