The best and worst uniforms spotted at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony

The pomp and circumstance of the 2024 Paris Olympics was on display Friday during the opening ceremony. The Parade of Nations promenade provided an opportunity for 205 nations to present their flags — and specially-made national uniforms to match. The opening ceremony kicked off this year’s games on the Seine River, with representatives from each nation sailing the route on boats.

With this ceremony taking place in the fashion-forward Paris, clothing designers from around the world pulled out all the stops to create eye-catching uniforms.

Here’s a look at the best — and worst — of Friday’s opening ceremony uniforms.

The best national uniforms

Haiti

The seven athletes from Haiti stunned in Stella Jean. With light, breezy tops and colorful bottoms — pants for men and floaty skirts for women — inspired by the work of Haitian artist Philippe Dodard, these outfits were both beautifully made and a perfect cultural tribute to the Caribbean nation. Every detail was perfectly on point; these will be an instant Olympic opening ceremony classic.

Mongolia

In a similar vein, the intricate design of Mongolia’s uniforms were eye-popping at a glance and even more impressive after closer examination. The inspired design by Michel & Amazonka contains a plethora of Mongolian symbols and colors of great significance. But even without knowing the meaning behind the embroidery, viewers were cheering the unique look of these high-necked uniforms.

Philippines

The embroidered white shirts (this specific style called a barong) and dark pants may seem simple, but the colorful splash on the sling overlaying Philippines’ outfits really made them stand out from the rest. It’s important to show a sense of national identity in a parade uniform, and this is one country that literally wore their country’s colors over their hearts. Francis Libiran provided a snazzy example of keeping it simple while still displaying national pride.

Spain

It’s great to have a sartorial concept to work around, and Spain’s uniform designer was inspired not only by the European country’s colors, but also by the carnation. The color pairing of off-white and red for men may not seem that exciting, but the female athletes sported skirts that featured an ombre blend of cream, yellow and red that is both lovely and memorable. Designer Jomasport definitely kept true to a cohesive vision.

United States

At first glance, the United States’ uniforms were preppy for a huge bloc of athletes — they were, after all, designed by Ralph Lauren. In photograph, they make all of those basketball and tennis players look a lot like a college a cappella group. But after seeing them sailing down the Seine, with the sharp cut of the red, white and blue blazers complemented by classic denim pants, they were a striking ensemble that could leave American viewers misty with patriotism.

France

As the host country for this year’s Olympics — and a deep history in fashion — there were automatically high expectations for France’s uniforms. These sets weren’t necessarily flashy, but the pop of brightness in their lapels in the blue, white and red of the French flag elevate these perfectly-cut classic navy suits. These Berluti-designed uniforms are effortlessly chic, befitting France’s trendy reputation.

Jamaica

Fun fact: Jamaica is the only country in the world whose flag does not feature red, white or blue. That gave Puma a head start for making the opening ceremony shine with these athletes, and they ran with it. The Jamaican representatives looked both comfortable and cool in sunny yellow, with their flag’s green and black accenting perfectly. Admittedly, this is also a pick based on charisma — Jamaica made their boat rock with their enthusiasm as they traveled through the parade.

Suriname

In the end, Olympic athletes are just that — athletes. They are likely most at ease in sportswear. The small-but-mighty delegation from South American nation Suriname certainly looked at home and excited in their brightly-colored uniforms, heavily using the red, white, yellow and green of their country’s flag. Even under ponchos in the increasingly heavy rain, those hues were undimmable.

India

Another country that chose something beautifully-designed while sticking close to its culture was India, whose representatives wore traditionally-inspired garb resplendent with complex and meaningful designs. Definitely take a few minutes to check these out — they look simple-but-elegant from far away but gain a new life with a closer look. Gaining appreciation for new cultures is one of the best parts of the Olympics, and these looks provided an ideal opportunity.

Czechia

The delegation of athletes from Czechia were probably thankful for their long coats in the chilly and wet Paris weather, but Olympics fans were thankful because, well, they just looked cool. The coats — spattered stylishly with a pattern inspired by a Czech artist — were worn over simple red tops that looked smart under the overcoats. Designer Jan Cerny made these as a nod to both French and Czech fashion, and they served as a great tribute to both.

The worst national uniforms

Brazil

Maybe this is an expectations issue. With their flamboyant style and such vibrant colors to work with, one would imagine that Brazil’s uniforms would light up the dreary day. No such luck this year. The uniforms looked like typical athleisure for the men, with depressingly dark jackets and drab skirts for the women. Especially after hosting their own Olympics in 2016, Brazil should know how to turn heads at the Games, and yet these looks are just not cutting it.

Sweden

This feels unfair because they were one of the few to be dressed for the weather, and that’s not just smart — the downpour was also not their fault. The problem was that Sweden’s rain gear really looked like…rain gear. They certainly brightened up the darkening night in banana yellow (which is one of their flag’s colors) but it could have used another shade to offset.

Great Britain

This is really a vibes-based pick. The Great Britain outfits weren’t all that different from those worn by Team USA, but somehow it just doesn’t look as cool. Maybe it was the fit of the mostly-white jackets or the exact shade of the light denim jeans, but Great Britain’s outfits were more of an “ugh” when somewhat similar looks by the United States and Greece were an “oooh.” One interesting note, though: the back of these uniform jackets featured four flowers, each representing one of the four nations within Great Britain. A cool touch on a meh ensemble.

Liechtenstein

This tiny European country’s delegation looked more like they were going to happy hour after a day of work at a tech firm than like Olympic athletes. There’s something to be said for simple-but-chic, but pale button downs and khakis are a tad too simple… and not very chic.

Canada

Here is a pre-emptive “sorry” for our neighbors to the north. We’ll see some better uniforms from them in the coming weeks, but their Lululemon-made Parade of Nations sets were just meh. With so many athletes representing Canada, the splash of uninterrupted bright red was a bit much. The maple leaf touches — especially the contrast of the white ones on their hats — were charming, but this still wasn’t a favorite.