Tuesday 27 October 2015
For today’s young female gymnasts it’s as much about showcasing ‘their look’ as their gymnastic performance and technique.
Gone are the plain and self-coloured leotards bearing your country’s colours as seen in the seventies and eighties, in favour of diamantes, sparkles and jewels.
In 2015 it’s all about setting the latest trends and keeping up with their peers – in most cases the more ‘bling’ the better! This makes the leotards glitter under the ultra-bright broadcast lighting in the arena.
Whether it’s long sleeved, short sleeved, one sleeved, racer or v neck back the one thing that they all now have in common is sparkles and bold colours. Leotards can now come in every colour and style combination imaginable.
The other thing they have in common is their need to be absolutely the perfect fit, skin tight so that the judges can clearly see the twist and turns of their bodies and to be aerodynamic.
The world of gymnastics is no different to the fashion world. Designers look at seasonal trends and how they can interpret and incorporate them into their designs.
Gymnasts can spend weeks perfecting their look, making sure that their hair and make-up matches their outfits. And, it’s not just one leotard they need to think about. Typically the girls will have warm-up, training and competition leotards at a cost of hundreds of pounds each.
USA’s Aly Raisman uploaded photographs on Instagram last week about co-ordinating her make-up with her training apparel - asking fans which lippy should go with which outfit.
As Natalie Stocks, GK Elite Sportswear representative explains: “Leotards will be planned months in advance of any competition. A top team will have their order specially made in their unique colours and design. Typically the specially made outfits can take eight weeks to make, although if a team hasn’t been selected until the last minute sometimes they have to be turned around super quick.”
One of the other reasons to spend time perfecting your look is that of course if you look good and feel good then that can give you just the boost and competitive edge that you need to pull off a great performance.
And this has been the case during the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships held in Glasgow’s SSE Hydro until 1 November. Here we’ve seen an array of fabulous outfits and, yes, plenty of sparkles!