Continuing with my ICE STYLE Costumes Recap BLOG on ISU Grand Prix of figure Skating Audi Cup of China 2017, I have talked about the LADIES HERE so now, it is time to discuss THE MEN! Let's begin with USA's Vincent Zhou:

Vincent Zhou of USA: Vincent skated his Short Program to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. He wore this lilac-hued shirt and dark lilac/gray skin-tight pants. The shirt featured beautiful crystals throughout but it was the white-shirt underneath that made it slightly too "Casual Friday's" for my taste. 

Free Skate to Moulin Rouge (soundtrack): Zhou wore this red-and-black costume for his "Moulin Rouge" Free Skate. While I appreciated that he (or his costume design team) stepped it up several notches from his short program costume...but he looked a little too much like one of the background dancers of the "Like A Virgin" segment of the film (photo above). But maybe that was the point.

Boyang Jin of China: For his Short Program to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (soundtrack) by Tan Dun, he wore this all black costume that had the detailing of a traditional Chinese robe, but reinterpreted in a modern way. The entire look was slim, sleek and minimal. I LIKEY!


Han Yan of China: Han Yan skated his Short Program to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri in this light gray top and dark gray pants. The top had pretty crystals on the neck, shoulder and sleeves. I liked all that detail up top and I also appreciated how snug his top was. This was a good example of a Costume Look that was similar in its style to Vincent Zhou's but...was done better. Not my favorite color combination, but it was nice none the less.

Free Skate to I'll Take Care Of You performed by Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa: For his Free Skate, he wore this wine-red dress shirt, black-and-gray vest (with black pants, of course). Overall, it was a nice costume for him. There were sprinkles of silver crystals throughout the vest which added nice sparkle to the costume. Also...I wonder if his new silver-colored hair is part of the look? Very On-trend Millennial.

Kevin Reynolds of Canada: Kevin is kind of known for his costumes. For his Short Program to Moanin' by Art Blakey, however, there was really none--except for a white dress shirt, a bold blue tie, black pants and...OH GOD WHAT IS THAT BELT???!!!! I cannot believe he fell for the dreaded Male Figure Skater Ross Dress For Less 90's Belt Virus!!! I think I owned that belt...in 1994. Please Kevin, give it to Out of the Closet! ASAP!

Free Skate to The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace by Karl Jenkins--For his Free Skate, Kevin was more on his comfortable "Costume Territory" and as a fan of Figure Skating and Figure Skating Costumes...I liked this! I liked all the detail of the jacket--especially those epaulets and gold embroidery. It also fit him quite nice and worked with the music. I know that maybe he looked a teeny bit too much like "The Nutcracker" Prince but hey, I'll take that over a 1994-like Ross Dress For Less belt ANY DAY!

Max Aaron of USA: Max wore this black pants and draped gray knit top to his Bring Him Home and One More Day (from "Les Miserables") by Claude-Michel Schoenberg Short Program. This look was very Max Aaron in it's gray/black colors and sleek costume look. I liked the cowl draped neckline and asymmetrical hem especially. It added a little bit of interest to his costume. I also have to add that the design reminded me of...


Free Skate to The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber: For his Free Skate, he went typical Max Aaron gray-and-black (of course) with this look. It was not very exciting but then again, Aaron is not know for his exciting costumes. The look, however, was a nice departure from what we usually see from skaters doing "The Phantom of the Opera". This off-center closure, heathered gray top with black pants design was like the "Modern Dance" interpretation of the musical.

Javier Fernandez of Spain: Spaniard Javier Fernandez brought back his "Charlie Chaplin" program (as many of the skaters are doing for this Olympic Season) from the 2012-2013 Season. Back then, it was his Free Skate and now, it for his Short Program. And as much as I liked his "Chaplin" costume back then, I am happy that he wore a new costume. For his Short Program to Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin soundtrack), he wore this sleeker-and-sexier Charlie Chaplin look comprised of snug gray pants, a second-skin black stretch velvet jacket and white shirt. The jacket had nice details like sequined trim, satin lapels and a fab flower-like lapel "rosette". It was sharp and fit him well and still had elements of the character he was playing.

And...in case you were wondering...

Free Skate to Man of La Mancha: For his Free Skate, he wore this "Conquistador"-style costume appropriate for the musical. Javier's 15th century-like doublet and shirt had great little details such as the back loops, side sleeve buttons and dramatic stand-up collar. I liked the fact that it was "costume-y" but not too Costume-y (if that makes any sense). On a non-costume note: Let's hope the next time he skates, he does a better job. Go Javi!!!

**UP NEXT: ICE DANCE and PAIRS COSTUMES of Audi Cup of China 2017!!

Charlie Chaplin, A Torredor, A Sorcerer, Blouson Shirts and Many Vests...Yes, it's THE MEN:


In my last post, I discussed the LADIES and the costumes they "unveiled" at the 2012 Skate Canada International ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competition, which occurred this past weekend in Windsor Ontario Canada. So, now, it's time to talk about the MEN! Since this is the second of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2012 series, this is also the first time a lot of these skaters are debuting their programs for this new season--as well as their costumes.


Let's begin with Canada's Patrick Chan:

Patrick Chan came in as the Defending World Champion and Gold Medalist from Skate Canada 2011. Above is what he wore for his Short Program to Rachmaninoff's "Elegie in E Flat Minor". It was deep blue-colored lightly beaded blouson long sleeve top with a plunging neckline (Oh Patrick!) with attached convertible collar and cascade ruffles.

The top is very similar to what he wore last season at Skate Canada for his Long Program to "Concierto de Aranjuez" (Michelle Kwan's song thank you VERY MUCH!). It seems that Patrick loves a good blouson. Getting back to the current new-and-improved Short Program blouse costume: Since his music was Classical, I think he was trying to vibe a classic and romantic look and he even had a lace back detail which is A LOT of look for Patrick. I did LOVE the pants. They fit him PERFECTLY and I liked how they had the beaded tuxedo stripe down the side, bringing in the lightly beaded detail from the top.

This is what he wore at last year's Skate Canada 2011 and for his Short Program to "Take Five":

Oh yes, Patrick also LOVES a good vest...so much so that for this year's Long Program, he couldn't stay away from another vest:

Chan skated his Long Program to Puccini's "La Bohème". The story of this very famous opera, involves young bohemians living in Paris in the 1840s. It was nice that he went "Period Costume"-friendly with this and I could just hear him telling his costume designer to "PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE ME A VEST...'cause I REALLY REALLY like them!". I like the colors and style of his curved neckline waistcoat (very 1840s), but the white blouse with lacing is what throws me off.  He looks more "Pirates of Penzance" as opposed to Paris 1840s Boho.

Javier Fernández of Spain: The Gold Medal winner from 2012 Skate Canada International skated his Short Program to "The Mask of Zorro" and of course, it was a red-and-black --very Latino! But it wasn't "Period" Mask of Zorro but rather a modern interpretation-costume wise. I really like this look. It is exactly what I was talking about above and what Patrick Chan failed to do. You understand the relation to his music but it isn't so obvious.

For his Long Program to "Charlie Chaplin Medley", he wore this costume above featuring that DREADED vest (dreaded to me, because it's SO expected) those male figure skaters LOVE; wing-tip collar shirt, tie and pleated pants.

But in this case, it would be hard not to take such a direct interpretation of Charlie Chaplin. I liked the combination of baggy pants and tight waistcoat. I think he looks good. Slim and modern. It would have nice to see a very shrunken jacket to finish the entire outfit off but I get that it might have been restricting when it came time to accomplish his fab jumps! Japanese skater Nobunari Oda did a "Charlie Chaplin" look for his 2009-2010 Season Long Program, using that "shrunken jacket" suggestion of mine, and I think this worked well:

Now, speaking of Nobunari...

Nobunari Oda of Japan: Nobunari skated his Short Program "The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms" wearing this costume. It's a GOOD mess, rather campy and so "Blades of Glory". I love that a male figure skater can sometimes just go "old school" and dress like this. It is a BIG trend among the male Japanese figure skaters and I love it!

For his Long Program to Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Daphne et Chloe", Oda wore this embroidered cropped lapel'ed "robe" cinched at the waist with red sequin fabric. I really liked this too.

There were kimono-like elements to the wrapping of the top and I enjoyed the pop of color (maybe an homage to Mickey and his red robe above?) and overall, it had that "Sorcerer's" whimsy to it. Good job Nobunari!


Takahito Mura of Japan: Takahito skated his Short Program to "Shogun" so naturally there were elements of  the movie's costumes as well as references to Samurai warriors. Notice the striped motif in the front part, the stiffened shoulders, and oversized sleeves. But of course, there had to be some diamante trim for a little "figure skating" bling-bling.

Takahito skated his Long Program to "Malagueña" and he went all out Spanish Bullfighter Fabulous. I LOVE the very large jeweled multicolored stones on the jacket and then at the side of his pants. The red cummerbund is the right width and the very fitted shape of the top finishes off that overall "Sleek Toreador" look. The only (semi) negative is the shirt.

I don't know why, but there is something about that shirt that looks odd--with the rest of this very luxe looking costume. The shirt says "I just bought it at the Macy's INC section" but the rest of it says "This cost me $5,000 to custom-make!". Other than that: Muy Bueno Takahito!

***Next up: More 2012 Skate Canada International Figure Skating Costume "Two Cents"--The PAIRS and Ice Dance!

San Jose Menzzzz!!!!
Last weekend I attended the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships--the US Nationals--in San Jose California. In my last post on my time there, I talked about my "Nick Figure Skating Costumes Two Cents" of the Ladies Costumes--and now, I'm onto the Men's. But, before I begin my tale on the oh-so-not-exciting Men's Costumes (Guys!!! STEP IT UP!!!), I must share my excitement over meeting two-time U.S. National Champion Rudy Galindo (see photo above). He actually approached me first (I was only 1.2 seconds from approaching him!), and confessed his love of "Project Runway" to me and that he was a "big fan". I returned the praise naturally! Needless to say, this was a big Photo Moment!
I also ran into my Figure Skating "Twitter Buddies", author and photographer Sarah S. Brannen, Drew Meekins, who write the FAB blog "The Inside Edge with Sarah and Drew" for IceNetwork.com. They brought along their friend, Midwestern Sectional Junior Men's Champion Tim Koleto, who actually competed at the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. He was third after the short program and ended up sixth after the long in the Junior Division. He was so sweet and had the MOST PERFECT eyebrows!! He wins if there were medals in eyebrows!
I also ran into other friends, including Jimmy Nguyen who happened to have his Flip Cam and filmed some fun cheeky videos of us giving some Fashion Skating Fashion Commentary (at the end of this post)...But now, let's get to why you guys are really here reading this: to see my "Two Cents" on the Men's Costumes. So...Here we go: Gold Medalist Jeremy Abbott--Long Program Costume: For his Gold Medal-winning long program where he skated to "Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3" by Muse, Jeremy wore a costume that was simple, modern and not distracting to the performance. I like the diagonal lines/seaming in the long-sleeved shirt as well as the contrasting matte and iridescent/glittery fabrication. One could argue that on the scale of exciting men's costumes, this might end up on the lower end of that scale. But hey, Jeremy doesn't really do "Glam" "Fabulous" or anything near that, when it comes to his on the ice fashion. When you land an incredible quad like he did, he really doesn't need the costume bells and whistles (although you KNOW I would love it!). Jeremy Abbott Short Program Costume: His short program costume to "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" is one of my favorites of the season. I've gushed HERE about how much I LOVE this look on Jeremy. The suspenders/braces, the high-waisted pinstripe pants, the SPATS...All fashion fab!!! Silver Medalist Adam Rippon Long Program Costume: twenty-two year-old curly-haired cutie Adam Rippon, captured the Silver Medal at the Prudential 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships last weekend. For his Long Program to "Air" and "Tocatta & Fugue" by Johann Sebastian Bach, he wore a nymph-like costume consisting of a long-sleeved nude-colored Ombre-dyed draped top, gathered "cummerbund" waistband piece and brownish-black pants. I think this costume worked well with his skate and music and his very lithe figure (can you say "figure" for men?? Well, I just did!). It had an ethereal quality which was perfect for him and his skating and I loved the draping.
Adam Rippon Short Program Costume: He skated to "Korobushko" by Bond, based on a nineteenth-century Russian folk song about a peddler and a girl...therefore it makes sense Rippon would go all "Russian Fold Dancer" in terms of his costume: a bright red satin "blouse" with waist tie and off-center black-and-gold placket. Although simple and very to-the-point, with it's Russian reference, it worked. In my "Nick fantasy" world, I would have LOVED a BIG OL' FUR HAT to help finish off the look, but A) That may not have been good when he goes up in the air and tries to complete a Triple Axel...and B) He already has a perfect "Head Accessory": his own curly locks! Coach Style Sidebar:
Bronze Medalist Ross Miner's coaches are three-time U.S. Figure Skating Championship medalist Mark Mitchell and former Swedish national champion Peter Johansson and I'm fascinated by them--they look like perfect coach "twinsies"--a brunette and blond version!
Mitchell and Johansson are always dressed impeccably, perfectly groomed and also boast near-fat free figures. I don't know why, but every time I see them sitting with their skaters, I can sooo easily picture them in Mykonos in Speedos having a lot of fun! But, I digress... Let's discuss their pupil--and 2012 U.S. Bronze Medalist, Ross Miner: Bronze Medalist Ross Miner Long Program Costume: For his Long Program to "The Untouchables" by Ennio Morricone, I liked that he wore a head-to-toe costume--as opposed to what most of the male skaters do by just throwing on a same-old, same-old pair of black pants. I LOVE it when a skater dons an entire costume, especially one that works, and this midnight blue-colored ensemble with sequined trim did. What it had to do with "The Untouchables" is beyond me, but it looked modern, elegant and still, had good "costume" factor. It is subtle, yet stylish, just like his coaches. Ross Miner Short Program Costume: Ross skated to "Para Ti" for his Short program, and this was one of my favorite costumes for the Men's. Yes, he wore those aforementioned skin-tight black pants that have become de rigueur for the male competitors...but his top was EXQUISITE. I loved the interesting seaming--both in the front and back--also, the contrast of the sequined, embroidered fabrication with the black velvet was great. There were elements of 15th Century Spanish Court Costume and yet contemporary skating costume detail as well. Pewter Medalist Armin Mahbanoozadeh Long Program Costume: Armin skated to "Kill Bill" soundtrack for his Long Program. As we all know, "Kill Bill" heroine, actress Uma Thurman wore that iconic bright yellow catsuit with black stripes down the sides of her sleeves and legs in the film: Which obviously "inspired" Armin's costume. His was all black with yellow tape on the legs. However, at first glance--if I didn't know what music he was skating to--I would have asked "Why is their CRIME TAPE on his pant legs?". I get the correlation to the film and Thurman's jumpsuit but...it just fell a bit flat for me. I wished (oh how much do I wish!), that he would have gone ALL the way and donned a bright yellow costume with the black trim on the sides. If he was a Russian or Japanese male figure skater, you just KNOW he would have done that! Or at least the reverse and wear a black jumpsuit with yellow trim. Armin Mahbanoozadeh Short Program Costume: For this, he skated to "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. The song--as we know--contains distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan, Indian and Middle Eastern music. His costume reflected this. Or at least the top did. The interesting patterns on his shirt had Near East influences as well as an "Art Deco" touch. Again, I wish he would have taken it a bit further--maybe included some of that trimmed pattern down the sides of his pants.
Click Below for "Figure Skating Chat" with Jimmy Nguyen, Nick Verreos and Tyler Duckworth:
Up Next: My "Nick Costume Two Cents" on the Pairs from the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships!