#FigureSkating
The special costume week on Social Media brought up a few memories. It is fascinating to see that some designs will always be remembered. It goes to show the importance of the outfits in Figure Skating.
Michelle Kwan (USA) at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics David ©Madison/Getty Images
Sometimes simplicity stands out the most, such as Michelle Kwan’s blue velvet dress of 1998. Other times it is just a colour, like Peggy Fleming’s simple lime green dress in 1968 (one of our followers had an interesting story to share about it, by the way). Yuna Kim’s dress drew attention in Sochi 2014, with similar tones and a little more sparkle. Taking it one step further, Carolina Kostner, will definitely have made the books, with her green jumpsuit ornamented with Swarovski crystals this year.
Skaters have also made history with costumes designed by some of the world’s greatest, such as Nancy Kerrigan with Vera Wang dresses or András Sallay and Krisztina Regőczy, who had Eric Vogel, a famous Hungarian costume designer, who designed the costumes for Moulin Rouge, create their outfits.
A simple question of detail can make the difference. It is the case for the asymmetrical feature combined with the faded colors of Yuzuru Hanyu’s costme or Johnny Weir’s famous red glove in 2006 that he used as a reference to a bird’s beak.
For exhibitions, there are many great dress-up costumes. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker impersonated “Austin Powers” perfectly and Laurine Lecavelier made a lasting impression with her performance to “Grease”, with her convertible dress. It has to be mentioned, Evegeni Plushenko had quite the reaction when he took the ice in his muscle man costume in 2001 as well.
We have seen many different styles. For every unique skater, there is a unique design, created on request. However, the inspiration and decision process, varies from one skater to the next. Some create their own designs, taking inspiration from the music, a colour or fashion, while others leave it up to the designer, members of their team or their entourage. Sometimes it is a combination.
Finally, here are some of the costumes you, our fans, shared with us. You are great!