The Olympics
Simone Biles’ $3,000 Team USA Uniform Was Sheer & Bedazzled
It was made with over 6,000 Swarovski crystals.
It’s been exactly one day since Simone Biles finished her first gymnastics routines at the 2024 Olympics, but my jaw is still on the floor. Along with her teammates, the GOAT represented Team USA in the women’s qualifying competition on Sunday, July 28.
Her performances were memorable for several reasons. One, it was the first time the decorated gymnast returned to the mat since the 2020 Tokyo Games. Two, she did so with a vengeance, stealing the show in the four categories she competed in — balance beam, vault, uneven bars, and floor. (She even pulled some of her signature moves.) And finally, she looked every bit the fashion icon in a bedazzled uniform that shone almost as bright as her star. Almost.
Simone’s Bedazzled Star-Spangled Suit
At the Paris event, Biles wore a chrome bodysuit that featured a built-in long-sleeve overlay. While leotards are the staple uniform of gymnasts, nothing about her suit was commonplace. The sheer black overlay was entirely bedazzled with Swarovski crystals — 6,359 of them, to be exact.
The dazzlers were symbolic, of course. In shades of garnet, brilliant white, periwinkle, turquoise, the embellishments represented the USA’s famed red, white, and blue palette. Her suit also included crystals in metallic gold, which, per the brand, was a “nod to our gymnastics dynasty.” (The hue, however, could also symbolize — nay, foreshadow — the medal the team is hoping to win.)
Even the Swarovski placements were symbolic; negative spaces shaped as stars blanketed the suit, an ode to the the star-spangled banner.
Designed by Pennsylvania-based company GK Elite Sportswear, the leotards cost roughly $3,000 — making it the most expensive gymnastics costume Team USA has ever worn to any Olympics.
A Whole Team Of Stars
The rest of Team USA — Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera — was also clad in the sparkly suits. And they all shone equally bright at the qualifying rounds.
You Can Get A Replica For $90
For those who want to feel like Biles for a day — minus the dizzying flips and twists — the company released short-sleeved lookalikes for public purchase. Thankfully, it’s nowhere near the OG’s eye-watering price tag. Instead, fans can grab a leotard for $89.99.
A star athlete and stylista. You love to see it.
As part of its Team USA x Bustle 2024 Media Partnership, BDG is amplifying the stories of Team USA athletes, and aiding in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s mission of empowering America’s elite athletes through physical and mental health resources, funding, high performance support, training facilities, education and career coaching, and more. The USOPC is privately funded by the American public and Team USA sponsors. Learn more at TeamUSA.com and USOPC.org.
