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Who wears it best? Let the Olympic fashion show begin.

From neon-blue Wellington boots to see-through nylon jackets with oversized pockets, Olympic outfits have long stirred cultural critiques. The long wait for the 2020 Tokyo games has given fans extra time to speculate on each team鈥檚 look.

First Look

Let the fashion policing begin.

The Olympics in Tokyo open July 23, when the world鈥檚 athletes will march behind their flag-bearers. And when they do, the peanut gallery on what they鈥檙e wearing will be open, too.

Olympic gear makes for lively social media fodder, starting with the hours-long Parade of Nations. The year-long wait due to the pandemic has given enthusiasts extra time to ponder what they love or hate.

There鈥檚 the Czech Republic and its traditional indigo block-print design with matching fans, already the butt of some jokes. It follows the country鈥檚 loud umbrellas and neon-blue Wellington boots of 2012 in London, along with its 鈥淏eetlejuice鈥� stripes in Rio in 2016.

Israel鈥檚 athletes have see-through nylon jackets with huge pockets, while Emporio Armani decked out Italy鈥檚 team in track suits with a reinterpretation of Japan鈥檚 rising sun in the colors of the Italian flag: red, green, and white. Liberia received the gift of designer Telfar Clemens, the buzzy Liberian American who makes sought-after bags, and created their kits for the first time.

Things used to be a lot simpler for the athletes, fashion wise. In the beginning, there was no parade, or opening ceremony for that matter. Athletes wore whatever they chose, often walking with the equipment of their sports.

鈥淚n the early days it was no big deal,鈥� said David Wallechinksy, executive board member and past president of the International Society of Olympic Historians. 鈥淧eople would just come on. If a team wanted to dress alike they did.鈥�

Mr. Wallechinksy unearthed an image in an archival film showing the 1924 British curlers walking in the Winter Games parade in Chamonix, France, their brooms held high.

In the beginning, clothes were optional altogether, during competition anyway, according to scholars. Athletes often performed in the nude in Ancient Greece. In more modern times, parade uniforms often pay homage to a host country, in addition to traditions, athletic feats, and patriotic flourishes.

This year, the pandemic has brought on another element: masks.

Australia has its athletes in a sand-colored blazer lined with the names of the country鈥檚 320 Olympic gold medalists. For the closing ceremony, Canada鈥檚 Olympic organizers teamed with Levi鈥檚 to produce a denim 鈥淐anadian tuxedo鈥� jacket alive with Japanese street-style graffiti to be worn with white denim pants.

鈥淭his is the gang that comes after you if you say you tried watching 鈥楽chitt鈥檚 Creek鈥� but couldn鈥檛 get into it,鈥� New York Times culture writer Dave Itzkoff tweeted of the look in April, several months after the jacket was unveiled with Team Canada鈥檚 other gear.

Alison Brown, host of the Olympic fans podcast 鈥淜eep the Flame Alive,鈥� said outfitting Olympic teams, including those competing in the Paralympics, isn鈥檛 easy.

鈥淭hey have to fit all kinds of body types. Think tiny gymnasts, brawny weightlifters, and lanky basketball players. They have to convey something about the nation, honor the host, be serious enough for the solemnity of the occasion but practical enough to be comfortable for hours of standing in the heat,鈥� she said.

Count Ms. Brown among the fans of the Czech uniforms, done by Zuzana Osako in Prague. They include the team鈥檚 mainstay, a gymnast, built into the design. Men will be in blue vests with white pants and women in blue blouses and white skirts.

鈥淭hey managed to blend elements of Czech folk tradition, traditional Japanese indigo dyeing techniques, and a call out to the great Czech gymnast Vera Caslavska, but still keep the outfit wearable and comfortable for the heat,鈥� Ms. Brown said.

Of Canada鈥檚 denim jackets, she said: 鈥淚 think I wore something similar in 1987. I wonder if anyone over 12 really wants to wear it.鈥�

Lucia Kinghorn, a vice president of fashion at Hudson鈥檚 Bay, which helped created Canada鈥檚 uniforms and other Olympic gear, is aware of the scorn.

鈥淔or as many naysayers, we have even more fans,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of the thoughtful design behind Team Canada鈥檚 clothing and happy that so many people are talking about it.鈥�

Ms. Brown was similarly unimpressed by the looks for Team USA. They include blue denim pants for the opening parade and white denim pants for the closing ceremony.

鈥淭he U.S. has stayed with the same designer, Ralph Lauren, as it has for years, leading to another yachting look. Yawn,鈥� she said. 鈥淎lso, it鈥檚 expected to be very hot in Tokyo. Jeans, a knit top, scarf, and a blazer? Who wants to wear denim in that kind of heat and humidity?鈥�

The denim is lightweight in a stretchy fabric.

Japan鈥檚 uniforms harken back to those worn by the Japanese team at the opening ceremony of the last Olympics to be held in Tokyo, in 1964. Back then, jackets were red and trousers were white. The colors are switched this year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 in line with the many call-backs organizers are including to 1964,鈥� Ms. Brown said.

Her favorite parade look so far is Mexico鈥檚. The Mexico Olympic Committee held a national vote online to choose the opening ceremony looks from three designs created by High Life. The winning design honors Oaxaca in a single, brightly colored lapel.

鈥淭he blazer includes one floral lapel in traditional Zapotec embroidery. So beautiful without being costumey,鈥� Ms. Brown said.

The embroidery was done by Oaxacan artisans, making each lapel among the 150 blazers a different custom design, said Jeannette Haber, marketing director of High Life. The artisans, she said, were 鈥渉appy to be part of the project, and that their designs and their work could have this worldwide exposure.鈥�

Whole collections for sale to consumers are built around what Olympic athletes wear during opening ceremonies.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great moment for these brands to show their team spirit and their innovation in new technologies,鈥� said Ted Stafford, fashion director of Men鈥檚 Health magazine and market director for Esquire.

That includes a cooling unit Ralph Lauren built into a white denim jacket for the Team USA flag-bearer.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the world stage and it sets the tone,鈥� Mr. Stafford said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more than just a big fashion show.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Associated Press writer Berenice Bautista in Mexico City contributed to this story.