Is fashion the point of the Olympics, the worldwide, global culture-defining athletic tournament that dates all the way back to the Panhellenic era? No. But during the Milano Cortina Opening Ceremony’s Parade of Nations—where 3,500 athletes from 93 countries entered San Siro Stadium led by sign-holding models wearing silver lamé puffer ballgowns and sunglasses so ridiculously large that it felt like they could swan dive headfirst straight into a solar flare without a care in the world—style briefly took the spotlight from sport. (A tribute to Giorgio Armani and a catwalk moment from Vittoria Ceretti also helped.)
But what teams, medal potential be damned, achieved both feats of strength and of fit? Below, our best dressed Olympic nations.
Brazil
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Brazil may have never won an Olympic medal for the Winter Games, but their Opening Ceremony looks won gold on Vanity Fair’s first-ever compilation of this hyper-specific list. (That’s got to be worth something, right?)
Designed by Moncler and Brazilian creative director Oskar Metsavaht, it not only included puffer jackets, but puffer skirts, puffer capes, puffer bermuda shorts and puffer flat brim hats. Some jackets were even lined with the Brazilian flag. Also, one guy did a backflip in his which made them infinitely cooler than everyone else–as spontaneous backflips tend to do.
Czech Republic
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