Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >> AP  (click to enlarge) This photo released by Polo Ralph Lauren shows one of the outfits the Olympic athletes will wear at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. AP  (click to enlarge) This photo released by Polo Ralph Lauren shows one of the outfits the Olympic athletes will wear at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. AP  (click to enlarge) This photo released by Polo Ralph Lauren shows one of the outfits the Olympic athletes will wear at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. AP  (click to enlarge) This photo released by Polo Ralph Lauren shows one of the outfits the Olympic athletes will wear at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Ralph Lauren unveils some of its outfits for U.S. Olympic athletes By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL AP Fashion Writer NEW YORK — Ralph Lauren’s affinity for Americana will be on full display on athletes at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia — complete with red, white and blue, stars-and-stripes flags and, of course, polo ponies. Polo Ralph Lauren began its strategic unveiling of its outfits for athletes on Wednesday, with 100 days until the start of the games. The closing-ceremony parade outfit includes a mostly red and blue shawl-collar sweater with antique buttons, a newsboy cap, a plaid shirt for the men, and a navy ribbed turtleneck for the women. Long-sleeve T-shirts with big bold graphics printed on the chest are part of the Olympic Village wardrobe, as well as white warm-up jackets with red and blue stripes down the sleeves and old-school alpine ski sweaters decorated with reindeer. “We took a lot of inspiration from the 1930s games, reaching into the heyday of the Olympics and bringing to a more modern sensibility,” said David Lauren, the company’s senior vice president of advertising, marketing and communications. The company dressed the American athletes for the summer games two years ago and has signed on with the U.S. Olympic Committee through 2012 in London to provide ceremonial clothes as well as recreational looks. It’s also creating the outfits for the Paralympic teams. As far as performance uniforms during actual competition, Ralph Lauren isn’t ready to get into that game yet because of the technical aspects of the clothes. Many of the items are also available to the public, said David Lauren, who called the Olympics the “ultimate branding opportunity.” “There’s an interest in what athletes are wearing, but what people really want is what’s commemorative, so they can hold on to something that’s a piece of history,” he said. At the Beijing games, Lauren said he was mistaken for an athlete in an elevator because he was wearing the same flag-bearing styles — the highlight of a memorable trip. “For one brief moment, I could put myself in the shoes of an Olympic athlete,” he said. (His real talent, he joked, is “spectating.”)

1. 5 die of swine flu in Snohomish County 2. Driver charged in deaths of 4 3. Red Cross honors acts of heroism, many by ordinary people 4. Barista clothing rules delayed by County Council 5. Haugen's husband accused of sexual assault in civil suit 6. Ruskell steps down as Seahawks GM 7. Three people hurt in Everett house fire 8. Steelhead anglers finding mixed results 9. Airbus wins order for 52 single-aisle jets 10. Silvertips hammered 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Wildcats fall to familar foe in semis • ‘Nutcracker' times three • Road warrior • Mavericks reloading • Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Cities prepare for winter blast repeat • Wolfpack duo takes last shot at state tourney • This Weekend in Your Town • Tips for the stormy season • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million