Gold medals won't be the only bling on display at the upcoming Olympic games.
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00:00Gold medals won't be the only bling on display at the upcoming Olympic Games. The 2024 Paris
00:05Olympics kick off on July 26th, with gymnastics taking center stage the next day. In a new
00:11twist, eight distinctive leotard designs for Team USA have been revealed ahead of the competition.
00:17On July 10th, the women of Team USA opened gift packages containing their outfits on
00:22NBC's Today show.
00:23This is beautiful!"
00:26Four-time gold medalist Simone Biles is a big fan of leotards, decked out with glittering
00:30gems, and this year's uniforms reached new heights in terms of their dazzling designs.
00:35Swarovski crystals are an essential component of the leotards, and their unparalleled sparkle
00:40adds to the spectacle as the gymnasts perform. Suni Lee told The New York Times,
00:45"...I'm obsessed with how the lights of the arena reflect off the crystals."
00:49The go-for-glory design boasts 9,929 individual crystals dotting the neckline, the red and
00:55white stripes, and every star on the leotard. While the majority of these crystals are positioned
01:00via a special machine, some are painstakingly attached with a steady hand. Created by GK
01:05Elite, based in Reading, Pennsylvania, the swoon-worthy fits were two years in the making.
01:10Gian Diaz, GK's design director, told Vogue,
01:13"...their confidence plays a huge role in their performance. Paris is a fashion capital
01:17of the world, so we really leaned into the fashion aspect."
01:20While crystals have been lending their signature shine to the gymnasts' ensembles throughout
01:24the 21st century, the number of individual sparkles keeps expanding. In addition, some
01:29of the 2024 outfits also have pearls to add a warm glow.
01:33Among the eight designs, the number of crystals range from 3,423 on the firework-style design
01:43of the Sovereign Sparkle to more than 10,000 on the Brilliant Blue Luminous Legacy leotard.
01:49This particular design includes red and blue crystals in addition to the traditional variety,
01:53with stars made entirely out of crystals gracing the mesh sleeves and back.
01:57A close-up of the Luminous Legacy bodice reveals how the company made the most of their crystal-forward
02:02design, with tightly packed lines in a stunning geometric layout. Given the amounts of crystals
02:07and the complexity of the designs, these leotards have been valued anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000
02:12each — well beyond the cost of Simone Biles' leotard for the 2020 Games. Luckily, GK Elite
02:18is also selling replica leotards priced at $89.99.
02:21Of course, this garment doesn't have as much bling as what the actual gymnasts will wear
02:25in the competition.
02:26Crystals have become such an integral part of Team USA women's gymnastics uniforms for
02:30the last several Olympics that it's difficult to imagine a time before their eye-catching
02:34shimmer. For instance, while Mary Lou Retton's 1984 leotard was an iconic patriotic design,
02:40it lacked sparkle. At the time, this era's revolutionary design was the fact that the
02:44leotards were made of body-hugging lycra.