Lady Gaga, Fireworks and Colorful Tracksuits: Opening Ceremonies of the Inaugural European Games--Baku 2015 European Games Baku Azerbaijan
This past Friday night was the Opening Ceremonies of the Baku 2015 European Games. This is the inaugural European Games and they are being held in Baku, Azerbaijan from June 12-28th. The European Games is an international multi-sport event for the athletes representing the National Olympic Committees of Europe (NCO's). The Games will feature 6,000 athletes from 50 NCO's competing in 20 sports. Baku Azerbaijan was awarded the right to hold these first European Games by a vote in Rome and they will be held every four years after this year.
Fireworks Extravaganza: Baku National Stadium, 2015 European Games Opening Ceremony Baku Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan was the only nation bidding to host the inaugural event so it wasn't a difficult decision of who would host it. It has been reported that the president has spent over $10 billion on the games. Oh an in case you didn't know, Azerbaijan is very rich in oil and natural gas (of course it is). And of note, the county--and its government--has been under much scrutiny as of late for press and particularly, human rights violations.
Now, back to the UBER expensive--and VERY OLYMPICS-like 2015 European Games Opening Ceremony:
Spectacular: Opening Ceremonies began with performers/dancers wearing these big hooped skirts with multicolored fabrications featuring displays of Azerbaijan rug motifs--2015 European Games Opening Ceremony Baku Azerbaijan
Art and Tradition: The 2015 Baku European Games Opening Ceremony also featured performers highlighting traditional Azerbaijan culture including "miniature art come to life"--2015 European Games Opening Ceremony Baku Azerbaijan
Lady Gaga also preformed...
Lady in White: Lady Gaga performed "Imagine" by John Lennon at the 2015 European Games Opening Ceremony. Not sure what she got paid for this but I venture to guess, it must have been A LOT. Irregardless, I think she was exceptional, as usual. According to this news report, she was hiding in her Azerbaijani Hotel room for days before her performance Friday night.
Another DIVA present was the First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva:
Angelina Jolie Who?...First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva dons a white crepe boat neck and three-quarter sleeved tea-length very fitted dress, accessorized with silver and sequined heels and perfectly coiffed up-do--This lady knows how to do "First lady"/Angelina Jolie-at-the-UN-style right! She may be married to a not-so-human rights-nice president (allegedly!) but she is a COUTURE Diva!
Let's get to the European Games Opening Ceremony Uniforms. There wasn't anything spectacular or Fashion Fab.; it was mostly A LOT of tracksuits, Capri pants, jogger zip-up jackets and neon sneakers. Blah. Blah. And Blah. So, with that said, there were some stand-outs.
Here's my Top Ten...I mean ELEVEN-ish, List of Best European Games Opening Ceremony Uniforms:
#1 UKRAINE:
Love the bright yellow and blue national colors and the ladies look great in those canary yellow dresses, cropped jackets and brights sneakers. And the boys look pretty Summer Fab as well! They get my Top No. 1 Choice for Best of the 2015 Baku European Games Opening Ceremony Uniforms!
#2 NORWAY:
Bright, bold stripes on their zip-up hoodies and slim board shorts; it's not very fashion-forward but it's chic sportif! Nicely done.
#3 ISRAEL:
Very Jean Paul Gaultier Sailor Chic. Love that sweater. Only complaint: why were the ladies left with a boring all white v-neck sweater and jeans look? Can you say #Yawn?? Why is the man the Fashion Peacock? If I put aside that non-fashion women's look, I LOVE the guys' "uniform". Go On Team Israel...well, at least 50%!
#4 LITHUANIA:
Many of the European Games' Opening Ceremony representatives/athletes wore track suits. And while I admit, I am not a fan of them, if I had to chose one of the better designs, it would be the ones worn by Lithuania. I liked the green and white zip-up jackets and dark navy jogger pants but mainly, I think the neon sneakers were the stars.
#5 POLAND:
Poland gets points for creative printed dresses for the women and those bright ocean blue colored zip-up jackets. Cute and sassy.
#6 RUSSIA:
Lots of things here: I LOVE the multicolored print in the men's shirts and ladies skirts. I think the guy's looks is very Summer Chic--the white jacket, the printed knit top, the slim fitting navy pants. But the ladies is were I have a problem. Why do they look like Wives of a Mormon-like Cult? Albeit, one that likes color and prints! The a-line skirt is waaayyyy tooo long and not flattering and matched with the zip-up jacket and high neck tee underneath; it's a bit too 1920's proper. I can TOTALLY see that skirt with heels and a sexy top (maybe not at these Opening Ceremonies!) but not like this.
#7 SPAIN:
Love the Spain colors in the jacket and the skinny track pants. This isn't very creative but they get points for that bright bold RED and YELLOW! Next time, I wanna see a Mantilla and Peineta somewhere! Por Favor!
#8 AUSTRIA:
Love the "shrunken" modern navy blue blazers and super skinny khakis. Oh and yes, there are those colorful sneakers! This isn't revolutionary in terms of Olympics Fashion Style but...it's modern, sleek and well-fitting.
#9 AZERBAIJAN:
The host nation could have "brought it" in terms of Uniform Style but they were a bit of a let-down. I liked the colors--and the boys look quite good in those fitted jackets, skinny ties and slim light khakis but...the ladies wore these awful looking ensembles of blue jackets with printed hems and knee-length skirts and flats...they looked like they worked at a Dinah Shore Golf Tournament. And that's not a good thing.
#9 ITALY:
Oh Italia! They know how to make sportswear look sleek and chic! I liked the bright blue colors of the track pants and tops and the stark white track sweat jackets were cool. But the star here were the Italian flag scarves some of the athletes accessorized. Molto Bene!
#10 TIE: CZECH REPUBLIC and SWITERLAND
Czech Republic and Switzerland decided to outfit their representatives/athletes in zip-up track jackets and...skinny Capris. The Czech contingency was very unified in that EVERY person wore the SAME outfit (Oh Dear!) while the Swiss had the ladies don those Capris and the men, looking all sport-sexy in their all-black track jacket and shorts look. I feel bad for the Swiss ladies here. Nothing more to say. Or else I might get in trouble.
#11 TIE: LATVIA and TURKEY
Latvia and Turkey get my last "Style High-Fives" with their track suit looks. Latvia was very "Oh-so-boring" with their pewter colored tracksuits with nothing exciting or fashion-y going on but...those sneakers were quite great! And then there's Turkey. Loved the white and red flame-design zip up jackets and those Turkey flags did add a much needed color punch. For that, they make my Top Ten...I mean, ELEVEN-ish, list!
***What do you guys think? WHICH COUNTRY wore your FAVORITE 2015 Baku European Opening Ceremonies outfits?
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