TEAM USA WILL GO VINTAGE IN VANCOUVER (A Glam Slam)

In 56 days, the World’s Biggest Fashion Show will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It’s the Opening Ceremony of the 21st Winter Olympics. But this is no ordinary fashion show, as models are replaced by athletes of all shapes and sizes who will showcase their pride in their country in everything from classic suits, to feathers, to berets. No matter what the choice, the Parade of the Nations is always a massive runway for native finery.

And who better to represent Team USA than Ralph Lauren, an icon of design whose fashions epitomize the spirit of America. Polo Ralph Lauren will be the Official Outfitter of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The company was previously involved in the games in Bejing in 2008 and now they will be designing the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony Parade outfits for Team USA, as well as village apparel and accessories for the athletes.

The brand began unveiling its outfits for athletes last month and the overarching theme this year is “retro." Inspired by the 1930's Olympic games, ceremony fashion highlights will include newsboy caps, cardigans, fleece pants, shawl collar sweaters with antique buttons and alpine boots. Long-sleeve tees with bold graphics will be part of the Olympic Village wardrobe, as well as white warm-up jackets with red and blue stripes down the sleeves and alpine ski sweaters decorated with reindeer. Take a peak at a sample look below and visit here to own a piece of the collection.

Lauren’s performance gear is still under raps, but these sketches were released to give us an idea of what we can expect:

Also getting on the action is sportswear giant, Nike, who will provide apparel and footwear for Olympians including items to be worn during the competition, on the medal stand and casually in the Olympic village. The company researched a variety of weather conditions that the athletes might encounter while in Vancouver and took these factors into account when developing designs.

Thus far, Nike has unveiled the "medal stand look," which features blue waterproof down jackets with 800-fill down insulation and a unique faded fabric print that is customized for every single jacket. Check them out:

And lastly, let's move on to the US Snowboarders, who have always had a very unique interpretation of what they consider to be fashionable. A mixture of punk, rock and grunge is often characteristic of their style and as a result, dressing them can be a challenge.

But the apparel designers at Burton, the snowboard equipment company, have risen to that challenge designing what they have dubbed the “anti-uniform.” The inspiration for the look is “classic Americana,” but with a twist. While the classic red white and blue color scheme is consistent throughout, plaid is dominant up top and pants are actually designed to look like a pair of faded blue jeans with holes. So cool!