With the 2026 Winter Olympics freshly closed, let’s reflect together on all they provided us with- and I’m not talking about the tiramisu content or epic figure skating edits. Every two years, the Olympics give athletes a chance to be judged and celebrated; by both the real judges and us, the public. Not only do they garner attention for their sporty skills, but also for everything from their distinct personalities down to their fabulous kits.
Olympic teams are sponsored by different brands who provide them with outfits to wear throughout the games. In honor of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Northern Italy, let’s explore those who caught the most attention.
What follows is not a compilation of the best outfits, but simply reminiscing the most discussed choices online. If you’re interested in seeing a ranking or reviews on some of the best outfits, I’d recommend you do that here.
The Beginning of the Olympic Outfit Craze
I’d first like to recognise the country that introduced me to this topic: Mongolia. One of the first videos of the Olympics I watched was an appreciation post for the Mongolian opening ceremony outfits. This specific edit, as well as the outfits, gained a lot of attention with almost everyone in agreement that they were among the best kits, at least of those in the opening ceremony. The outfits were created by Golyol Cashmere and styled to honor Mongolian history; better elaborated upon here.
Though many other brands styled their atheletes seemlessly, a major portion of the outfits’ attention was focused on some brands’ more questionable choices. Which leads me to my next review…
What Were they Thinking?
The second video to grace my feed on the Olympic outfits was courtesy of Brooklyn McDougall; a Canadian speed skater, and like the rest of her team, was gifted a generous Lululemon package. In her haul-video, there was something specific that caught my eye: the jacket. And no, I’m not talking about one of the multiple puffers, but instead the shawl-like piece when worn over the shoulders, forms a red maple leaf in front.
I was quick to discover I was not the only fan confused about the jacket after viewing viral TikTok videos making a joke of it, most of which were created by the athletes themselves. While some people found them cool, others compared the jackets to a ‘flying squirrel’ or a ‘Tim Hortons cup’. Irrespective of these loud opinions, the capes were, without a doubt, iconic additions to the athletes wardrobes.
The Ugly Outfit Dinner
If you’re like me and chronically online, you will already know what this is. But for those of you who are not, the Ugly Outfit Dinner is a night in which many of the female Olympic athletes convened and decided to put together the worst outfits they could creatively concoct. Athletes from many countries participated, including a few Canadians who sported their maple leaf jackets as well as Olympians from the UK, US, and Australia.
In my opinion, many of these outfits were simply worn due to the atrocious-looking combinations that the athletes threw on, rather than the items themselves. For instance Kristy Muir, a freestyle skier from the UK wore blue pants, a pink long sleeve, chunky scarf and a baseball cap- it was likely never going to be the most stylish of choices. None of these items were extraordinarily attention grabbing, it was simply the act of them worn together that rendered them ‘ugly’.
The night garnered a lot of attention and an abundance of TikToks for Olympic fans to watch, but not nearly as much attention as the worst outfit of all…
The ULTIMATE ‘What Were they Thinking?’
Perhaps in previous years there was a more considerable debate on what piece in the Olympic kits gained the most attention. Out of sheer abundance of items, a less online critic would assume it is a contested subject, yet the rest of us know better. There is a stand out garment from the games that truly outshined all the others in terms of media attention…
The Bald Eagle Skirts
Provided to the United States athletes through their partnership with Nike, these skirts have been the talk of nearly every video posted from the Ugly Outfit Dinner and each of the US Olympic athletes’ hauls. The light blue skirt is long and fashioned in a wrap-like style, decorated with images of bald eagles. The skirt has been a source of curiosity, specifically the questions of why, and where it could be worn again.
Nevertheless, the skirts, though questionable fashion pieces (especially when paired with the fedoras) were undoubtedly iconic and have become a characteristic aspect of the 2026 Olympics that will likely be remembered for years to come. For that we have Nike to thank.
From stylish skirts to wonky coats to beautiful representation pieces, the Winter Olympic kits have given us so much to talk about. I’m sad to say goodbye, but eagerly await the 2028 Summer Olympic fashion conversations.