The Olympic delegation of the People's Republic of China parade into the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 4, 2022. (Xinhua)

The Parade of Athletes at the opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Friday night turned out to be a "fashion feast," as athletes competed not for gold medals, but the awards for "best dress" by showing their most technologically advanced and stylish outfits at the Bird's Nest stadium.

Many hashtags about the delegations' uniforms quickly trended on Chinese social media, where they earned different titles among Chinese netizens who watched the "catwalk show."

Best look

According to China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, the hashtag "The best team in the history of the Winter Olympics" was all about the Chinese delegation.

The Chinese delegation chose a set of fitted long cashmere coats with beige for the male team and the traditional red for the female team, with woolen hats that matched their coats, although some athletes also wore red caps with beige coats. They were all equipped with white boots, while their scarves shared the same color of the national flag, with yellow Chinese characters for "China" woven on the red background. 

"This is the first time that I recall the Chinese delegation debuting with cashmere coats instead of loose tracksuits, they look timelessly stylish," one Chinese spectator surnamed Liu told the Global Times.

"This is the real Chinese red, this red made me full of passion and pride. Beijing 2022 is the best Winter Olympics ever," one netizen wrote on Sina Weibo.

Favorite design

Perhaps because the color red represents fortune to Chinese, especially during the Chinese New Year, the uniforms of the Canadian delegation won high marks among netizens for their head-to-toe red outfits.

"This is my second favorite outfit besides the Chinese uniform. The Canadian team's clothes are great both in design and aesthetics," one Chinese netizen wrote. 

The Olympic delegation of Great Britain parade into the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 4, 2022. (Xinhua)

Media reported that the outfits can be modified. For instance, the down jackets can be carried like a backpack if the temperature rises.

Many Chinese netizens showed surprise after learning that the uniforms were designed by Vancouver-based athleisure company Lululemon, as many joked online that they thought "Canadians only liked wearing Canada Goose."

Uniforms from Finland also won strong praise on Chinese social media for their "gentle and advanced color matching," and also earned the nickname "penguin-style." 

Some netizens commented that the Finnish athletes looked "cute" as "on screen they look like little penguins in gray down jackets."

Alice Roche, a French fashion worker currently living in China, told the Global Times that the Finnish uniforms were one of her favorite outfits as "the design and colors are futuristic and stand out."

No fear of the cold

American Samoa flag bearer Nathan Crumpton debuted wearing a traditional lavalava - a Polynesian staple that has successfully become one of the most shinning spotlights at the mega opening ceremony. 

Many Chinese netizens gave thumbs-up to Crumpton's fearless approach to the cold while insisting on paying homage to his heritage. 

The peacoat of the delegation from the UK became another hashtag on Sina Weibo. While most teams wore down jackets to defeat the freezing temperatures, Team Great Britain was one among only a few that wore such coats during the "catwalk show." 

Photos show that the British athletes all wore quilted navy-blue peacoats with Chelsea boots. Inside of the coats, they wore deep roll-neck sweaters with a deconstructed Union Jack flag on them.

 "The whole suit is very British, but I also realized that they are really not afraid of the cold," one Chinese netizen commented on Sina Weibo.

Chinese netizens awarded the title of "the most luxurious delegations" to the Italian and French teams.

As the "hometown" of fashion, the teams from Italy and France wore the uniforms designed by fashion powerhouse Emporio Armani and the century-old fashion sports brand Le Coq Sportif.

However, many netizens said they could not see the beauty in the design  while some joked that "true fashion cannot be understood."

The spectacular "couture show" has aroused audience's strong desire for similar clothing. Media reported that shares of US online retailer Amazon soared as much as 12 percent in early trade Friday, its biggest intraday gain in more than four years.