ICE STYLE.....2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships: PAIRS Costumes

Top Three: (left to right) Silver Medal Winners Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany, Gold Medalists Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia, and Bronze Medalists Meagan
Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada in the Pairs Free
Skating Program, 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, Budweiser Gardens London, Ontario, Canada.

Figure Skating Costume aficionados, we're on to Part Four of my 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships Costume Recap (Read Part One (Men's) HERE, Part Two (Ladies) HERE, and Part Three (Ice Dance) HERE). So, now, it's time for the Pairs...Here are my "Nick Costume Highlights":

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France--James and Cipres compete in the Short Program to "Rhumba d'Amour" and "Safri Duo" wearing these costumes above. I like the richness of Vanessa's fuchsia color and the contrast of Morgan's black look. The crystals strewn throughout both costumes are well-done even if they are two minutes from looking like they're on "Dancing With The Stars", the French version. The highlight here is, of course, Morgans PLUNGING neckline. He is GIVING cleavage!! How do you say "Sexy Hot" en français?

For their Free Skate to "Pearl Harbor" by Hans Zimmer, Morgan is at it again with his deep V neckline. I love Vanessa's blue with silver "necklace" encrusted costume but I am once again, distracted by Monsieur Cipres' cleavage...and in a good way!

Qing Pang and Jian Tong of China--Pang and Tong of China performed their Short Program to "Scott and Fran's Paso Doble" in some of the most intricately divine costumes of the season.
The costumes were as intense and fiery as the music. His Toreador
costume is sexy, strong, expensive-looking and perfectly theatrical. It was also very
traditional in its styling which contrasted her costume. While he went traditional, her Señorita was more abstract, directional with its asymmetrical detailing and mix of fabrications and sequin applique. 

Stacey Kemp and David King of Great Britain--For their Free Skate to "Pomp and Circumstance" by Edward Elgar, Stacey went one-shoulder Grecian Goddess and David went British soldier. I think they actually look a little more like "The Prince" and "Clara" from "The Nutcracker" or like characters from a Disney movie. Nevertheless, I still liked these costumes. I'm a sucker for anything that looks like it is from a Disney film or The Nutcracker.

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim of USA--Alexa and Chris skated their Free Skate to the "Life Is Beautiful" Soundtrack. I'm usually not a fan of the guy-wearing-the-vest look; it gets a little contrived and tired. And here...this holds true. While I like the black and red colors (especially her red and sequined costume), Chris looks like a Blackjack Dealer at The Bellagio Las Vegas in this.

Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang of China-- For their Free Skate to "Poeta" by Vincente Amigo, Peng and Zhang wore these Spain and Flamenco-themed costumes.They were both a bit "cookie-cutter" in terms of anything exciting or earth-shaking, especially with the over-used Spanish theme. However, what did get my attention, was Hao Zhang's braided ponytail. What was that??? Someone please get scissors. Pronto!

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany--Savchenko and Szolkowy are Costume Divas. For good and bad. However, as much as I try to forget their "Pink Panther" looks of several seasons ago, I cannot (because I think I liked them!). For their Free Skate to "Flamenco Bolero" by Gustavo Montesano, they wore these black with Miro-inspired print costumes.

They debuted these new costumes at the 2013 European Championships in January of this year but Aliona chose to wear black tights as shown above. I like it better without. Now this was a costume change for the two Pairs skaters from earlier in the 2012-2013 Season at Skate Canada 2012...

They wore this above. Needless to say, this was all about a mess. Too distracting and well, too "kooky" abstract and Cirque du Soleil-ish. Thank goodness they were wise enough to make a change, especially for the all-important Worlds.

Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia--Volosozhar and Trankov skated their Free Skate to "Violin Muse" by Ikuko Kawai I felt these costumes were much more ethereal,
exploratory. They were "Modern Fluttery" almost evoking a Nikinsky-like factor.  I loved that his look was especially ultra feminine, considering how UBER masculine he is built.

Congratulations to Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia for winning the Gold!

ICE STYLE.....2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships: Ice Dance Costumes

Go US: Gold Medal-winning Ice Dancers Meryl David and Charlie White, 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, London, Ontario, Canada

Part Three of my 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships Costume Recap involves the always visually-entertaining ICE DANCE! There is lots to discuss including all the "folkloric"-looking costumes (it's like a Miss Universe Parade of Nations competition!), Cowgirls and Cowboys (in CHAPS!), an IMPORTANT Costume Change (Mon Dieu!) and much more...Here are some of MY highlights from both the Short and Free Dance portions of the Ice Dance competition at the Worlds 2013:

Olesia Karmi and Max Lindholm of Finland--I loved their very folkloric and Finnish-looking costumes for their Short Dance to Säkkijärven Polka and Kesäillan Valssi. The colors were great, loved the trim and applique detail and they both looked very polished. They looked like teenagers from "The Sound of Music" von Trapp family...the Finnish version!

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of USA--Chock and Bates skated their Short Dance to Selections from Quidam by Cirque du Soleil. Madison designed the costumes and I liked them. The colors were impacting, vibrant and perfect for the dance. Hers, especially is a bit over-the-top but then again, that's Cirque du Soleil! I also liked Evan's slim, fitted velvet midnight
blue jacket with trimmed lapel. I kind of wish his pants would have matched though.

Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi of Germany--For their Free Dance titled "Two From the Grave", they skated to three songs "Tore My Heart", "Et Maintenant" and "Rama Lama".
They look like these messy/torn-up
seemingly-rising-from-the-shipwrecked-"grave"couple. It's such a MESS
that I'm actually all for it. I just feel bad for Alexander, because he
really looks as if he got the BAD end of the Costume-and-Makeup Stick. They both look very Helena Bonham Carter going to an Awards Show!

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy--I LOOOVE! When I saw them step onto
the ice to do their Short Dance, I think I quietly exclaimed "Now, these
are Costumes!". For their Short Program, they skated to a Waltz sung
by Luciano Pavarotti and a Polka by Strauss. These two looked like they
came out of a Vienna Austria dinner theater and straight onto the ice! These costumes blend camp, color, and actual historical
period costumes and do it superbly.

Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz of Spain--For their Short Dance, these two cuties from Spain chose a Waltz to "Jane's Waltz" and a Polka to "Modern Times". I thought they both looked elegant, so "Old Hollywood Glamour" and still "costume-y" enough for this portion of the Ice Dance competition. I thought her dress was FABULOSO! And I especially liked how the costume designer brought in her lemon yellow color into the boutonniere he had on his chest. Muy bien chicos!

Pernelle Carron and Lloyd Jones of France--Carron and Jones skated their Free Dance to "La Chanson des Vieux Amants" by Jaques Brel. These two looked elegant and very "Red Carpet Ready". I especially admired her costume and that front torso heavy sequin detail. It looked expensive. I also liked his very fitted double breasted suit.

Justyna Plutowska and Peter Gerber of Poland--For their Short Dance to "Mary Poppins" (of course!), they wore these great costumes above. I appreciated the bold and graphic vest of multicolored harlequin print and the juxtaposition of her soft, delicate and lacy dress. It was nice to give him a red neck-tie to go with the pops of red in her dress.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada--Gilles and Poirier also skated their Short Dance to Selections from "Mary Poppins" (like the Ice Dance team from Poland above them). As you can see, there were some similarities between both costumes--the red ribbons, red neck-ties on the men, the lace top sections of the girl's dresses. Paul's vest however, was much more subdued than his Polish counterpart. Which Ice Dance "Mary Poppins" costume do you guys like the best?

Allison Reed and Vasili Rogov of Israel--Reed and Rogov performed their Short Dance to "Claudia's Waltz" and "The Rambler's" by The Dreadnoughts. I wanted to highlight her yellow with teal ribbon'ed detail dress because well, it really stood out. It's a little "St. Pauli Girl" and she's a hot minute from serving beer at a Hofbräu but, somehow, I still like it!

Cathy Reed and Chris Reed of Japan--These two really brought the Capital "C" in Costumes for their 2012-2013 Season. For both their Short and Free Dances, they went 110% and I liked them. For their Short Dance to "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", they wore these costumes above. The bright pink and shiny fabric of her
dress was a bit much but very "on trend" with what's going on in fashion for Spring 2013. But the overall theme was appropriate for the
musical.

For their Free Dance to Selections from "The Beatles", they went
pop-art 60's Mod (well, she was!). Again, I really liked these looks.
The color-blocked dress on Cathy was very on-trend yet seem
perfect for the music and ice dance. And notice, kids, how his tie had
the SAME colors as her dress. They get an "A" in costumes for this season!

 Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of USA--The costumes this brother and sister team from the US wore for their Free Dance were some of my favorites of the entire season. They skated their Free Dance to John Williams' "Memoirs of a Geisha" and I thought their costumes were perfect.
Alex looked sublimely chic in his grey side draped waist-coat/vest,
black pants and white dress short. Maia was a vision of pretty in her
rose-pink and steel-gray Kimono-and-Obi costume.

Julia Zlobina and Alexei Sitnikov of Azerbaijan--For their Short Dance to "Violente Valse" by Caravan Palace and "Dolly Song" by Holly Dolly, Zlobina and Sitnikov went very colorful and festive with their costumes. I like colorful and festive but something about the entire looks hinted of Cirque du Soleil backup performers and looked a little "Happy Hands At Home" arts-and-crafts.

Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia--For their Short Dance to "Andijan Polka", they wore these
costumes above which were some of my favorites of the 2012-2013 Season, especially amongst the "Folklore Costume Category".
The print was fabulous, the crown she wore, the little details in her wrists/sleeve hem, she looked like a Miss Universe contestant at the Parade of Nations Costumes Competition. Oh, and yes, Nikita looked very cute as well.

Irina Shtork and Taavi Rand of Estonia--For their Short Dance to "Old Country Waltz" and "Cotton Eye Joe", these two went COUNTRY!!! On Irina, I absolutely loved the richness, vibrancy of the red gingham, the perfectly tailored denim and the delicacy of the lace trim. She was sassy and looked right at home for a good ol' barn ride--or a line dance competition. But the Star here are those chaps on Taavi! I need to repeat: CHAPS! Plus the matching fringed vest! I want this entire look the next time I go to my Gay Rodeo! Seriously.

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat--For their Free Dance, Pechalat and Bourzat skated to "Miss You," "Angie," "Symphony for the Devil" and "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones. Their "costumes", if you could call them that, were what I would call "Boho Hippie Chick Meets 'Survivor' Reality Show Contestants". It was a bit of a mish-mash. She wore a cami-like tunic top (or was it a dress) that was a teeny
bit short and her panties kept showing whenever a turn or a lift
occurred. She had accessories on her forehead and a long dangling
necklace that I guess were there to reiterate the "Hippie" part but they
looked a bit contrived. He looked like he belonged in a "Jesus Christ Superstar" revival. To sum it up: I wasn't a fan.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada--One word: WOW. Another word: Sublime. Kids, I could go on. And I will. They skated their Silver Medal-winning Free Dance to "Carmen" by Rodion Shchedrin and these ensembles were flawless. So chic, so modern and directional. We have seen those "Carmen" costumes over and over...and OVER again. So how refreshing to not see a red rose in sight, or a mantilla or lace. Yet still, through their powerful performance, you get it! This, kids, is a MODERN Carmen. Thank you very much. Now, to the Costume Change news: This sheer and solid black asymmetrical neckline dress was a change for Tessa in terms of what she had been wearing all season long for this Free Dance...

This above is the dress/costume she had worn for the 2012-2013 season. For the Worlds, she--and her costume designer(s) decided a new black dress would be right. I LOVED the "old" plunging neckline dress above and in fact, thought it was one of THE BEST of all the Ice Dancers this entire season.But I liked the change as well. It's always refreshing to keep the Figure Skating Costume Watchers (such as myself) on my toes, looking out for any little (costume) changes.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White of USA--Gold Medal-winning Ice Dancers Davis and White wore this above for their 2012-2013 Season Short Dance to "Giselle". They looked great--and more importantly,
appropriate for the music. I liked the bold colors on her waist corset and the fringe on Charlie's tan suede vest. I also thought Meryl was very "St. Pauli Girl" (it's a theme it seems here in Ice Dance!) and maybe that's why I loved it!

For their Free Dance to "Notre-Dame de Paris", they went a little
more subdued--Meryl donned a maroon midriff corseted costume and
Charlie...well, he went into his closet and got a black stretch long
sleeve shirt and black pants (or so it seemed). I would have LOVED to have seen a
compatible COSTUME partner to Meryl's corseted damsel. I understand the simplicity in the Men's costumes, allowing the women to be the highlight, but I would love to see just a bit more of a "costume connection" between the two of them.

 Congrats to Davis and White for winning the GOLD!

**Up Next: My Fourth and Final Recap of the Costumes of the 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships-THE PAIRS!

ICE STYLE.....2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships--Ladies Costumes Recap

Gold Medal Winner Yu-Na Kim of Korea skating her Free Skate at the 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, London, Ontario, Canada

Continuing with my Costume Recap of the 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships which occurred a couple of weeks back...it's now time to discuss the Costume Highlights of the LADIES---

Mae Berenice Meite of France--For her Free Skate to Selections from "Zarafa" and "Dead Can Dance" and Soundtrack to "Belphegor", Mae Berenice wore one of my favorite Ladies Costumes from the season. It was kitschy, reminded me of Whitney Houston's "Queen of the Night" from "The Bodyguard", it was Cleopatra Fab...all of it. Oh, and it reminded me of the iconic 60's Paco Rabanne couture, as well. Très bien Mae Berenice!

Alena Leonova of Russia--Alena skated her Season 2013-2013 Short Program to "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Indian Hip Hop" and I
absolutely LOVED her apple green costume. It had great
jigsaw-puzzle-like detail in the torso with strewn sequins and gold
metal trim. The design had draping, a flirty chiffon "skirt", arm and body straps...that great back! She looked very chic Bollywood dancer.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia--Elizaveta loves a jumpsuit/unitard/skirt costume combo. She wore two versions of this silhouette for both. For her Short Program to Music from the Love Story soundtrack by Francis Lai, Elizaveta wore this black skating dress and semi sheer sparkly leggings. I like the black with silver sequins and plunging neckline detail of the skating dress but...I'm just not sure how necessary it was for her to then also wear the sparkly tights.

Then for her Free Skate to "Dark Eyes", she once again chose to not stop with the skating dress but also added the tights. Now, she's either A) Cold, and/or B) she wants this skating dress-and-tights costume look to be her "thing". I, for one, would advice her NOT to have it be her "thing". The black with red accents and crystals skating dress is fine on its own--I would only say she should have "punched  it up" a bit more in terms of more sequins or more upper torso/sleeve detail but to add black tights/leggings to it? Not so mucheey.

Viktoria Helgesson of Sweden--I loved BOTH costumes worn by Viktoria Helgesson. For her Short Program to "Poinciana"--an album from jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal--she wore a teal costume (top photo) featuring a beaded torso top section with a fringed (very popular this past season)"skirt". The double straps were great and I liked the distribution of the diamante crystals. For her Free Skate to "Spellbound Concerto" by Miklos Rozsa, she wore a baby blue costume that looked like something from Versace. The asymmetrical neckline was great but I especially loved the sequins and how expensive and well-placed they were. She "debuted" this costume when she skated at the NRW Trophy at Eissportzentrum on December 9, 2012 in Dortmund, Germany.

This costume above is what she had been wearing the rest of the 2012-2013 Season for that Free Skate. I like them both.

Gracie Gold of USA-- For her Free Skate to Life is Beautiful soundtrack by Nicola Piovan,
Gracie wore this bright blue and sequin costume designed to look
strapless--with nude illusion at the upper chest and neck. It was very
pretty. Nothing costume "earth shattering", but yes, very pretty. Now, for her Short Program to "Hernando's Hideaway" by Various Artists...

Gracie wore this red with sequins costume which I liked very much. Both her costumes were designed by Brad Griffies and he did a fabulous job. Interesting to note that she just began wearing this costume earlier this year--first, at the 2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at CenturyLink Center on January 24, 2013 in Omaha, Nebraska and in February at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium on February 9, 2013 in Osaka, Japan. This costume...

...above (which I also LOVED!) was what she had wearing the entire 2012-2013 Season prior to those two competitions. I said it was ONE OF THE BEST of the 2012 Year.

 

Ashley Wagner of USA--Speaking of great costumes, this canary yellow one on Ashley Wagner was, hands down, one of my favorite Figure Skating Costumes of this
past year/season. She wore this for
her Free Skate to "Samson and Delilah". From the moment she stepped on the ice, I thought this was Figure Skating Costume Perfection. The bright sunburst yellow with ombré
dyeing; the expertly applied sequins, the torso and neckline
detail...It was very "Samson and Delilah" for sure and at the same time
suggested the works of some of the better-known Lebanese Couturiers like
Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad. Therefore, she was Red Carpet Fab and Figure Skating Perfection!

Carolina Kostner of Italy--Carolina skated her Free Skate to "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel, performed by Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra wearing this open back black costume. I thought it was elegant, modern and refreshingly void of too many "bells and whistles". It was a great departure from that Swarovski-crystal jumpsuit she wore last season.

Mao Asada of Japan--Mao wore this costume to her Free Skate to Music from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky. She debuted this costume at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium on February 10, 2013 in Osaka, Japan. I thought this was a nice interpretation of the "Swan Lake" ballerina theme. The only complaint is that there were one too many feathers. It almost looked like she had been rolling in a feather pillow that semi-exploded.

This above (which was one of my TOP FAVORITES of last year in terms of Ladies Figure Skating Costumes) is what she wore for most of the 2012-2013 Season. I wish she would have just kept wearing this "old" costume above.

Yu-Na Kim of Korea--For her Short Program, she skated to "The Kiss of the Vampire"
and her costume was SPECTACULAR! It was an icy blue color with very
expensive-looking crystals in silver, blue and "Vampire Blood" red. It
also had a perfectly matching nude illusion shoulder/sleeve section. If you cannot tell yet...I absolutely LOVED it!

For her Free Skate to "Les
Misérables", Yu-Na did not disappoint--costume-wise. She wore a gunmetal
gray chiffon costume with "Period" sleeves, sweetheart neckline and
delicately sequined bodice. This is how I like to see my Les Misérables costumes interpreted, not sad and dreary. She won the GOLD at the Worlds and for me, she took home the gold in the Costume Category too. GO QUEEN YU-NA!

Top Three Ladies: (left to right) Silver Medalist Carolina Kostner of Italy, Gold Medal winner Yu-Na Kim, and Bronze Medalist Mao Asada of
Japan, 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Budweiser Gardens on
March 16, 2013 in London, Ontario, Canada. 

**Up Next: The Ice Dance and Pairs Costumes Highlights of the 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships