Figure Skating Fun:
After blogging about the Figure Skating Fashion for the last 2 seasons here on my blog, I decided it was time to see some of these costumes "Up Close" and since the Nationals were almost in my backyard--well, almost--an hour away by plane in San Jose, CA... I, along with my partner, David Paul (who LOVES himself some figure skating!) decided to make a weekend of it! Yes, we hopped on a Horizon/Alaska Airlines propeller plane at LAX and an hour later, we were in San Jose....to go to the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
This years Nationals were being held at the HP Pavilion and yes, we bought tickets for all of the weekend high-profile events--including the Ladies Finals, Pairs, Ice Dance and Men's short and Long Programs. This is like the "Miss USA" of figure skating...and very very important!!!
I was so excited to attend the Ladies Final Competition--which was held this past Saturday--and as part of the afternoon's event at the HP Pavilion, there was a very special (and a big highlight for me) Induction Presentation of Michelle Kwan into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. She wore a bright silk satin mustard yellow top and black skirt during this ceremony and actually got teary as all the congratulatory video montages played on the HUGE overhead pavilion screens.
Now, let's get to the Ladies Final and The Costumes!!!
Gold Medalist Ashley Wagner: I LOVED Ashley's Free Skate costume. She skated to "Music from Black Swan" and yes, this is one of my favorite costumes of the entire season. The one-shoulder embroidered lace applique with beaded detail design is both elegant and directional. Ashley Wagner--Short Program: For her Short Program, she skated to "Music from the Pollock Soundtrack" and wore a red halter neckline costume with rhinestones. It's pretty, it "pops" on the ice and appropriate for the music and theme. Agnes Zawadzki--Long Program: Agnes was First Place after her Short Program but received the Bronze Medal after the Free Skate. For her Free Program, she skated to "Rhapsody In Blue" By George Gershwin and wouldn't you know it...she wore a royal/electric blue costume with a one-shoulder/band mock-neck silhouette design with yes, lots of crystals. On the ice, this costume really stood out and look fabulous! Agnes Zawadzki--Short Program Costume: For her Short Program, Agnes skated to "Harlem Nocturne" and "Whatever Lola Wants" wearing a similar one-shoulder/band neckline costume--but in deep violet. I like that she knows how important these strong colors are, especially on "stage". Up close, these costumes do look about five minutes away from looking too "Figure Skating Betty" however, it somehow works on Agnes. The colors work really well against her skin tone and hair color. On that note, I love that she keeps her hairstyle in an elegant side-parted chignon each time. Alissa Czisny--Long Program: OK, I will have to get this one off my chest right now: I wasn't a fan of this costume. There, I said it! Alissa--whom I love--and I was "pulling for her"--got the Silver Medal after her Free Skate to "La Valse Triste" by Jean Sibelius. The costume was a little too lingerie/corsetry-looking for my taste. It was "Trashy Lingerie"-ish. On a good note: it had "hints" of Rodarte--the much-praised High Fashion brand everyone and Anna Wintour just LUVS--however, it fell a bit short for me, in terms of impact. I am not a fan of the long skirts for Ladies Figure Skating and well, the entire look was not impacting enough. Alissa Cizisny--Short Program: For her Short Program, she skated to "La Vie en Rose" from the Sabrina soundtrack and wore this elegant rose-pink boatneck sleeveless costume with all-over crystals. I liked this--it was classic and serene. And the thin belt at the waist is soooo "Red Carpet"-ready! The back is covered in Silver Crystals and is absolutely breathtaking. The photos do not do this costume justice. Mirai Nagasu---Short Program: Mirai skated to "Danzarin" Tango Lorca to her Short Program. This costume looked like something one could buy off the rack--from one of the skating shops in the Arena. And kids, that's not a good thing--especially for the Nationals. She need to "Bring It On" and for me, she didn't. I can design--and sew this costume--in my sleep! Caroline Zhang: Pewter Medalist Caroline Zhang wore on of my TOP costumes of the Ladies Final Championships. It was a black number featuring original beading detail under her bust and framing her torso. She skated her Free Skate to "Allegro Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104-1" in this and it worked seamlessly into the performance. Tres Chic Caroline! Rachael Flatt: One of my favorite figure skaters, Rachael Flatt--skated to the "Firebird Suite" from The Firebird by Stravinsky for her Long Program/Free Skate. She changed her costume and showcase this new design at the US Nationals. Here is the one she wore before. I liked the multicolored beading that (I am assuming) was supposed to mimic feathers of a bird. The colors, design and crystals--they all looked well-made and expensive. But, the best part of her costume came at the end of her performance--during the "Kiss-And-Cry", when she put on a "Stanford University" (the college she attends) cap. Soooo CUTE! Go Miss Rachael!
Click Below for "Figure Skating Chat" with Jimmy Nguyen and Nick Verreos--Previewing the Ladies Final:
Click Below for "Figure Skating Chat" with Jimmy Nguyen and Nick Verreos--Recap'ing Ladies Final Competition:

The Great (Figure Skating) Debate: White, Beige or Skin Tone Tights Over The Boots?
Just in time for the final Grand Prix of Figure Skating Competition, which is occurring as I type in Beijing China, I began an email discussion with one of my Figure Skating "gals", the beautiful Courtney Prince, who skated professionally for a while but now owns the Jewelry Design company, Doloris Petunia. She emailed me asking "White Skates or Beige Skates?" She wanted my Fashion Designer (and Figure Skating fan) opinion. Her argument was that wearing beige skates made the skater look, well, a bit less professional. So naturally, I said "I need to post a BLOG about this" and see what other people think. And I also decided to take it another step further and add: "Well, what about beige tights over the skating boots?". Why would Figure Skaters decide one versus the other.
I went back in time and looked at iconic--and very fabulous Ladies Figure Skaters and what they wore: White Skating Boot Queens:
Beige Queens:
In the early 2000's, we began to see the beige-tights-over-skates trend more. Exhibit A: Sarah Hughes, 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist. Hughes wore the beige tights over the skates look with her sequined lilac costume.
What's The Trend Now: The 2010 Grand Prix Ladies
Although for me there is one deal breaker and that is the Olympics. I am siding with a White Skate only policy. To me it is almost like not wearing a White Tennis Outfit to Wimbledon! For the Gran-daddy of all Sports and for photos that will appear for an eternity, classic white is always the answer! What do you think?

This morning I was a guest on Public Radio International's "The Takeaway" and had a wonderful time discussing, what else: Figure Skating Costumes!!!! This is the topic Du Jour for me these days and I love it! Well kiddies, don't fret, I haven't forgotten about you. Click above for the interview and at the end, Celeste Headlee mentions that they will have my list of Best and Worst Costumes of all time. Unfortunately they were unable to post it so instead I have added all the juicy commentary and photos here. Enjoy! Best Figure Skating Costumes: Michelle Kwan: 2003 World Championships Michelle won the Gold Medal skating to Concierto de Aranjuez. I absolutely LOVED this design. The turquoise blue stretch and chiffon costume (with gold embroidery) was so impacting---that even the people in the nose-bleed seats couldn't miss it! It was exotic, a bit on the Christian Lacroix vibe and fit Michelle's GORGEOUS performance. Nancy Kerrigan: 1994 Lillehammer Olympics Wearing a custom Vera Wang. Illusion sleeves with hundreds of Swarovski Crystals. Subtle, not-over-the-top elegance defined. This is directional and modern--at least for the Figure Skating world. Vera Wang AND Nancy Kerrigan were YEARS AHEAD with this simple elegant and very high-fashion design. Carolina Kostner: 2006 Torino Olympics I think Carolina's costume--which was designed by Roberto Cavalli-- was actually very fabulous. It looked well-made and expensive, the Star sequined crystal embroidery was beautiful and the Ombre light gray-to-almost-black effect was sublime. One of my favorites. The Worst Figure Skating Costumes:Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin: 2010 European Championships (will keep the same music but are expected to change their costumes for the Olympic Games). Skating to an Aboriginal Dance for their Original Program. To start with: Get rid of the "Spray Tan"/way-too bronzed bodysuit, then why did all those plants ATTACK the culturally-insensitive too-dark bodysuits? How do you say "Not Cute" in Russian? Tonya Harding: 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Where do I start? The sequined Mandarin collar, those gathered "petal" sleeves, the "happy Hands at Home" (Thanks Tim Gunn) embroidered torso beading. Polyester chiffon and the BEDAZZLER never looked sooooo bad! Debbie Thomas: 1988 Calgary Olympics This was the year Debbie Thomas faced off against Katarina Witt in the "Battle of the Carmen's". Both ladies skated there Long Programs to Carmen (Witt coming out on top and winning her 2nd Gold Medal). Here, Debbie shocked the world by wearing a beaded unitard for her short program. RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 here she comes! Oksana Baiul: 1994 Lillehammer Olympics Although Oksana won the gold by beating Nancy Kerrigan, she certainly lost the Fashion Olympics, at least in my eyes. This outfit is better suited for one of the young girls from TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras as opposed to a Gold Medalist! There is such a thing as one too many cheap sequins from Jo-Ann's Arts and Craft Stores! Is there a Russian version of Jo-Ann's? If there is, Oksana must have been there! Ilia Kulik: 1998 Nagano Olympics Ilia won the Gold Medal in THIS! He looks like the Spokesperson for The Parking Spot Airport Parking/Shuttle service. Most Iconic Figure Skating Costumes: Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean: 1984 Sarajevo Olympics Torvill and Dean became the highest scoring Figure Skaters of all time receiving 12 perfect 6's with their unforgettable performance to Maurice Ravel's Boléro. The Ombre-shaded blouson tops (him and her), the Grecian-draped cowl (her), those exaggerated Bishop sleeves (him)...26 years later and the same Ombre effect is being used by Olympic Gold Paris Medalists Shen and Zhao. Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov: 1994 Lillehammer Olympics Classic in it's simplicity. Gordeeva and Grinkov were clearly on trend with the simple design echoed throughout the early 90's. Ekaterina looked like a young Audrey Heburn in Hubert de Givenchy in this simple yet elegant costume. Timeless. Johnny Weir: 2006 Torino Olympics The inspiration for Blades of Glory. In his Swan-inspired costume, Johnny skated to "The Swan" and called his red glove "Camille" after the composer of the song he skated to. The red glove was a bit "Skating Muppet Show" of him but I LOVED IT!!!! Kudos to Johnny and his Costume Designer. Dorothy Hamill: 1976 Innsbruck Olympics Who can forget Dorothy Hamill skating to Olympic Gold wearing the simple red costume with that iconic wedge haircut. It is probably the worlds most copied hairstyle! The skating costume was simple yet elegant--and very 70's! It is so iconic that if you wanted to make a Figure Skating Doll, this is probably the model! I loved how her white skating boots matched the white of her neckline sequins. Katarina Witt: 1988 Calgary Olympics: In a historic back to back Olympic Gold Medal performance Katarina skated to Bizet's Carmen and brought a sexiness to Figure Skating never before seen! Much more of a woman than at the the previous Olympics, Katarina Witt brought a fire to the ice that was reflected in her plunging Spanish-inspired Costume. Very Hola Magazine meets the Goya Infantas!