ICE STYLE....2016 Cup of China Costumes: Ladies, Men, Pairs, Ice Dance

Batwing Diva: Russia's Elizaveta Tuktamysheva during her Free Skate at 2016 Audi Cup of China 

This past weekend was the fifth of six events in the 2016-2017 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating--the 2016 Audi Cup of China, held in Beijing China. Now, if you have been keeping up with my "Ice Style" blogs here, you know that I have already discussed the costumes for Skate America HERE and HERE, Skate Canada International HERE and HERE, as well as Trophee de France HERE. In other words, I have covered most of the Ladies, Men, Pairs and Ice Dance costumes but...for this post I will cover (for the most part) costumes I have not discussed. Let's get started with the Ladies:

LADIES--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elena Radionova Russia Short Program to Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin: I have not discussed this gorgeous costume worn by Elena Radionova of Russia for her SP until now. The black costume featured sequin and feathered details, as well as long sleeves and gloves. I think she looks MARVELOUS! Even if it doesn't really have anything to do with Porgy and Bess, it's a beautiful costume and I also love her small up-do bun hairstyle. 

Elena Radionova Russia Free Skate to Turandot by Giacomo Puccini: For her Free Skate, she wore this dusty pink colored costume. This was delicate and very pretty for Elena. I liked the slight ombre shading and criss-cross diagonal sequin work. In a season filled with backless costumes and asymmetry, this dress seems a bit traditional and I'm still on the fence when it comes to those nude-and-silver-crystal gloves...What do you guys think? 

Kaetlyn Osmond Canada Free Skate to Mimi Tells Her Story (from "La Boheme - The Ballet") by G. Puccini, arranged by K. Hocking and Sono Andati (from "La Boheme") by Giacomo Puccini : I've discussed Kaetlyn's Short Program costume HERE so now it's time to talk about this Free Skate one above. The red design does give hints of a 19th Century corseted dress with the neckline and front pointed bodice detail. It is definitely in line with what one would see in a traditional La Boheme opera:

This was a pretty costume which looked nice on Kaetlyn and paid homage to La Boheme.

Li Xiangning China Free Skate to Princess Mononoke by Joe Hisaishi: Princess Mononoke is a Japanese epic historical fantasy anime, in case you were wondering (I was!). Her costume looked just what I would assume a Figure Skating design of the anime character would be like. I like the crystal "teeth" on Li Xiangning's costume and mixture of white and brown colors. I wish her nude illusion would have matched her actual skin color better though.

Zhao Ziquan China Free Skate to Song of India (from "Sadko") by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov: I LOVE this costume worn by Zhao Ziquan. The blood orange/red color of the design is so vibrant, you could see it from the nose-bleed seats! 

I love the neon look and heavy gold sequin embellishment. this really is a gorgeous costume and one of the BEST of the season!

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva Russia, Free Skate to Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg: I absolutely love the DRAMA, Goth-like look and dark fabulousness of Elizaveta's costume. There are slight nods to the iconic play (costume sketch above). Her costume is so chic, so red carpet fab. I love the plunging neckline, the gold sequins and batwing chiffon "cape".  Although, I will say that the batwing cape was slightly distracting during her skating. I think there is a way to achieve the same look but attach it so it isn't flying around and hitting her in the face during her skating and while she is landing those amazing triple jumps.

MEN-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boyang Jin China Short Program to Spiderman: I loved this costume and you can read that HERE when I reviewed it for his 2016 Skate America skate.

Max Aaron USA Free Skate to The Lion King (soundtrack) by Elton John: OK, so I've discussed not being such a fan of Max Aaron's costumes--or lack thereof. For his Free Skate to The Lion King, here he a wore super-tight black pants (Man-leggings?) and a top with the "Lion King" emblem on it. This was effective in terms of the music he was skating to, and I do give him points for the little sparkle I see on the top but...it almost looks as if he went to a Broadway Theater shop and bought a sweatshirt and call it a day. Baby Costume Steps for Max.

Daniel Samohin Israel, Free Skate to The Illusionist by Maxim Rodriguez: Daniel is one of those male skaters "to watch" and in terms of his costumes, I am! The costume is graphic, a bit kooky and kinda fun! The costume itself featured multicolored--and striped--elements, as well as lots of crystals (Seriously: Look at that collar!). And then, there's the black and red gloves...

Oh Daniel...you're being Costume Cheeky!

For his Free Skate to La Strada by Nino Rota, Boyang Jin originally wore a black-and-white vest at 2016 Skate America to go with this look (lower photo). For the 2016 Audi Cup of China, that vest was nowhere to be seen. Do we call this an official "Costume Change" or "Costume Re-do"?

Patrick Chan Canada Free Skate Costume: I wrote about Partrick's FS costume HERE.

PAIRS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peng Cheng and Yang Jin, China Free Skate to Je Crois Entendre Encore (from The Pearl Fishers): This Chinese pair of Peng Cheng and Yang Jin skated to music from Bizet's opera The Pearl Fishers. The opera involves pearl fishers in a desolate seashore in India and she looked like a jewel coming out of the ocean in this aquamarine costume. I loved the delicate sequin work which was quite impacting in the front--and was also placed in the back. Close up, the costume looked expensive and of a high quality. On a not-so-positive note: I'm not sure why her partner wears an open tuxedo-like shirt; I'm assuming they wanted him to look "semi-fancy" but it was awkward. Although, I had more of a problem with how big his pants were; they could have been slightly tighter and more up to date.

 Xuehan Wang and Lei Wang, China Free Skate to My Fair Lady: I absolutely loved these costumes worn by Chinese Pairs team Xuehan Wang and Lei Wang. The mix of blues--royal, navy and deep violets--looked exquisite on the ice. I also thought the delicate crystal detail--starting from her front shoulder and spreading to her entire back--was GORGEOUS! Oh, and yes, I liked his shirt and how it had elements of her costume in terms of crystal embellishments. Well done for both!

Mari Vartmann and Ruben Blommaert Germany Short Program to They Don't Care About Us by Michael Jackson: I loved the black and gold costumes worn by Germany's Vartmann and Blommaert. There was no question that they were giving a Costume Homage to Michael Jackson--with the epaulets, criss-cross straps. These could have gone tacky and campy, but they did not. Very nice!

ICE DANCE---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu China Free Dance to New York, New York by Ralph Burns: The Chinese Ice Dance pair of Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu skated their Free Dance in these pink and gray looks. I thought her costume was pretty and effective. And his was sharp with that bit of sparkle (in the yokes and tie) and pink needed to make an attempt to seamlessly make them match nicely.

Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalopov Russia Short Dance to Blues: Love Creole by Duke Ellington and Swing: It Don't Mean A Thing performed by Tony Bennet, Lady Gaga--These two are beautiful looking, no doubt, and their costumes for the Short Dance are a mix of contemporary, blues and fringe-y fab. They looked fantastic, but I think they could wear Hefty garbage bags and I would probably think it's OK!