If the berets and double-breasted young Republican look that the U.S.'s Olympic athletes will be wearing during the opening ceremony in London aren't doing it for you sartorially, we'll give you one more reason to hate these things. Ralph Lauren had these duds made in China--just like four years ago.  The New York Daily News' Brian Niemietz reports on the Ralph Lauren-China connection and because he works for the NYDN, he's allowed to lay into the berets a little more than we would. (We're like Switzerland here, wear your beret and open that ceremony like no one's watching we say!) But that's not to say that this China finding doesn't hit some patriotic nerve since these uniforms are going to represent the United States. If it weren't a big deal, why would we even bother picking an American designer to create these outfits?  "The price of all this made-in-China preppiness — if you for some reason want to buy it — $598 for the women’s blazer and $498 for the silk skirt. The men’s blazer is a staggering $795, flat front trousers $295 and nubuck shoes are $165. And that damn beret? $55." writes Niemietz. 

The funny thing is, the same thing happened four years ago. Back in 2008, Ralph Lauren commissioned Chinese tailors sew our official uniforms. (In May, Mitt Romney was even dragged into a "Made America" debate about some Olympic pins from 2002.) In 2008, the biggest complaint was the uniforms' jankiness, presumably underpaid Chinese tailors, be damned, but with all the talk "offshoring" in the current election cycle, you'd think someone would make effort to have these things Made in  the USA.

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Alexander Abad-Santos