SPORT INSPIRED: OPENING CEREMONY'S NEW ANNUAL

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Last night I finally got myself along to Opening Ceremony's pop up shop in Covent Garden. It was full of delectable pieces from familiar designers like Maarten van der Horst and Marques'Almeida but also introduced me to Norma Kamali and Chloe Sevigny's cute skater skirts and animal print knits. Struck with indecision, the only thing I came away with was Opening Ceremony's newly released Annual- a new book/ magazine hybrid which will be published in limited edition each year with a different theme.  In a no brainer kind of way, this year's is all about Sport.

The book, because really that's what it is given it's £20, is full of shoots where models do yoga poses in Carven, ride horses in Jonathan Saunders or renact forgotten Olympic sports like the tug of war wearing Band of Outsiders.  Embedded amongst these are profiles of young athletes, sport themed memoirs and interviews with inspiring sporty people. I know that leafing through its pages will keep me entertained for hours, plus it's a nice, offbeat reminder of what has been the most brilliant few weeks of Olympic and Paralympic sport. The annual is edited by Rory Satran, OC's head of online development and digital platforms. I thought that was interesting in itself- OC's digital co-ordinator heading up a big print project shows that the brand a. takes both media very seriously b. sees that there should be continuity between the two. In her editor letter, Satran says "Opening Ceremony is like a geeky fashion Olympics, with the original New York flagship as our home stadium.... The company takes its name from Baron de Coubertin's modern Olympic games" most importantly though "sport brings us together, and adds fun and meaning to our lives".

 "The Deep End" shoot is seductive and fresh and basically makes you want to plunge in and do 50 lengths. The images were taken by Zoe Ghertner and styled by Lester Garcia (who works with Jeremy Scott's). It is all about the contours of the body, the meeting of flesh and water and the kind of peace you get from gliding through the pool- well, that's what I got anyway. It reminded me that I really need to read Swimming Studies- reviewed here- a comprehensive look at the sport written by a former Olympic hopeful who still has a kind of love/hate obsession despite giving up her dreams when her family moved away from where she trained. I have heard many good things and am tentatively hoping it might be to swimming what Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is to running.

Anyway, here's a taster of Ghertner's gorgeous shoot. You can get Opening Ceremony's Annual online here.