Milan Cortina is going for Olympic fashion gold. Take a look at some eye-popping outfits

MILAN (AP) — Mittens versus gloves? Hats against headbands? Merino wool over Mongolian cashmere?

Fashion is its own competitor in any Olympics, from team uniforms at the opening and closing ceremonies to individual looks in the stadiums and — during the Winter Games — on the slopes.

There's also the simmering rivalry between Europe's top two fashion cities. The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics were heralded as the most stylish yet, but Milan is going for gold on the heels of its annual men’s fashion week and ahead of the women's runway previews.

Athletes around the world have been ginning up anticipation by flooding social media with unboxing videos of their new swag. Before taking to the ice and (manufactured) snow, they will make their grand debut Friday night at the opening ceremony's Parade of Nations.

Here's a look at some of the outfits:

Team Italy's uniforms are the last ever designed by Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani, who died in September at the age of 91.

The kit's milky white color is meant to evoke harmony and snow-capped peaks, and includes a down jacket, thermal ski jacket and waterproof trousers. Its star piece, an oversized bomber jacket, is covered with “Italia” heat-printed all over and finished with a high knit collar in the red, green and white of the Italian flag.

This was Armani’s fourth Winter Olympics uniform for Team Italia, made under the athletic EA7 Emporio Armani label.

He will be honored in a separate tribute during the opening ceremony given his ties to Milan and his legacy as one of the founders of Italian ready-to-wear.

Ralph Lauren is channeling cozy Americana with its opening ceremony outfit, which was unveiled in December alongside other looks the Team USA athletes will wear throughout the Games.

Naturally it’s red, white and blue, exemplified by the Fair Isle knitwear with a U.S. flag and Olympic rings, matching tasseled hat and mittens. The prevailing mood for the opening ceremony uniform was winter white, in both a duffel coat and trousers. The choice was made with the athletes, and unofficially endorsed when Pantone made Cloud Dancer color of 2026 — coincidentally on the same day Ralph Lauren unveiled its Olympic uniforms.

“They thought it felt it felt like peace. They thought it was very ethereal,’’ chief branding officer David Lauren told The Associated Press at the Ralph Lauren palazzo in Milan on Thursday night.

The Ralph Lauren team has been designing Team USA’s Olympic apparel since 2008, and designers start on each Olympics’ looks about 2 1/2 years out from the Games.

Haiti’s two-man Olympic team will be sporting gear designed by Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean and inspired by a Haitian artist's painting.

The uniforms originally featured Toussaint Louverture, the former slave who led a revolution that created the world’s first Black republic in 1804, astride a red horse. But the IOC ruled that the image violated Olympic rules barring political symbolism, forcing Jean to paint over the nation’s founding father.

That left only Louverture's charging steed — representing Haiti’s founding moment — against a lush tropical backdrop and azure sky. The IOC didn’t respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment, but no demonstration of political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic site or venue.

“Rules are rules and must be respected, and that is what we have done,’’ Jean told the AP at an exclusive unveiling at Haiti's embassy in Rome.

Mongolian brand Goyol Cashmere launched its Olympic looks last month to instant internet acclaim. The designers were inspired by the “warrior spirit” of Mongolians who, for thousands of years, used cashmere to endure the brutal winters of the Central Asian highlands, the company wrote on social media.

The designers leaned heavily on attire dating back to the Great Mongol Empire between the 13th and 15th centuries, the brand said.

At the Milan Cortina Games, each Mongolian athletes will wear a cashmere ceremonial deel — a traditional tunic or robe — with silk trimmings to honor the past and present.

More casual looks will also feature cashmere, such as knitwear that draws upon the alpine ski sweater style of Western mountain culture, and traditional Mongolian motifs.

For Canada, lululemon looked to the frontier for fashion. The athleisure brand overlaid the North American country’s topographic map with colors ranging from deep red to iceberg-inspired greens and blues.

For Paralympians, athletes next month can expect new adaptive footwear and seated-fit styles, as well as uniforms featuring braille characters and magnetic zippers.

Of course, the signature maple leaf makes a big splash, too.

Italian luxury brand Moncler designed an oversized white puffer coat for Brazil’s athletes.

Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen stunned the crowd in Milan by opening his coat, now functioning similar to a cape, to reveal the blue, green and gold Brazilian flag on the inside lining.

The Czech Republic partnered with ALPINE PRO for its funky opening ceremony outfits.

The red, gold, black and white knit sweaters featured a bold, retro-inspired pattern that, unusually, did not match Czechia’s red, white and blue national flag.

Czech company ALPINE PRO instead opted to channel unconventional Italian design in homage to the hosts. The knitwear was finished with a long red scarf in the Italian style.

Many teams and designers are keeping hush-hush about their looks. They're counting on a big reveal during the opening ceremony inside Milan’s 80,000-seat San Siro stadium.

Here's a list of some other known collaborations:

— Austria and AlphaTauri

— China and Li-Ning

— Czech Republic and ALPINE PRO

— Finland and Luhta

— France and Le Coq Sportif

— Germany and Adidas

— Great Britain and Ben Sherman

— Iceland and 66 North

— Poland and Adidas

— Spain and Joma

— Sweden and UNIQLO

— Switzerland and OCHSNER SPORT

— Ukraine and 4F

Associated Press writer Alyce Brown in New York contributed to this report.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Athletes from Canada walk during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Cameron Spencer/Pool Photo via AP)

Czechia arrives during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Athletes from Haiti walk during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Ariuntungalag Enkhbayar, the flag bearer of Mongolia, takes part in the athletes parade during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Team Australia arrives for the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen attends the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

FILE - Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean, center, assists Megan Thomas, right, and Livia Audain with the official uniform of the Haitian national team participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics, at the Haitian Embassy in Rome, Jan. 31, 2026, (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

FILE - People watch the shop window during an event celebrating the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Emporio Armani store during the Fall/Winter 2026-2027 men's fashion week in Milan, Italy, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

FILE - Olympic snowboarder Red Gerard unveils Ralph Lauren's Team USA opening ceremony uniform for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics at Ralph Lauren headquarters, Dec. 3, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Vitomir Padovan of Croatia presents an outfit during a fashion show ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xue Yuge/Pool Photo via AP)

Ariuntungalag Enkhbayar of Mongolia presents an outfit during a fashion show ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xue Yuge/Pool Photo via AP)

A model presents an outfit of the French National Olympic Committee, during a fashion show ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xue Yuge/Pool Photo via AP)

Mara Navarria of Italy presents an outfit during a fashion show ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xue Yuge/Pool Photo via AP)

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”

U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.

The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.

Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.

Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)