The BBC Olympics presenters who have become accidental fashion influencers
If you’ve been glued to the BBC’s Olympics coverage over the past two weeks, you’re probably beginning to consider Keely Hodgkinson, Adam Peaty and Alex Yee as close personal friends.
And what about Gabby Logan, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Rebecca Adlington, et al, who have been cheering with us all the way?
You may have noticed that a whole other set of games is playing out in the studio. Welcome to the fashion Olympics, where the goal is to look good on screen, day after day, without distracting from the sporting achievements that have been taking place.
Obviously, they’re not in competition with each other, but all presenters are faced with the same set of challenges, and the way in which they’ve navigated them has been masterful. There have been no wardrobe malfunctions, no viral fashion fails, not even a creased blouse – which, given the heat in the swimming arena and at the Stade de France, is an impressive achievement.
Dressing for a live television appearance is no soft sport. It requires planning, coordination and an in-depth knowledge of what does and doesn’t work on screen. No wonder, then, that all of the best dressed presenters at the games rely on the help of professionals.
“We never leave it [until the] last minute, that’s for sure,” says Charlotte Handley-Green, who has been styling Gabby Logan for the past two decades. “Gabby’s so organised, we prepared for this about two months ago. I spent the whole day at her house. We try everything on and take pictures.”
For Logan, at least, it didn’t require a major shopping spree. “We always start within her wardrobe,” Handley-Green explains. “We go back and see what we can reuse, it’s really important. Over the years we’ve [accumulated] key pieces that we use again and again.”
Among those re-wears are an Isabel Marant dress she wore earlier this year to Wimbledon and a beige Reiss dress she’s had for so long she describes it on her Instagram as “vintage” (not that it looks old in the slightest). In fact, Logan made just one new purchase for this stint in Paris, a mint green Victoria Beckham dress. Full marks for sustainability, and proof that you can wear the same thing on TV more than once in this day and age.
For athletes who have more recently made the transition into commentary, nailing a presenter-worthy wardrobe is more of a work in progress.
Take Rebecca Adlington, who has won praise from viewers for her colourful printed dresses, all from high street or independent brands. “I prepped around 40 [different looks], and we needed nine. She ended up taking 14 in total,” says Martine Alexander, who styles Adlington.
“We always have at least two backups, because the BBC may say, ‘Oh, could you do this last minute addition?’ And it also might be on a green screen, so you can’t have anything with green in it. So we just have to make sure that as well as the outfits that we know, there are [extra] ones just in case. We didn’t know what the studio was going to be like, so we had to prepare for every eventuality.”
A stylist also needs to consider: whether the presenter will be sitting or standing, the garment’s likelihood of creasing, the temperature at the venue or studio and what the co-presenter might be wearing. “We don’t know what their [co-presenter] will be wearing, but we do look at their personal style and reflect that,” Alexander says. For a particularly warm environment (at the swimming arena and the Stade de France it has been hot), she might also equip her clients with underarm pads to avoid sweat marks on the clothes.
As a general rule, presenters will steer clear of black, grey and navy on television as it can look a bit drab on screen. “Bright whites can also cause lighting issues,” says Jacqui Akrofi, who styled former sprinter Jeanette Kwakye for her stint in the BBC Paris studio. “I avoided dressing Jeanette in green and similar shades to prevent blending into [a green screen] background, [while] small, busy prints were avoided because of their potential to cause visual distortions on camera.”
Beware the OTT outfit though, as the fashion should never distract from the job at hand. “We definitely bear in mind that the clothes aren’t doing the talking,” says Handley-Green. “[Logan] looks put together for the job she’s doing, but it’s not too distracting.”
The styling process is always more efficient when the stylist and client have a history of working together. That’s the case for Logan and also for Adlington. “We just get each other, and we’re very honest with each other, so it’s a dynamic that works well,” says Alexander of working with the swimmer.
And when the styling is right, the audience really does respond. When Adlington wore a dress by the small label Raishma to present the men’s 4x200 swimming relay last week, the brand was completely unprepared for the impact on business. “We started getting a surge of orders, and wondered if there had been a glitch on the website,” designer Raishma Islam admits. “She has worn our dresses in the past but we’ve never had this kind of reaction.”
A pair of Wyse sandals and a 70s-inspired dress from Boden, also worn by Adlington last week, have all but sold out too.
Joining Logan in the BBC Sports booth at the Stade de France have been two other strong fashion players: Dames Denise Lewis and Jessica Ennis-Hill. They’ve held their own as commentators, all while staying true to their personal style.
For Lewis, it has been all about the tailored silhouette, which looks clean and impactful on screen. She’s been wearing block-coloured tailoring by The Fold and Holland Cooper, as well as one rust-orange belted dress by Karen Millen.
Ennis-Hill’s choices have been more playful; a silky red co-ord from Claudie Pierlot looked sleek and effortless, as did her broderie Anglaise lace Sandro dress. She’s been wearing lots of French brands; a nod to the hosts, certainly.
And you don’t need to be a television host to embrace these style lessons – they could benefit any wardrobe. Be comfortable. Avoid fabrics that crease easily. Stick to clean silhouettes, and be discerning in your choice of prints. And always, always start by searching for gems you already own.
That’s the formula for looking good on-screen or off. No stylist required.
