A few days ago, pictures of outfits from this year's Olympic Games emerged on Sina Weibo. The pictures of the uniforms from 12 countries, including the US, UK, China and Germany generated thousands of comments and re-posts.

The Olympic Games is not only an athletic competition. Fashion is a competitive industry and a field that reveals a great deal about a country's aesthetic tastes.

Each country invites top designers to design uniforms to represent a country's fashion and charisma. It is an honor for a designer or a brand to design the national outfit for the Games.

George Armani is the designer for Italy, while Prada will supply Italy's sailors with sleek outfits. Armani told India Times that this year's Olympic Games will be the most fashionable ever.

The choices of designers and uniforms reveal a great deal about a country's tastes. For example, South Korea will focus on accessories like hats and scarves.

Men from the Netherlands will sport blue suits paired with striped shirts and knitted ties, while women will wear blue skirts printed with tulips. The US team will wear navy blue suits and white pants with red ties and berets, designed by Ralph Lauren.

Distasteful choices?

The woolen wear producer Hengyuanxiang has been providing outfits for the Chinese team at international events since the 2008 Olympic Games. Reputable for its traditional Chinese design in sweaters and formal suits, Hengyuanxiang will again be responsible for this year's national team.

Sportswear producer Li Ning has also sponsored the Chinese team in previous athletic events. At this year's Olympic Games, Li Ning will sponsor the Chinese teams in shooting, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and diving.

China has always represented itself with red and yellow, the colors on the national flag. In 2008, China's choice of outfits was widely criticized by netizens.

Many likened the distasteful red and yellow uniforms to the popular Chinese dish, "tomato and scrambled egg."

This year, red remains the dominant color. But the color was calculated by a computer to tastefully incorporate yellow.

The material is also improved, combining knitted fabric and lining fabric for quick sweat absorption.

Most netizens care more about the design than the high-tech materials. Some say that the outfit resembles the uniforms worn by waiters, while others think the outfits make the athletes appear older.

But there are also positive reviews, stating that at least the design this year is better compared to the tomato-egg disaster in 2008.

Great Britain's approach

As the host of the 2012 Olympic Games, Great Britain has also attracted attention from netizens.

Fashion designer Stella McCartney designed outfits for Great Britain's team this year. As the creative director of Adidas, McCartney has designed sportswear for the brand. "Something that was very important to me was to try and use that very iconic image but to dismantle it and try to soften it, break it down and make it more fashionable in a sense," McCartney told BBC.

McCartney considered each of Great Britain's four geographical parts when designing. "It's very recognizable still. I've represented all the parts of Great Britain," she told BBC.

Critiques focus on the nontraditional British look, as the color red has nearly been omitted in a predominately blue and white bodice. Some have criticized the outfits as "too blue," looking more Scottish than British.

McCartney spent two years designing the outfits and accessories for the British team. The British Olympic committee wanted to use McCartney's commercial influence to attract the world.

Adidas has provided the kit for the British athletes since 1984 and chose McCartney as the designer for the 2012 Olympic Games, to guarantee stylish and performance-enhancing outfits in the competition.

Everyday wear

From a commercial angle, outfits from the Olympic Games lead to fashion trends on the catwalk. During the Games, even one appearance may boost the fame of a designer or a brand.

In 2008, swim wear brand Speedo invited Comme des Garcons to develop the swimming suits for the US team. Geometric patterns and asymmetric cuts promoted by Comme des Garcons then became popular. Follifolli is another brand that became popular in China, following its appearance on the Greek team in 2008.

Limited editions of Olympic-centric clothing are a way for brands to profit. This season, Vivien Westwood integrates elements inspired from athletes in their designs for men.

The five interlocked rings pattern, flats and olive branch hair accessories all come from inspirations of the Olympic spirit.

Lacoste incorporated sporty elements in their polo shirts for women. The combination of polo shirts and sporty dresses made the cuts appear feminine.

Top Shop shortened coats to create a sportier look and used new materials on sports jackets to resemble windbreakers.

Fashion icons and celebrities are also influenced by the sporty fashion trend. Instead of formal wear, the Olympic season popularizes a casual look. Not long ago, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing appeared at a fashion event wearing a long sports coat.

Chinese you need:

Uniform：制服 (zhì fú)
Athletic：运动的 (yùn dòng de)
Fashion：时尚 (shí shàng)
Aesthetic：美学的 (měi xué de)
National team：国家队 (guó jiā duì)
Sportswear：运动服 (yùn dòng fú)
Outfit：套装 (tào zhuāng)
Resemble：相似 (xiāng sì)
Host：主办方 (zhǔ bàn fāng)
Recognizable：可识别的 (kě shí bié de)
Omit：省略 (shěng lüè)
Stylish：有格调的 (yǒu gé diào de)
Commercial：商业的 (shāng yè de)
Appearance：露面 (lòu miàn)
Interlocked：联锁的 (lián suǒ de)