Aussie Commonwealth Games Outfits ‘Weather-Inappropriate’, ‘Homemade’
A controversy is brewing over Australian athletes’ outfits for the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Glasgow from 23 July.
Designer Charlie Brown has come out firing, saying that the green-and-gold outfits look ‘homemade’, the colours are ‘contradictory’, and that they reference Star Trek rather than sleek athleticism.
The main criticism? The Commonwealth Games will be held in Scotland’s mid-summer, ten days after one of Glasgow’s biggest open-air music festivals – but the outfits are kitted out with knitted jumpers, scarves and wet-weather jackets.
The average Glasgow temperature is 25 degrees, which means Australia’s rugged-up athletes will be sweltering.
The designers behind the much-maligned collection, which involves bright yellows and wattle greens with grey Dunlop trainers, are Australian Defence Apparel, who usually design combat uniforms, fire department outfits and clothing for emergency services.
The head designer, Adele Walters, said that they were attempting to ‘push the creative boundaries while maintaining the core integrity and pride of athletes.’
Twitter has exploded with criticisms, with the designs called everything from weather-inappropriate to dowdy and 70s-inspired.
What do you think of Australia’s outfits: functional and getting the job done, or strange and under-thought?
Image: The Commonwealth Games 2014 designs.
Valentino Creates Charity Collection For Net-a-Porter
Want to wear signature Valentino red and do good at the same time?
The designer’s new collection for online boutique Net-a-Porter is here to answer your prayers.
Rouge Absolute Signature, which incorporates accessories, boots and clothes, has gone on sale this week to raise money for Cash & Rocket. 20% of the proceeds will go to three selected charities.
So where is your money going? Shine On Sierra Leone, OrphanAid Africa and The Sumbandila Scholarship Trust, all of which raise money for children and women in vulnerable African areas.
The collection has six pieces, including a studded bag, a leather ankle boot, a pair of leather shorts and a truly swoon-worthy leather biker jacket – all in signature Valentino scarlet.
We predict the studded leather wrap bracelet will be flying off the shelves.
Which piece do you like the best?
Image: Valentino Cash & Rocket collection.
Louis Vuitton Recruits Lagerfeld, Louboutin And More For Handbag Range
Louis Vuitton’s new lead designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere, isn’t just relying on his own talents for his first handbag collection.
He’s bringing in a coterie of his most fabulous fashion friends to design for him – under the label ‘The Iconoclasts’.
And he’s hardly pitching the bar low.
The iconoclast designers being brought in to wreak havoc on the LV monogram are Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin, Marc Newson, Rei Kawakubo, Frank Gehry and Cindy Sherman – luminaries from art, architecture and design.
The only rule? There are no rules.
The LV house loves a collaboration with its handbag set – but it hasn’t done anything radical since the last Murakami collection, with its candy-variety logos.
This is a new direction. Rather than incorporating one new idea, Ghesquiere is welcoming new visions from all comers, and not just fashionistas either. (Though founder of Commes des Garcons Rei Kawakubo is one hell of a collaboration. Karl Lagerfeld will team up with virtually anybody.)
The Iconoclasts range will extend to Vuitton’s famous and lucrative luggage range, which was where the brand first made its money back in the 1800s- they were the first to produce flat-topped chests for easy loading onto carriages.
We’ll be interested to see whether architect Gehry will reinvent the shape for the new millenium.
Which designer are you keenest to see strut their stuff on The Iconoclasts Collection?
Image: The Iconoclasts for Louis Vuitton.
