Great Olympic Style Moments

5:30 PM, July 16 2012

By Elana Fishman

In case you couldn't tell, we're really, really excited for the London Olympics to kick off. And until July 27 rolls around, bringing with it tons of television coverage of our favorite athletes, we'll be taking a look back at some of the best sporty style moments of all time.

Click through for 10 of our favorite Olympic fashion statements from the past several decades, from Florence Griffith-Joyner's sparkling manicures to Bruce Jenner's almost-indecently-short running shorts to Nancy Kerrigan's designer skating costumes. Are you hearing that trumpet-centric Olympic theme yet? Because we sure are.

This iconic figure skater snagged the gold medal at the 1976 Winter Games—and became just as famous for her signature graduated bowl cut hairstyle as for her triple axels. The cut continues to be popular amongst toddlers today, though perhaps not by their choice.

Just seven weeks after sustaining a serious knee injury—an attempt at sabotage planned by a rival skater—Nancy Kerrigan won the silver medal at the 1994 Olympics in this beautiful white long-sleeved costume by Vera Wang. A winning moment if ever there was one.

Nicknamed "The Flying Tomato" thanks to his head-turning red hair, this two-time gold medalist has designed skiing and snowboarding collections for sporting label Burton. You can often spot him in the brand's checkered snow jackets while competing.

This Idaho-born downhill skier memorably sported this avian-adorned helmet at the Games. Seal's "Fly Like an Eagle" could be her theme song.

Bringing new meaning to the term "gold rush," this Olympic sprinter has won four gold medals—perhaps thanks in part to his famous footwear of the same shade. After the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he was widely billed as the world's fastest man.

This two-time medalist swears by a certain lucky charm when competing: a gold dragon necklace given to her by her grandmother.

When it comes to following manicure trends, it looks like the late Florence Griffith-Joyner was decades ahead of the curve. Her super-long, heavily jeweled fingernails turned heads at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics—as did those one-legged unitards.

Who says that girls get to have all the fun? This 2010 gold medalist also tapped Vera Wang—herself a former figure skater—to create his Olympic competition costumes.

He may not have been the first track and field star to pull on a pair of ultra-short running shorts—and he certainly won't be the last. But the Kardashian family's patriarch, who scooped up a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, sure liked showing a little leg.

All-American designer Ralph Lauren was selected to design the U.S. Olympic team's ensembles for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2008, 2010 and 2012 Games. Both patriotic and preppy, the red, white and blue uniforms are a perfect match for our nation's athletes—and we predict this sporty collab will continue for years to come.

More on Luckymag.com: