ICE STYLE.....2009 Grand Prix Figure Skating Costumes: Ladies, Men

Grand Prix Figure Skating "red carpet"...Another Project Runway Figure Skating Costume Challenge? The Medal Portrait from Cup of Russia, ISU Grand Prix Over the weekend, the ISU Grand Prix Finals were held in Tokyo, Japan. As a fan of figure skating of course, I was watching all weekend! Besides the amazing athleticism and beautiful artistry, naturally, I was looking at the costumes. Here are my Highlights from the Grand Prix Finals--it's like a mini version of my "red carpet" review--figure skating style! Best Cleopatra Diva:At this weekend's ISU Grand Prix Finals, Japan's Miki Ando, finished the competition in 2nd place. But for me, she came in FIRST, when it came to style. She skated to Highlights from "Marco Polo" Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, "Rome" by Jeff Beal, and "Mission Cleopatra from Asterix and Obelix" Soundtrack by Philippe Chany. As a result, her costume was very Nubian Princess if John Galliano had been commissioned to design it. Turquoise blue, bejeweled neckline, gold and crystals galore. She even wore a headpiece worthy of Tutankhamun! It was definitely my favorite. The Classic Costume Award Goes To: Kim Yu-Na (also goes by Yu-Na Kim), from South Korea. She is the reigning Ice Princess and after winning the Gold at the GP Finals and the 2009 World Championships she is the one to beat at the 2010 Olympics . After seeing Miki Ando's costume, everything else was a yawn for me, but I must give "pretty points" to Kim Yu-Na for wearing something that was classic and elegant. Again, it was in the turquoise/royal blue color and featured a high jeweled neckline and back detail mimicking crystal back-straps. Pretty as pretty can be. I Was On The Fence about...American Ashley Wagner's costume for her Grand Prix Free Skate. The color was muted and not as exciting as Miki or Kim's and it featured a lot of re-embroidered lace with crystals. It looked almost as if she had extra of that embroidered lace and then made a headpiece out of it. It wasn't so much the lace and the over-use of it but more the color. It lacked a "wow" factor, especially when placed next to the above girls. And Now The MenWith male figure skaters , you either get the ones who "Queen Out" when it comes to their costumes or the ones who want to just look as if they are meeting their girlfriend's parents for the first time. Safe and oh-so boring. On the safe route, Japanese Figure Skater Nobunari Oda did a "Charlie Chaplin" rendition for his Free Skate and therefore his costume reflected this: Shrunken jacket, pleated pants and bow tie. No frills, no nothing. Then again, that WAS Charlie Chaplin's "look". But as a designer and knowing that for "stage and performance" you need to turn it up a notch, I felt his costume was lacking something. It just needed a Swarovski crystal studded lapel on his jacket or a sequined tie. Or just a small red rose lapel boutonniere. Nobunari has "queened out" before (with his costumes) so maybe his people just felt that this time, he would keep it simple. On the Other Hand...We can always count on Japanese Figure Skater Daiksuke Takahashi for some glam. And he delivered. He's like the Adam Lambert of Male Figure Skaters when it comes to his costumes and I, for one, love it. For the Grand Prix Finals, he wore a fitted cropped jacket, black and white checkered neckscarf and sleeve accents, and a crystal-studded "vest". Sometimes his fabric and color combinations make you scratch your head in wonderment, but at least it gets your attention. I'm all for it, keep doing it Daiksuke! Then there's cutie Evan...Vera Wang and Evan Lysacek Evan Lysacek is one of those male figure skating "hearthrobs". He is a Poster Boy in the skating world and he is the perfect blend between athleticism and artistry and this is definitely reflected in his costumes. For this Grand Prix round, he collaborated with designer Vera Wang. Wang, better known for her $20,000 wedding gowns, is also famous for designing Michelle Kwan's iconic figure skating costumes (as well as Nancy Kerrigan). She's at it again with Evan. For his early Grand Prix Free Skate performances, he wore a stunning Wang-designed black costume which focused on a very unusual top: It had sequined shoulder details with feathers and (wait for it), a see-through black mesh torso inset which showed every ripple of his six-pack abs and defined chest. Crazy I know. But it was hot! Go Vera and go Evan. Which One Do You Like: Shoulder Feathers and Torso Mesh or Snake Neck-Charm? Unfortunately, someone must have thought it was too risque because, over the weekend, he changed his costume--or at least the top. The mesh was gone and so were the shoulder feathers. The crystals stayed but in place of the see-through ab-defining mesh was a sequined snake swirling around his neck. I liked the first top better, I have to say. Maybe it will make another appearance in the future, who knows? Until Next Time Kiddies. Nick Verreos Figure Skating Costume Watcher, signing off. Click Below for Miki Ando's "Cleopatra Meets Rome" Free Skate at ISU Grand Prix Finals: