Reuters writer Belinda Goldsmith had a great roundup yesterday of “The Women’s Games”, which is what many are calling the 2012 Summer Olympics (which — for those of you living under a rock — just wrapped up this past weekend in London). Here’s a quick summary of the important stats, but the whole article is worth a read.
There’s a time and place for nationalism in fashion, albeit usually an ironic one that makes for a relevant statement. A perfect example: the U.S. flag-dress by D Squared that Ke$ha wore in V magazine. A terrible example: the dress Katy Perry wore for her Independence Day performance. We’re not even going there. But with the spirit of the Summer Olympic Games every leap year, we embrace a fresh and finite sense of national pride, adorning ourselves, and our fellow countrymen, in patriotic attire that otherwise would border on jingoism. Fortunately, countries have talented resources within the fashion community to design outfits appropriate to the opening ceremony, as well as the games themselves.
I can’t say for certain if Olympic fever has hit yet in Great Britain (I haven’t been there recently), but I’m pretty sure that many Londoners were glad to see Fridge Mountain make way for the site of the 2012 games. Fridge Mountain (in Hackney) was exactly what you’re picturing: a 20-ft. pile of discarded refrigerators that supposedly “towered” over the surrounding neighborhood. I’d expect most don’t miss it much, but American student Lindsey Scannapieco, who never saw the “mountain” itself, found the idea of it inspirational.
There’s a lot of to love about the London bus of the days of yore – the charming, iconic red double-decker has provided commuters and tourists alike with an upper deck view of the city since 1956. Design, however, has never been one of its stronger points. The Routemaster, as it’s officially called, really does look as if someone had simply taken the wheels off of one bus and placed it atop another.