Bad taste fashion victims of Spain's Olympic uniforms

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SPAIN The Spanish media has been attacking the taste of the country's Olympics costumes since they were presented to the public a few days ago. One blogger says he is ashamed of them, for instance. But most of the criticism is centred on the tracksuit. The Spanish Olympic Committee commissioned the Russian design company Bosco Sport, which, says the committee, was designed and made 'at no cost and with a guarantee of quality'. Just as well, says the media, because if they had charged for it, it should go to court. It's as well to remember that the uniforms will be worn by the likes of Rafa Nadal and Pau Gasol, two of the top sports personalities in the world. So far, neither they, nor any other top athletes, have commented publicly on the subject.>>>

Many of the comments in the media use the word hortera, which means something like tacky, or naff. One of them says that the  tracksuit jacket looks like a bad tattoo; another points out that the yellow design has nothing to do with Spanish culture - though there are those who say it is a very bad imitation of a bullfighter's costume, a connection that most fail to see.

The social media had a surfeit of commentary on the subject that has now died down a bit, though it was a trending topic on Twitter for several days, apparently. Many of the comments there said that it wasn't so much the design on the jacket as the fact that you could find something similar at any local shop or at a street market, possibly even of better quality.

The controversy hs in fact reached the Chamber of Deputies, through the good offices of its smallest party, UPyD. There are questions awaiting answers as to why the design was commissioned to a foreign company when the Asociación Española de Moda had proposed a design competition. But the present government would be unable to offer any explanations s the decisions were made by the previous government, which, incidentally, had a record of commissioning the Spanish uniforms for Beijing 2008 to a Chinese designer Li-Ning.

The fear is that Spain's athletes will look ridiculous, especially in the knowledge that the US team will be dressed by Ralph Lauren, the Italians by Armani and Prada, and the UK's by Stella McCartney.