Engaged couple Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis and Desiré Inglander looked striking in a coordinated palette of blue and grey at last night’s Idrottsgalan, at which Duplantis won Swedish Athlete of the Year
Yesterday evening, Sweden’s most thrilling athletes put on their black tie finery and gathered at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena for Idrottsgalan (The Sports Gala), the annual celebration of Swedish sport. For several years running, the spiritual prom king and queen of the event has been world’s best pole vaulter Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis and his fiancé, Desiré Inglander. Last night Duplantis continued his winning streak, nabbing the award for Swedish Athlete of the Year for the seventh consecutive year.
Naturally Duplantis and Inglander came dressed as winners. Inglander wore a custom grey-blue silk gown by emerging French designer Antoine Guerin. “He reached out to me a few years ago and said he would love to make me a dress,” says Inglander. “He does such amazing stuff, so I contacted him two weeks ago. It was a little tight on time, but that’s how it is.” The gown boasts a simple yet striking silhouette, its plunging halter neckline mirrored by a plunging back. “We took inspiration from the Ralph Lauren 2000 runway show. They had a cream white and we did our own little touch on it.” The dress is finished with a glittering silver broach detail – the perfect mirror to Inglander’s white gold Tiffany & Co. Jewellery.
Photo: @desireinglander
Photo: @desireinglander
For hair and makeup, Inglander turned to Emelie Jonsson (the same hair and makeup artist she will work with for her upcoming wedding). “It’s inspired by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley – I love her makeup and hair,” says Inglander, whose hair is in large rollers as we chat. “It’s a blowout, kind of simple, with big waves.” The makeup, meanwhile was “glow-y, healthy, bronze-y, with a little pink on the eyes”.
Duplantis, meanwhile, looked dapper for his big moment, wearing a grey double-breasted Tiger of Sweden suit with subtle pinstripe details. “I’ve been wearing a lot of double-breasted,” he says. The silk grey tie is a subtle nod to Inglander’s gown. Whose initiative is the colour co-ordination? “I would be lying if I said it was mine,” says Duplantis. “But it feels good. It’s very pleasing when you look back and see things in sync.
As it turns out, Duplantis wasn’t so singular in his look. We’re not talking about his suit, but his actual face. When the athlete accepted his big award, he gave a shout-out to his “doppelgänger”, Elmer Andersson, one-half of the volleyball duo who scooped the award for Newcomer of the Year. On-stage he said (in Swedish): “I saw a picture of the nomination and thought, 'How can I be nominated for this'?”