Beautiful Hueniverse

Cincinnati was sodden and gray, but these gentlemen brightened the whole city with their warm-up fashion.

Fringe benefit, your coach will have no problem spotting you across a crowded venue.

A second trending fashion--purple hair. This lady rocked the best locks.

I also collected a new fencing tat for my collection. You HAVE to believe that this confers some superior strength and speed, right?

Best dressed ref goes to:

(I'm a sucker for a matching tie and pocket square.)

Best club banner:

I'm also one step closer to complete lamé lexicon of fencing terminology

And last, a quiet meditation on the joys of color matching one's gear.

Until Salt Lake City then, salute.

Throwing Down the Gauntlet

I hope you enjoyed the 2018 winter Olympics! I, of course, was watching with an eye to sports fashion. The opening ceremony was a delight, and not just because Tongan skier Pita Taufatofua went shirtless, yet again.

Photo: Petr David Josek/AP

Nor because it was possibly the most searingly fluorescent parade of winter fashion ever

Cross-country skier Vesna Fabjan of Slovenia carries the national flag 
during the Parade of Nations. Sharifulin Valery/TASS via ZUMA Press
from article in Mother Jones

No, the highlight for me was the over-the-top gloves worn by team USA

Both awesome AND insane. (And only $995 from Ralph Lauren.)

As fencers, we know from gloves, right? And as it happens, we have our own equivalent of these embroidered, suede, fringe extravaganzas. 

I took these pictures at Summer Nationals in 2016, at a beautifully staged booth occupied by Zzuma & Company, which bills itself as "finest performance apparel & lifestyle brand for the world's elite fencers."

They even create gloves designed to reflect individual team USA fencers!

Here's a black coaching glove for Greg Massialas. Boss. 

And not just for the US team, either:

At only a $128 a pair, they are a steal compared to Ralph Lauren's offering. 

Still, as I contemplate actually buying a beautiful product like this, I remember that this is what one of my gloves typically looks like after 6 months of practice:

Even a "good" glove I save for competitions gets stamped all over now that the armorers are checking gloves. I can just see that conversation: "could you stamp it really carefully way over on this corner and DON'T SMUDGE!!!!"

Of course, for $256 I could buy a left and a right hand glove, and wear them as fashion accessories, in the style our winter Olympians. It would still cost less than a pair of the bespoke Ralph Lauren Olympic limited editions. 

Or I could settle for some of the less expensive, and more practical, Zzuma swag. Yeah, maybe that.

Posting Portland

How cold was it at the Portland NAC?

Ask Pamela Guntrum, of Seattle's Salle Auriol

Pam wins "Most Stylish Vet Fencer of the Portland NAC" for deploying a feather boa to deal with the chill.

Thought adding a pink Pussyhat to warm-ups was a pretty great solution, too. 

Even the referees felt the need to bundle up

As to spectators, nothing says "warmth" like silly Christmas sweaters (and lap robes). 

On to other fashion notes from the NAC. It was a great event for women's empowerment:

Not so  much "#MeToo" as "Touch me and you WILL die." Works for me.

Youth fashion trend was temporary tattoos of fencing club logos. At least I hope they are temporary...

Even one vendor got into the act

Not all the refs bundled up. This official chose to go formal. Well, formal with sneakers. 

The award for "Most Bad-ass Fencing Outfit" goes to this sabreur. 

Yes, he is actually fencing pools in work boots. And work pants. And a bandana. Someone asked me "is that legal?" Maybe not, but what ref would dare call him on it? (He seemed to me to be about 6' 8", but keep in mind I'm only a tiny badger.) 

I'm not sure this is legal, either, but the fencer gets point for "best improv with a blue crayon."

Crowdsourcing the following question: does the High Desert Fencing Alliance engage in three-weapon Elk hunting?

Just asking.

And lastly, I thin this is what happens when the bout committee is forced to work long hours with insufficient caffeine:

See you in Richmond in April! Bring your best fencing fashion and rock the strip. 

Salute,

Badger

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