Former Miss France, ministers, the big names in French sport. The ephemeral Grand Palais, where the judo and wrestling events will take place during the Olympic Games, welcomed many people on Wednesday in Paris, one hundred days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games at home. Suffice it to say that the day after the lighting of the Olympic flame, there was excitement, especially among the hundred or so athletes present at the event.
Obviously, it was about pressure, preparation, the quest to obtain an Olympic ticket, injuries to avoid… But, with those who will represent the country this summer, there was also a fashion point, following the presentation , Wednesday by Mélina Robert-Michon, Pauline Déroulède, Arnaud Assoumani and Romain Cannone, of the outfit that the athletes will wear during the opening ceremony. An ensemble prepared by the Berluti haute couture house.
The costumes, designed in collaboration with Carine Roitfeld, are midnight blue with a blue, white and red patinated collar. On the left pocket, a small Olympic flame and the Games logo. The jackets, sleeveless for women, can be combined with pants or a skirt, and with a white cotton and silk shirt. “The French will be the champions of elegance,” assured Antoine Arnault, image and environment director at LVMH, on Wednesday.
“We will be proud to wear it”
Elegance, the word also came up in the mouths of several athletes present at the ephemeral Grand Palais, like the fencer Yannick Borel: “This outfit combines elegance and the Olympic Games side, I find the colors of the flag. It’s an outfit that we might only wear once in our lives, or on very special occasions, but I think we’ll all be proud to wear it. I find it really good. »
Same story with polo player Mehdi Marzouki: “Berluti is a bit of French class, the tuxedo is magnificent, the shoes where you are comfortable, too. The outfit is beautiful, I like it, even if it’s not something I’m going to wear every day. To do the ceremony, it will be quite classy. »
The breakdancer Dany Dan, who will discover, like his discipline, the Olympics, for his part, found an advantage in this ensemble with this patinated collar in the colors of the tricolor flag: “It’s an original outfit and I like it when we find the French touch, so that made me happy. I have blue hair so I’ll have a matching outfit, it’s cool. »
Women a little less rave
However, once the microphones were put away and the press officers moved away, opinions still diverged a little, particularly among female athletes. “Well, frankly, I was super disappointed by these costumes, I don’t see the elegant side,” explains an athlete qualified for the Olympics who prefers to remain anonymous. Above all, for us women, without sleeves, it’s weird, it doesn’t make us look good. »
“It’s true that without a sleeve…,” continues another athlete, who was already present at the Tokyo Olympics. I imagined myself with our biceps when we will be at our maximum strength, good. » Fortunately for our slightly upset athlete, the sleeves, which had been removed for greater lightness in the silhouette, could be added if she wished, according to The Team.
Shoes were also a point of discussion, particularly the pair of sneakers, “which look like one-euro shoes,” according to our first fashionista. “Three hundred shoe models were made, and two were chosen,” said Berluti general director Jean-Marc Mansvelt, who explained that the athletes had been involved throughout the entire creative process.
“We look really good in it, it was an important criterion,” noted Mélina Robert Michon, who could adorn this Berluti outfit with the Olympic flame. I’m a fan of details that I’m still discovering today. It’s an outfit that lives up to French ambitions. » It is already there, our first medal.