By Carola Long
Stella McCartney with athletes in the Adidas British Olympic kit. Image by Getty
The unveiling of Stella McCartney’s kit for the British Olympic team today was billed as the “official reveal.” With flashing lights, heartbeat, baseline music and a podium-like set — all designed to build up suspense — there was a whiff of the TV game show about the event. Specifically, the 1990s British TV show Gladiators.
Staged in a marquee in the Tower of London, the tone veered from an incredibly slick marketing campaign to a moving celebration of British talent, to moments of slight absurdity ( a gymnast rising from inside a podium on a horse- the gymnastic, not equestrian variety.) Read more
Vanessa has been the FT’s fashion editor since 2003, and is based in New York, though she lived in London for 12 years.