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Showing posts with label Skate Canada 2021. Show all posts

ICE STYLE.....Skate Canada 2021 Figure Skating Costumes: ICE DANCE and PAIRS!

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ICE STYLE.....Skate Canada 2021 Figure Skating Costumes: ICE DANCE and PAIRS!

 Fab Looks: Costumes from Pairs and Ice Dance seen at Skate Canada International 2021 (L to R) Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada, and Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz of Spain 

In my previous "Ice Style" blog post HERE, I discussed the LADIES of Skate Canada International 2021, and so now it is time to talk about the costumes from some of the ICE DANCE and PAIRS couples...

Let's start with PAIRS:

Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc of USA Short Program: Skating their Short Program to The White Crow (soundtrack) by Ilan Eshkeri, performed by Lisa Batiashvili, Ashley and Timothy wore these costumes above. Based on a soft lilac/silver-gray coloration, the designs were elegant and classic. The crystal embellishments that seem to jut out from her waistband and then seen at her one-shoulder-like neckline were quite beautiful. I appreciated how the sequin details were also put on his costume...or top. These two have a great costume consistency throughout the seasons in terms of looking like they BELONG with each other...and not wasting some same old-same old black pants/black shirt on him and calling it a day!
*Side note: although I couldn't find any photos to show it, Timothy had one small but important change to his costume since his last appearance at the Finlandia Trophy. Darts!! 2 fish-eye darts were added to the back of his shirt to give it that custom-fitted look. Watch the 2 skates back-to-back on YouTube and you'll notice the subtle but important change.
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Free Skate to W.E. (soundtrack) by Abel Korzeniowski: Speaking of belonging with each other...these costumes are the PERFECT EXAMPLE of this. I really like these looks in which they skate to the "W.E" music. They were similar in coloring and jumpsuit styles but different in detail to the costumes they wore in their 2018 season. The updated ones (above) had darker lower halves and different sequin embellishment. Timothy even got an "upgrade" in that his top was "pumped up" with even more appliques and more crystal work than his 2018-2019 version below:
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Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup of Russia Grand Prix

Vanessa James and Eric Radford of Canada Short Program: Skating their Short Program to Shiny Happy People performed by Ruben and The Dark & AG, James and Radford wore the above looks. She wore ivory with gold details and he wore a blue mock-neck and black pants. While his look was "Meh" in design but Sexy in fit...James' costume was a high fashion look of an asymmetrically gathered halter-like neckline design with great gold crystal embellishments. I also loved the nude illusion at the side and especially how PERFECT the nude illusion color was to match her skin.
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Wenjing Sui and Cong Han China Short Program: Skating to Mission Impossible 2 Orchestra Suite: Part 1 by Hans Zimmer, Sui and Han looked every bit a high-flying, dangerous elite power couple...ready for some Martinis and Caviar in Cannes! Their "black-tie" looks were expensive, chic and so red carpet-worthy. I loved the design details of her costume and that "mock" plunging neckline. I also want HIS cropped jacket: It was Black Tie Menswear Couture!
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Free Skate to Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon, performed by Lina Eder, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon, performed by John Legend: For the costumes for their Free Skate, Sui and Han went more of a "Romeo and Juliet"-like costume vibe. She wore an ivory with blue/violet ombre dip-dye design that was romantic and feminine, featuring a heavily sequined bodice and sleeves. It was very "Juliet: the Ice Capades" but not campy/tacky. His look played into the more subdued "gentle" prince stereotype with a high collared deep blue shirt and skin-tight pants. Both were certainly not as polished and chic as their Short Program costumes but OK nonetheless.
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ICE DANCE:
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons USA Rhythm Dance: Doing their Rhythm Dance to The Knowledge by Janet Jackson, My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) by En Vogue, and Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson, Green and Parsons wore this black with gold trim early 90's-looking designs piggybacking on the Janet Jackson and En Vogue music. The styling of the costumes certainly referenced Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" more than En Vogue and was restrained. Part of me wished that there would have been one or two more Janet Jackson-esque costume details but maybe I should just be happy with how they turned out; it was "Rhythm Nation" Lite.
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Free Dance to Violin Concerto No. 1 "EsoConcerto": II. Adagio by Ezio Bosso and Clouds, The Mind on the (Re)Wind by Ezio Bosso arranged by Hugo Chouinard: First off, in terms of their Free Skate, I LOVED this program and loved their skate. It was modern, sleek and on a level we have not necessarily seen before from them. I also liked these sleek tie-dye-ish looks void of any sparkles, flash, and typical Ice Dance razzle-dazzle; the costumes matched the choreography and program. 
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Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz Spain Rhythm Dance: Speaking of razzle-dazzle...skating to Proud Mary by Tina Turner, Smart and Diaz looked JUST RIGHT for the exciting and energetic Tina Turner music. Adrian looked MUY SEXY in his PLUNGING neckline black sequined shirt and black pants (I wished he would have done without that belt though). And Olivia was ALL TINA in that fire red caviar-beaded mini dress with a side slit. Simple design, vibrant color, and powerful impression.
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Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri Italy Rhythm Dance: Skating to Michael Jackson x Mark Ronson: Diamonds Are Invincible, Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson, and Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson, Italians Guignard and Fabbri looked as if the House of Versace created these for them: They were stylish, sexy and modern. While the black and silver details (especially his "tuxedo" striped pants and jacket) had references to Michael Jackson, it wasn't overt or campy...and I especially LOVED that Versace-like neckline and bust detail on Guignard, it framed her torso beautifully and fit her outstandingly.
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Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier Canada Rhythm Dance: I cannot contain the happiness and COSTUME joy I had when I saw these colorful, fun, fabulous costumes on the Canadians Gilles and Poirier. It may not come as a shock to find out that they skated to I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues by Elton John and Still Standing by Elton John. I loved the bright orange, the ABBA-campy stretch jumpsuit styles...the multicolored sequins...and those fabulous feathers! In addition, I would be remiss to not mention Paul's UBER PLUNGING neckline #WOW
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They were very reminiscent of the "Rocketman" costumes from Costume Designer Julian Day (above, from the FIDM Museum Exhibition)

Free Dance to Long and Winding Road by Paul McCartney, arranged by Govardo: For their Free Dance, it was nice that they went elegant and chic...the complete opposite of their Rhythm Dance "Elton John" camp. I loved the one-shoulder gathered and sequined design featuring a wrap skirt on Piper...and Paul looked just as smashing in his matching-color look. I was very impressed with the soft sexiness of his top especially and that asymmetrical neckline. They belonged together beautifully in an elegant and high fashion manner.
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ICE STYLE.....Skate Canada 2021 Figure Skating Costumes: LADIES!

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ICE STYLE.....Skate Canada 2021 Figure Skating Costumes: LADIES!

 Skate Canada Ladies: (L to R) Karen Chen of USA, Elisaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia, Mai Mihara of Japan, and Wakaba Higuchi of Japan--Skate Canada International 2021, Vancouver Canada


This past weekend was SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL 2021, the second international competition event of the 2021-2022 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating...which means it's time for...FIGURE SKATING COSTUMES! In my last posts here in my BLOG, I discussed the costumes from Skate America 2021 so if you missed it, you can click HERE and HERE. For now, let's talk about THE LADIES:

Karen Chen USA Free Skate: Reprising her Free Program from last season to Butterfly Lovers (Violin Concerto) performed by Takako Nishizaki, Karen wore the same costume from last season as well. The design features a deep lavender color with beautiful flower appliques enveloping the torso and skirt. The bell-shaped sleeves and mini-fishtail hemline add shape interest yet keep an overall effect of sweet delicacy...like a fluttering butterfly enjoying the flowers around her.
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Alysa Liu USA Short Program: Alysa is all grown up now (since we last saw her!) but yet, it's so CUTE to see she's actually not (those braces!). For her Short Program, she skated to a decidedly semi-adult piece of music, Gypsy Dance (Don Quixote: Act II) by Ludwig Minkus. Her costume was bold, exciting, and certainly had a stage presence. I loved the strong red color and intricate blue sequin applique swirling through her upper torso. The design and details like the nude illusion and gold "necklace" were great as well. Last but not least, the "gypsy"-like top knot with gold hairband gave her a fun "I Dream of Jeannie" look.
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Haein Lee Korea Short Program: Skating her Short Program to Ave Maria by Franz Schubert, performed by Helen Fischer, Haein Lee wore this beautiful white costume reminiscent of a top ballerina. The design had gorgeous mini sequins placed throughout the torso, giving an elongated effect and highlighting that area. Bigger jewel stones framed the neckline for a definite Haute Couture-level effect on this figure skating costume. Slight unobtrusive ruffles gave additional interest to the sleeves.
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Free Skate to Homage to Korea by Ji Pyeong Kwon: Naturally when skating to music titled "Homage to Korea", it makes sense to wear the figure skating version of a Hanbok. And this is basically what we see here on Haein. This design features some of those traditional Hanbok details such as the wrap-around neckline, the fluttery sleeves, the "powdery" colors, and yes, some requisite flower and sequin appliques. It was pretty and a nice costume partner to the music.
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Alena Kostornaia Russia Short Program: Take a look at that razzle-dazzle costume above. Now, don't be surprised when I tell you she skated to....(wait for it!)...New York, New York (Theme) performed by Carey Mulligan, Liz Caplan/New York, New York performed by Liza Minelli. I loved it! All the right details were there: The evening black, the bugle-beaded fringe, the silver crystals looking like the sky in NYC on a perfect night...check, check and check! All of this and somehow, it was elegant and not campy. She looked sassy and ready to start high-kicking it on a Broadway stage.
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Kamila Valieva Russia Short Program: The newly-minted Russian skating phenom, Kamila Valieva, skated her Short Program to In Memoriam by Kirill Richter wearing this costume above. The reddish/peach-colored design was modern yet had style nods to 1920's/1930's Grecian Goddess Madame Gres. It featured a watercolor/ombre dyed effect with a meticulously draped and gathered design, with crystals strewn throughout and braid-like Empire-line trim.
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Free Skate to Bolero by Maurice Ravel: Skating to Ravel's iconic Bolero, Valieva wore this black and red costume above. The design featured see-through black sleeves and a top section with red color accents. Under the main costume/dress, she added matching see-through black tights to give a look of a semi-jumpsuit. Details such as sequined criss-cross "snake"-like trim, a peek-a-boo torso, and fiery red gloves definitely gave a mood of dangerous seductress which I guess was the point, especially skating to this music. On the other hand, the costume was still a bit "Cirque du Soleil" acrobat-ish for my taste.
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Elizaveta Tuktamysheva Russia Short Program: Skating to Oblivion (J'oublie) by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Misia, a tango-inspired chanson, Elizaveta "The Empress", wore this deep red-and-orange hued costume featured a one-shoulder-like design (the other shoulder was a nude illusion), strappy details, asymmetrical hem, and crystal embellishment. She accessorized it with fluttery cuffs, one glove (?), choker, and red lipstick (of course!). She looked every bit "The Empress"; commanding, strong, and sexy.
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Free Skate to Arabia by Hanine El Alam and My Love...Music by Artem Uzunov: Elizaveta's costume certainly had "Near East/Middle East"-like details that paralleled the music she skated to. The costume featured a gathered bust, a "flippy" skirt, ombre-dyed teal/navy colorations, and sequined applique. The look was very "Figure Skater Scheherazade". I liked it for the most part but...I just thought the skin color of the nude illusion could have been slightly lighter and done better so it wasn't so obvious - the scooped neckline was distracting. BTW: What is it with Elizaveta and the one glove??
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Mana Kawabe Japan Short Program: Skating her Short Program to Shadow 5 by Max Richter and Winter 1 by Max Richter, Antonio Vivaldi wearing this ivory sequined costume. The design was very "Snow Queen" with the white color, scroll-like cut-outs, and silver crystals. Even though it was rather traditional in the world of figure skating costumes, it still had some extra design aspects with the asymmetrical pointed hem and illusion panels throughout the torso, creating interest all around her.
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Free Skate to Miracle by Sarah Brightman, Yoshiki, Miracle (Sarah's Version feat. Yoshiki) by Sarah Brightman, Yoshiki: For her Free Skate, she wore this purple-based costume with nude illusion neckline, upper sleeves, sides, and front. The design was ombre-shaded from dark to light and featured many crystals - in varying sizes - throughout. I thought the crystal work was fantastic but the overall design was just OK.
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Wakaba Higuchi Japan Short Program: Skating to Your Song by Ellie Goulding, Elton John, Wakaba wore this beautiful one-shoulder-like costume. The design had an almost tie-dye look to the base, which then was enhanced with silver sequin applique and big aquamarine stones. Nude illusion accented the neckline and sides as well. I thought this was a pretty costume, delicate in its mood but sparkly enough to also be joyous and Icicle Princess-like.
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Free Skate to Spirit (from "The  Lion King") by  Beyonce, Grasslands Chant (from "The  Lion King"), Stampede (from "The  Lion King") by Hans Zimmer, Remember (from "The  Lion King") by Hans Zimmer: This look above was by far one of my TOP FAVORITES from the Ladies at Skate Canada International 2021. I loved EVERYTHING about it: It was paying definite homage to "The Lion King" - with Wakaba being her own LION QUEEN! I loved the hues of orange, golds, yellows, fir reds...The feather-and-sequin trim was outstanding and to top it all off: That fabulous crown! Bravo Wakaba.
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Mai Mihara Japan Short Program: Mai skated her Short Program to I Dreamed A Dream (from Les Miserables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg wearing this ethereal lilac-colored costume/dress. The design had a Couture Dishevelled look which I appreciated, reminding me of those early 90's Galliano bias-cut creations. The silver jeweled crystals added a sense that this might have been owned by someone who had wealth...but lost it. In addition, the lovely color and jagged hem made it red carpet modern...for a 21st Les Miserables Heroine.
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Free Skate to Fairy of the Forest by Yuko Toyoda and Galaxy (piano version) by Yuko Toyoda: Looking like a sweet nymph fairy in this costume seems appropriate enough...especially if you are skating to music titled "Fairy of the Forest". The costume had aquamarine washed colors, nude illusion sleeves, and neckline, and gold metallic and silver crystal accents. The embellishment almost gave a cage-like effect in her upper torso which I liked. This was a sweet and lovely costume for Mai.
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