As far as sports uniforms go, the Olympic Games are the clear gold medalist, and for good reason. A breadth of different competitions, formal ceremonies bookending the games and even the goings-on at the Olympic Village require a flurry of get-ups, and if you multiply that by the hundreds of countries participating, it makes perfect sense that there were bound to be some quality ‘fits over the course of the modern-day Olympics’ 102-year history (the Games as we know them began in 1924).
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Sign up today and get it delivered every Monday and Wednesday, directly to your inbox.But how best to judge the audacious volume of superb looks from the Winter Games? Is it sheer style? Sensible functionality? Nationalistic spirit? Or maybe even a “wow” factor? We think all of the above are important for the best Games garb, which is why we’ve pulled and graded our favorite (i.e., the best) world-class outfits. From cowboy hats to speed suits, Vera Wang to Ralph Lauren, browse the best Winter Olympic outfits of all time below.
Winter Olympics 2026: Mongolia’s Goyol Cashmere Uniforms
Style: A
Function: B
Wow Factor: A–
It will come as a surprise that the hottest uniforms of the imminent 2026 Winter Olympics are for one of the smallest nations competing. (Well, to anyone without access to the internet, at least.) Despite Mongolia qualifying just three athletes across two sports, their unis are among the wildest we’ve seen in a minute, combining classic cultural garb with high-tech knitting, designer and quality fabrics; designed by Mongolian label Goyol Cashmere, they’re also most likely the softest. Who doesn’t love an underdog story?
Winter Olympics 1984: USA’s Medal Ceremony Jumpsuits
Style: A
Function: C
Wow Factor: A+
Red, white and blue. Levi’s branded. A goddamn cowboy hat. It doesn’t get much more loud and proud than the US-of-A’s medal looks at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Is a wide-collared snowsuit a bit much? Perhaps. Does the whole look (hair included) scream ’80s? absolutely? Do we care? Not one bit.
Winter Olympics 2010: Japan’s Mizuno Speed Skating Suits
Style: B+
Function: A+
Wow Factor: A
Speed suits and the like need to be taken at face value — Olympic uniforms are very much a function-over-form judgment call, and who could blame them — and all things considered, Japan’s gold and black kit is one of the best in memory. Eye-catching without being an eyesore, tastefully graphic-ed: the whole thing is “Frozone” meets fashion runway.
Winter Olympics 2014: Canada’s Skeleton Helmets
Style: B
Function: A+
Wow Factor: A+
The tradition of bold skeleton helmets runs deep at the Olympics. And what’s not to love? If you’re going to barrel down an icy ramp at highway speeds — athletes often touch 90 mph, headfirst — you might as well commit to something equally aggressive. There are many killer designs to choose from, but this galaxy-brain bucket on Team Canada’s John Fairbairn during the 2014 Winter Olympics takes the cake.
Winter Olympics 1932: USA and Canada’s Hockey Captain’s Unis
Style: A-
Function: C+
Wow Factor: B
There’s a real old-school charm to the tasteful side-parts and good-sportsman sensibilities going on here, but we’re much more interested in the quarter-zip and “Winnipeg’s” crewneck. Despite closing in on 100 years old, both look like they could be straight out of a Noah NY F/W lookbook. If that’s not the definition of timeless, we don’t know what is.
Winter Olympics 2010: Norway Curling Team’s Argyle Pants
Style: C-
Function: B
Wow Factor: A+
Curling is a complex sport; the men and women who play it (slide it? curl it? bop it?) surely contain multitudes. But no one expected the stone-throwing spectacle to exude this much swagger, especially from a Scandinavian team. Forgoing the Nordic minimalism (a gross over-exaggeration, but you understand) for a pair of trousers so outrageous they make the Vikings’ daily wear seem tame, the Norwegians made a bold choice, and one that paid dividends. The bowling-esque shoes and solid red polos mean that the pants are the focal point, rather than just another part of a clownish ensemble.
Winter Olympics 2022: SKIMS x USA Olympics Collection
Style: B
Function: A
Wow Factor: C
When Skims announced their Olympic collection, we were skeptical. After all, collab after failed collab has taught us to be wary of any hyped collection and its potential to suck. But, a tip of the cap to Ms. Kardashian, we were dead wrong. Olympian after Olympian expressed their admiration and praise for America’s 2022 loungewear, and we’re inclined to agree — the fleeces look … fleecy, everything is flattering, and there seems to have been a real attempt at form and function (take that, speed suits).
Winter Olympics 1998: Michelle Kwan’s Vera Wang Slip Dress
Style: A+
Function: B+
Wow Factor: A-
Michelle Kwan captured the hearts of a nation with her figure skating performances over a storied career, and her 1998 medal performance is perhaps her most iconic look. The periwinkle slip, simple and elegant, was a departure from some of the more theatrical skating get-ups, and the Vera Wang thang perfectly matched Kwan’s routine.
Winter Olympics 1968: USA’s Pre-Olympics Team Clasp Jacket
Style: A-
Function: C
Wow Factor: D
A sweater? A jacket? A swacket, or something like that? It’s hard to tell what the buttoned mock-neck outerwear is, exactly, but we’re captivated by the United State’s X Olympic outfits for Grenoble, France. Part military brass, part ivy prep and very, very Kennedy’s America, the outfits are a fascinating look at a gone-but-not-forgotten slice of history.
Winter Olympics 1988: Jamaica Bobsled Team’s Press Conference Jackets
Style: A+
Function: A
Wow Factor: A
Do we really need to explain how baller every part of the Jamaican bobsled team’s press ‘fits were? You have eyes.
Winter Olympics 2010: Australia’s Armored Cross-Country Ski Suit
Style: B-
Function: A
Wow Factor: B+
9.3 miles of cross-country skiing in frigid Sochi weather demands appropriate protection; Team Australia answered the call with hi-vis body armor. Ben Sim’s suit, featuring blocked zones (for heat insulation, or something), an eye-catching blue-green-yellow gradient patterning and all the right Salomon accessories, lives rent-free in our minds.
Winter Olympics 1980: USA Hockey’s “Miracle on Ice” Uniforms
Style: B-
Function: B+
Wow Factor: B
“Best” doesn’t necessarily have to mean stylish, although the hockey equivalent of the Dream Team’s uniforms does well enough with retro branding and shoulder stars. The real clout lies with the incredible victory at the 1980 Lake Placid Games against a stacked U.S.S.R. side.
Winter Olympics 2002: Korea’s FILA Speed Skating Suits
Style: F
Function: A
Wow Factor: ?
Perhaps the boldest look of the Olympics that actually works, Korea’s 2002 speed suits are the opposites of the aforementioned Japanese joints — they’re loud, and on purpose. Created by Italian sportswear brand FILA, it’s hard to pin down exactly what makes the skintight uniform gold-medal worthy: after all, the “primary colors only” palette and side-striped pattern feel like they could be found on a small boy’s dinosaur tee at Walmart. But like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said, “I know it when I see it.” Bonus points for the causal glasses during a very not-casual event.
Winter Olympics 2018: Nathan Chen’s Colorblocked Top
Style: A+
Function: A
Wow Factor: C
Of all the Winter Olympic sports, figure skating has the largest sartorial range by far — on one end of the spectrum, you have costume apparel, on the other, technical performance sportswear. USA starlet Nathan Chen managed to thread the needle perfectly with his low-key colorblocked top for the 2018 games; it’s not flashy, but neither is it kitschy; it basically operates as a physical manifestation of streamlined confidence.
Winter Olympics 2010: Shaun White’s Burton Snowboarding ‘Fit
Style: A+
Function: A+
Wow Factor: A+
MF-ing Shaun “I’m talking ’bout Mountain Dews, baby” White. The king of the halfpipe pulled no punches in celebrating his gold medal run in 2010; the flannel-checked Burton Puffer, the very of-the-times washed jeans, and of course, the iconic stars bandana holding back arguably the best head of hair in winter sports. There is nothing this man cannot do.
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