Vancouver and Chicago are very similar during this time of year. Both can feel like, oh, a frozen tundra. Yet somehow Olympians manage to look fashion-forward in negative temperatures. American fashion designers and companies have outfitted the American athletes with some pretty stylish and patriotic gear. Whether it’s a top-fashion designer like Vera Wang, or a company you can find at your local Sport’s Authority (Hello, Under Armour), major American companies and creative directors each took on the task of dressing America’s finest athletes. Check out some of their designs and interpretations of classic American designs. Plus, what article wouldn’t be complete without a little clothing controversy? (Denim snow pants…Whaaaaa?)

Vera Wang

Twenty-four year old male figure skater Evan Lysacek won gold in 5 outfits designed by Vera Wang. Wang, a former competitive figure skater who competed in the national championships in 1968, has compared designing skating costumes as “more pressure than an Oscar dress in a strange way.” Although she failed to make the Olympic team, she has no hard feelings. “I didn’t make the Olympic team, but my clothes did,” Wang said in an interview with Page Six Magazine.

McCormick senior Jessica Swenson, a member of Northwestern’s Figure Skating Club and Synchronized Skating Team, described the designing process for their costumes. Although it’s not Vera Wang, the team does have its own dress designer located two hours away from campus. The process is more complicated than you’d think, starting at the beginning of the season.

“We work with the designer and the coach and the piece of music to find something the skater can move in well,” says Swenson. “After the initial sketch of the dress, [the designer] makes a mockup of it. We go approve that, then we have a fitting for alterations and then you get your dress and do a run-though on the ice to make sure we can skate in it.” Typical fabrics include crushed velvet and other synthetic fabrics.

Ralph Lauren

The iconic American designer succeeded in creating an uber-preppy look during the opening ceremony, inspired by the “historic Olympic Games, specifically Lake Placid 1932,” says David Lauren, senior vice president of advertising, marketing and corporate communications for Ralph Lauren.

He went more “casual” than those of the Beijing games, if one’s definition of casual is the East-coast old money look. Navy and red puffer jackets embroidered with the Polo Ralph Lauren emblem and crisp white pants, turtle neck sweaters and knit hats in traditional Fair Isle pattern.

If you want to look like a legit Olympian, all of the merchandise is available on his website. Items cost anywhere from $50-$498.

Burton

The Burlington, Vermont company has created the most controversial outfit of the 2010 Winter Olympics…the U.S. Men’s Snowboarding uniform. It is being called the “anti-uniform”. The argument of “What’s more American than blue jeans?” has come full circle with this year’s team decked out in faux-denim snow pants. They are actually made two-layer GORE-TEX material, softer than actual denim and waterproof. But keeping with the preppy theme that has been defined as classic American, Burton made the jackets plaid, threaded with patriotic red, white, and blue GORE-TEX, along with American flag leather patches and eagle crests.

And while we’re at it, let’s get into another snow pant controversy: the how-tight-is-too-tight-fight. This has got to be the most entertaining thing reported from the Vancouver thus far. American cross snowboarder Nate Holland spoke his mind about the Canadian team’s slimmer pants, saying to the New York Times that, “I think the problem we have now is the emo look, and people trying to use that as an excuse for wearing tight clothing.” He also said the tight pants took away from the anti-establishment beginnings of snowboarding. I don’t know about you, but I’m still focused on the “emo” comment. Hilarious.

Under Armour

Taking cues from pop culture icons Evel Knievel and Captain America, the freestyle ski and bobsled uniforms, both designed by Under Armour®, feature “compression and sew-free sonic welding technology materials.” In other words, skin tight! The stars and stripes couldn’t be bolder than on these unitards (?), reflecting the larger-than-life personalities of the USA’s most courageous figures.

Unlike the Olympic ski team, Northwestern ski team athletes don’t coordinate their ski suits. “None of ours match. They’re really expensive,” says McCormick junior Ellen Abrams, Vice President of the Northwestern Ski and Snowboard Racing Team. But the design doesn’t matter so much as the tight fit.

“It feels like you’re skiing naked. You can move freer,” says Abrams. Each member provides their own outfit, so the team is a hodge-podge of each skier’s personal taste. “Ski suits are kind of absurd looking, with all the colors and crazy designs. It’s normal to be weird,” says Abrams.

Nike

This year, Nike is responsible for the coats worn by American competitors during every medal ceremony. These environmentally-friendly jackets were made with 100% recycled polyester and 800 count down insulation. Each jacket features a navy hombre style dye job, with no two coats being dyed the same.