Hit by a Pitch

Until now, I’ve managed to refrain from discussing anything related to Olympic fashion. This is more of an achievement than you might think, because I’m kind of into that sort of thing. I’m also extremely bothered by the gymnasts and their scrunchies and 900 barrettes, but that’s already been covered all over the world. So I’ll try to focus on more obscure style statements, and how they might translate to the rest of us.

Boxing boots are awesome.

Nike boxing shoe (from Nike media website)

I’m really digging the boxing boots I’ve seen some of the guys wearing, especially the red and the blue Nikes. You can learn more about the Nike boxing boots here on the Nike media site (you have to have an account to access the page). I haven’t found any super-cool women’s boxing shoes on the internet, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there somewhere.

A streetwear version of boxing boots for women would be hot — like the Nikes, maybe in winter white, with matte gold details. I’d love to see people in Aspen and Vail wearing something like this instead of Uggs again this year (not that there’s really anything wrong with Uggs when you’re in the mountains, where you have to go from a snowy 20 degrees outside to dinner to snowy 0 degrees outside to a bar to too drunk to give a shit).

Hell, now that I think about it, I’d wear some kind of modified satin boxing robe as outerwear, too. Wouldn’t that be bad ass? Winter 2008 could be the season of crazy boxing fashion. That’s a hell of a lot more fun than all the plaid flannel grunge shit they’re showing in magazines.

Sprinters have the best shoes.

(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Usain Bolt’s gold Pumas are rockin’ (hell, he’s just awesome and I wish he got more coverage in the U.S.). Some of the women have kickin’ kicks, too — I especially like anything gold or silver and sparkly.

Most of us don’t need crazy sprinter shoes, but sprint-inspired shoes are hot, if they’re cute enough to wear hanging out on the weekend (these are form not function — I work out in some white Nike Shox — I know). Here are a few awesome options:

• Puma Usan Irra Scale
• Puma Usan Metallic
• Puma Speeder M (retro)
• Puma Bullet Track
• Puma Alsten II
• Puma Saloh LT
• Puma Finesse
• Asics Sakura Diva
• Nike Track Racer (old school — picture these with shorts and tube socks!!)
• Asics Fury XC (good for fall)
• Adidas Jhana
• Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Baja
• Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81 (retro)

Hot color = Lithuania green.

There wasn’t anything exciting about Lithuania’s outfits during the opening ceremonies (although, thankfully, they weren’t horrible) — they wore simple green shirts and (I think) white pants (why is this nowhere on the internet?). The basketball team wears green warm-up shirts, and the awesome Lithuanian fans I saw at the last basketball game almost all had on green t-shirts. The green is somewhere between apple green and kelly green (or at least that’s how it looks on my TV) and probably exactly matches the green on the Lithuanian flag.

I’ve tried to find any Lithuanian Olympic apparel on line but haven’t succeeded. Everything I’ve found is selling USA apparel and weird teddy bear shit. My new “Harlem/Lake” t-shirt from thatsmystop.com seems to be the same color, which is excellent.

Two words: Naomi Yotsumoto.

Photo from designcorner.blinkr.net.

I only know about her because of a comment on my last post — I hadn’t heard of her before today. But holy crap, how cute is she? The best part? She designs her own outfits. Those Project Runway bitchez better watch out. I don’t know how this translates to “real world” fashion, but I do have a weird urge to wear a rainbow-striped minidress and a flower in my hair tomorrow.