Style Panel: Our It girls get into the Olympic swing by styling up the Bay’s Team Canada collection

Date August 1, 2012

As we’ve already proven on the site, there are many ways to get into the Olympic swing. And since our main expertise involves how one might wear it, we’ve melded the two in this week’s Style Panel feature! From sea to shining sea, we asked our panellists to show us their best patriotic outfit, by styling pieces from the Bay’s Team Canada collection. The results, as usual, are as awesome and unique as each panelist. Want to score a piece of your own? Head on over to thebay.com for a peek at what the brand is offering.

Question 12: What’s your favourite way to sartorially support Team Canada? Read the answers now! »

Élodie Parthenay, 26
Montreal | Hello Elo

I’m a huge sportswear fan: I wear crewnecks, varsity jackets or sneakers on a daily basis. I’ve found that the key to making them work without looking like you came right from the gym or the track field is balancing the sporty feel with smarter pieces. High heels, sequins, printed pants, anything goes! As for the retro vibe of the official Team Canada gear, it calls for pairings with more modern accessories, such as those wood flatforms.

Elodie’s wearing: Canada crewneck, the Bay. Velvet skinny pants, the Gap. Wood flatforms, Ecoté. Earrings, Uranium.

Alex Grant, 25
Toronto via Vancouver | To Vogue or Bust

Since I was lucky enough to be in my hometown of Vancouver over the 2010 Winter Olympics, I already got a crash course in high-voltage national pride and Canadiana-themed everything — in fact, I’m pretty sure I managed to score almost all the Olympic merch the Bay had put out during that time. I quickly learned that the trick to styling Olympic wear is to limit yourself to wearing one or two items at a time, working the rest of your outfit around the Canadiana element.

Being an Olympics fanatic, I’m only too happy to get back into the swing of things this year, especially because the Bay’s Olympic offerings are just as wearable and stylish as they were two years ago. I paired this femininely cut tee from the Bay with a red skirt, which echoes the red stripes that flank the maple leaf in our flag. By adding lashings of Ruby Woo by M.A.C to lips and a little contrasting colour pop courtesy of my teal bag, I’m Olympics-ready without looking like I’m taking parting part in the opening ceremonies!

Alex’s wearing: Tee, the Bay. Skirt, American Apparel. Bag, Rebecca Minkoff. Wedges and belt, H&M. Rings, H&M and Social Experiment.

Kristin MacDonald, 27
Fredericton | Doll Parade

We were handed a fun challenge this week that allowed me to leave my comfort zone in quite a new way: sportswear for day-to-day wear. As much as I was on board to receive such a wonderful piece of Hudson Bay’s Olympics collection (thank you!), I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit stumped when deciding how to style it. I received this darling little red tank and decided to go with something straightforward and accurate. A go-to pair of broken-in jeans, some simple accessories and my most versatile heels made this feel natural, as well as well-deserving of the thumbs up I received from strangers during an ice cream date that evening. And throwing some white and red stripes over my shoulders? Well, I guess I was just feeling patriotic.

Kristin’s wearing: Jeans, the Gap. Tank, the Bay. Purse and shoes, Le Chateau. Gold necklace, thrifted. Sweater, Joe Fresh.

Kassandra Camponi, 26
Edmonton | Kastles

Oh, Canada. If you’re not sure how to rock Olympic style, a jacket like this can be your key. This little jean jacket has been the best addition to my wardrobe lately. It’s perfect for throwing on when it gets cool in the evenings, it has awesome vintage style patches and it supports our home and native land all while looking stylish. The best part is that I know 20 years down the road this jacket will look even more wicked. And it can never hurt to have a little pop of colour! If your feeling extra adventurous, throw on some face paint!

Kassandra’s wearing: Dress, Sanctuary. Heels, Kenneth Cole Reaction. Necklace, vintage. Jacket, the Bay.

Jen Tam, 23
Vancouver | Her Waise Choice

The Olympics are always an exciting time for me. I love the camaraderie it brings, even among strangers, as well as the way it motivates us all to be more active and live healthier lifestyles. I’ve been spending any extra time I’ve had in the past few days catching up on Olympic highlights and couldn’t be prouder to be sporting this tank top for my home country!

Alicia Quan, 25
Vancouver | Alicia Fashionista

I absolutely can’t get enough of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s London 2012 Olympic Collection! Perfectly patriotic, the Bay pays homage to the spirit of the true North strong and free with comfortable, practical and simple styles. I’m especially impressed with their reasonable prices and consistently flattering fits. Even their sweatshirts sit exactly right on the body! Just as there are ideal occasions to wear a certain dress, I was waiting for the perfect outing to sport this adorable Canadian sweatshirt. Always a fun challenge for me to style something casual, it was an evening beach picnic that required such a cozy outfit. I can’t wait to style this pullover again, but for now, I wear my Hudson’s Bay Company Olympic gear with a sense of great Canadian pride. Go Team Canada!

Alyssa Lau, 20
Edmonton | The Ordinary Peoples

As an avid lover and supporter of anything Olympics-related, you can imagine how excited I was when this week’s Style Panel post was suggested. Team Canada merch? Yes please. With the sporty-chic trend in full motion, sweatpants can be worn regardless of whether it is exam time or not. Even these sweet cotton fleece shorts that I’ve rolled up add a little something to the sporty-chic movement. Huge thanks to Randi and The Bay for making all of this possible.

Alyssa’s wearing: Heels, choeis.com, Cotton fleece shorts, the Bay, T-shirt, Oak + Fort. Clutch, J. Crew.

Niki Blasina, 26
NYC via Vancouver | A Haute Mess

I know. Everything about this is wrong (especially because I’m wearing silver Converse sneakers — not pictured). and this outfit may be the equivalent of Gretchen Wieners trying to make “fetch” happen, but I love leather, fringe, Canada and my new Olympic tank, so I’m doing it anyway! As always, the Bay’s Olympic gear fits perfectly and is great quality, so I’m definitely going to be showing my Canadian pride and team spirit by sporting this tank (pun intended) for the next few weeks (especially because I’ve recently relocated to the U.S. of A., heh). I may not try and make the fringed leather skirt work again, but I will patriotically pair up my favourite denim cut-offs or slouchy trousers with this team tank.

Lolitta Dandoy, 32
Montreal | Fashion Is Everywhere

I’m a huge Olympics fan, so I usually buy a piece from the Canadian collection. This year, I was particularly pleased by the vintage feel of the collection… and my favourite piece was definitely this fitted denim jacket! I love the faded wash and the Canadiana badges decorating it. Honestly, I think we can wear this jacket with anything, but I like the idea of giving it a pretty and preppy vibe with this simple cotton ruffled dress… collar out! To keep a casual feel, I paired it with comfy rope-soled sandals. And to show my colours without being dressed like our flag from head to toe, I added a striped red and white headband and earrings!

Lolitta’s wearing: Denim jacket, the Bay. Shirt dress, Thakoon for Gap. Sandals, ID Browns (found at The Swap team’s clothing swap). Headband, Ardène. Earrings, Aldo.

Mo Handahu, 29
Halifax | Curvy Geekery

Being such a huge fan of the Olympics, it was such an honor to be invited to pick a piece from the Canadian Olympic Team’s gear! I paired the grey fleece pants with some key pieces to support our beloved red and white. Wishing Team Canada all the best in the games and a big thank you to all the atheletes for inspiring us all!

Mo’s wearing: Sweatpants and ring, the Bay. Blazer, earrings and necklace, thrifted. Top, Le Chateau.