Lily Cole, Karen Elson, Kate Moss, and Naomi Campbell at the 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremonies.
Photo: Getty
Of the many assets that the Brits have shown off as the hosts of the 2012 London Olympics, style has certainly been one of the strongest. From their Stella McCartney designed uniforms to their killer idea to have an on-site nail artist for athletes, there's been a lot more to gush over in these summer games than just the gymnasts' scrunchies. It's been a stylish Olympics all around, from Michael Jackson swimsuits to the aforementioned nail art, but the closing ceremony is helping us realize fashion dreams we never even knew we had. Gilded in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Roksanda Illincic, Victoria Beckham, Jonathan Saunders, Erdem, Christopher Kane, and Vivienne Westwood, a coterie of supermodels "stormed," as much of the international press is saying, the enormous, fire-lit runway at the closing ceremony, a fearsome representation of British beauty that is sure to make the Queen proud. Models including original supermodel Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Georgia May Jagger, Jourdan Dunn, Lily Cole, and Stella Tennant were like human gold medals in metallics, feathers, and beads of all kinds. The veritable model army stomped down the runway to David Bowie's "Fashion," an appropriate musical choice if we've ever heard one.
A close-up of the 3-D gold metallic embroidery on Naomi Campbell's McQueen dress.
Photo: Alexander McQueen Instagram
Kate and Naomi took the glittery spotlight in heavily embellished McQueen gowns, which the fashion house was kind enough to post in close-up on their Instagram. The was an outpouring of support from social media in general for the models, with behind the scenes looks coming from Coco Rocha, and words of encouragement from Karlie Kloss. Karlie, who is British Vogue's September cover girl, was live tweeting the supermodel portion of the ceremony, using the hashtag #teamsupermodel. We have to say, it makes us a little misty to see models from around the globe showing so much love to one another, because it makes us feel like the House Of Style days, when the "Rise Of The Supermodel" was just at its beginning, are not so far away. We also LOVE the fact that fashion, both models and designers, are being touted as an important part of the U.K.'s cultural identity. We sometimes find ourselves wanting to jump up and down at times like this, yelling, "see! Fashion is important," like satisfied little kids, and yeah, it is! See! But seriously, for a nation as consumed by pop as Great Britain, it's only fair that their sartorial icons get their due.
A solidly stylish Olympics all around, don't you think?
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