ICE STYLE.....Best Costumes of the ISU of Figure Skating Grand Prix Season 2013-2014 Part II: The Men and Ice Dance

Classic Figure Skating Couture: Ice Dance Team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA...

Winged Fab: Ice Dance Team of Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia, and...

Firebird Perfect: Tatsuki Machida of Japan

FIGURE SKATING FANS: I discussed my favorite costumes from this season's ISU Grand Prix Figure Skating Costumes from the LADIES and PAIRS HERE so...it's time to talk about my Top Picks for "Best Costumes" of the MEN and ICE DANCE...



Let's start with my favorites of the Men:

Sergei Voronov of Russia, Short Program: Voronov skated his Short Program to "Two Guitars".
I thought this was a good look for Sergei; clean, vibrant with the
black and white and I really appreciated the designs/print in the
jacket--are those peacocks? fish? abstract paisleys? Whatever it is, it
is kind of a cool jacket--something I would see at Men's Paris Fashion
Week.

Tatsuki Machida of Japan, Free Skate: Machida skated his Free Program to Music from The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky.
He wore this FABULOUS costume that was all things GREAT at Hilton HHonors Skate America 2013. I loved all
the color, detail, sequin work, multidimensional feathers. All in all,
it was pretty outstanding and perfect for the music and skate. You knew
IMMEDIATELY that he was skating to The Firebird the minute he
stepped onto the ice. If you think you have seen this before on
Machida, you were right: last season (2012-2013), he also skated his
Free program to this music and wore THE SAME COSTUME. And for some reason, he changed this costume when he skated later on in the season at the 2013 Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia to a variation of it which I didn't like as much. You can see that one HERE.

Alexander Majorov of Sweden, Short Program: Majorov skated his SP to Khorobushka by Bond.
I liked the intricacy of his jacket and all the detail. He looked like a
Toreador combined with a Russian soldier. It was an impressive powerful costume.

Max Aaron of the US, Free Skate: First of all, I LOVE his haircut! So
80s and so NOW! And perfect for his beautiful curls. OK, enough gushing
on about his hair--now back to the costume. 2013 US Champion Max Aaron
skated his Free Skate to Music from Carmen performed by Rodion Shchedrin and the Boston Pops Orchestra...and
what a surprise and shocker: NO Toreador Costume! No red! No bejeweled
bolero in sight! Kudos to Max and his costume designer for coming up
with such a directional and modern look for his been there-done that
music. If you don't know by now, I really liked this: I liked how
perfectly it fit him and I loved the juxtaposition of the semi-nude
stretch chiffon with the solid stretch velvet. Good job!

Joshua Farris of the US, Free Skate: Farris skated his Free Skate to Music from Schindler's List by John Williams in this Pat Pearsall-designed costume. I loved the drape of the top, the asymmetrical hemline and cowl neckline. I also appreciated the feminine vs. masculine lines of the fluid top and fitted pants.

Daisuke Takahashi Japan, Free Skate: For his Free Skate to Medley of Music by The Beatles,
he wore this draped jersey cowl-neck top with black stretch velvet
pants, similar in silhouette and style to Joshua Farris' costume. It's nice to see male figure skaters take on a more "softer"/feminine approach to their costumes. If this is a Male Figure Skating Costume Trend, I'm all for it!



 Ice Dance:

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia, Short Dance:
Bobrova and Soloviev wore some of my favorite Ice Dance costumes so far
this season for both their Short and Free Dance. For their SD to "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" by Jule Styne, "I Will Wait For You" by Michel Legrand and "Swing, Swing, Swing My Baby",
they stuck to the theme of the music--she was very Marilyn Monroe and
he looked like a 50s Hollywood actor. I loved the bright strawberry red
color of her dress and its feathered and sequin detail.

Free Dance:  For their FD to Music from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi and "Lacrimosa" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
they wore these spectacular bird-like costumes. If you can't tell by
now, I LOVED THEM! They looked like Paris Runway Ravens ready to take
off into an amazing ornithological pas des deux. They thought
about everything--from her chic runway-like hairstyle to the unusual
"feathered wings" that were attached through her arms and back (and how
it continued onto his costume). These were simply outstanding! Unfortunately, they changed these costumes later in the season to something that was less spectacular.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the US, Short Dance: US dance team of Chock and Bates skated their Short Dance this season to "Hollywood" by Puppini Sisters, "There's No Business Like Show Business" by Irving Berlin. The beautiful Madison wore
long white gloves with her shimmering and fringed costume. Fantastic!

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier Canada, Free Dance: For their Free Dance to Music from the Hitchcock soundtrack by Danny Elfman and "The Rainstorm" by Bernard Hermann,
they wore these costumes. First of all: I really liked this Free Dance:
it was original, creative and taking Ice Dance to a more adventuresome
and directional level, I was intrigued and wanted to see what more they could do. In terms of their costumes: I liked! They were dark yet glitzy;
interesting and went with the Hitchcock music.

Elena KIlinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia, Free Dance: Well I wonder what these two very good-looking Ice Dancers from Russia skated to for their Free Dance? If you answered "Swan Lake",
yep, you are correct! (it's not so difficult). I thought these costumes
were marvelous! She was "Classic Swan Lake" and he was "Punk Roller
Disco Swan Lake". And they went together beautifully: modern, retro,
classic, a little Fashion Runway. Oh and yes, it does kind of help that
both of them are GORGEOUS!

Meryl Davis and Charlie White USA, Short Dance: Meryl and Charlie skated their 2013-2014 Season Short Dance to My Fair Lady by
Frederic Loewe. I thought these costumes were beautiful, elegant and
just right for the music. Charlie looked dapper and very old-school luxe
in his tails, vest and cravat. I would have liked his floppy surfer-boy
hair to be (at the very least) slicked back, but I know I am barking up the
wrong tree trying to get Charlie to put any product in that hair of his!
Meryl's pink dress was so pretty. I loved the simplicity of it but it
still packed a strong elegant punch with  those correctly placed silver
stones in the neckline and waist.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the US, Free Dance: For the Free Dance to "Scheherazade" by Nikoli Rimsky-Korsakov, Davis and White wore these costumes above. We all know the story of Scheherazade of course and besides the fact that their FD illustrated it
masterfully, their costumes were also complimentary to it. I admired Meryl's teal
costume which featured a draped front section, halter wrap top and
bejeweled waist; she looked very Near East Princess.



Finally, my other Top Favorite Ice Dance Costumes were worn by the US brother-and-sister team of...

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the US, Free Dance: For their Free Dance to a Michael Jackson medley, the
Shibutani's wore these costumes above. Love. love, and Love! It would
have been so predictable for their costume designer to go for the
typical Michael Jackson look, whether it be a red leather motorcycle
jacket or a Billie Jean suspenders, hi-water pants and penny loafers
look, but these were anything but. I liked the modernity of Maia's sleek
dress featuring black illusion and solid fabric with crystals
throughout. And Alex's jacket was cool and very complimentary with
Maia's dress and a fun little pop of color when he opens it up to reveal a bit of red!

ICE STYLE.....2013 NHK Trophy Costumes Recap Part Two: The Men and Ice Dance! Costume Changes and What Would Make Me SHAKE! Keep Reading...

Japan and Russia Costume Highlights: Male figure skater Daisuke Takahashi of Japan (left) and Ice Dance team of Elena KIlinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia (right)

 Daisuke Fans: A scene at Yoyogi National Gymnasium Tokyo Japan while Japan's Daisuke Takahashi is about to skate

Wrapping up my Costumes Recap for this past weekend's ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2013 NHK Trophy, in my last post HERE I talked about the LADIES and PAIRS so now, it's time for the MEN and ICE DANCE. Once again, I've discussed some of these skaters already in some previous posts for Skate America 2013, Skate Canada 2013 or Cup of China 2013--and some I have not. Oh, and there are more Costume Changes! Let's begin...

Daisuke Takahashi Japan, Short Program: Japan Figure Skating SUPERSTAR Daisuke Takahashi skated his SP to Sonatino for Violin by Mamoru Samuragochi in this very elegant yet dark costume. I really liked this look for him. It was all black and featured a tight fitting top with long sleeves and asymmetrical hem with leather-like panels and a crystal center front.

Free Skate: For his FS to Medley of Music by The Beatles, he wore this draped jersey cowl-neck top  with black stretch velvet pants. While I love the top and it's draping, I have to say that if I was a costume designer and I knew that I would be designing a costume to go with a "Beatles Medley", I am not sure I would have created this ethereal look. It screams "Nijinski" more than The Beatles. But when you see the skate and hear that the Beatles medley was done in classical music style, it does kind of work. Kind of.

Javier Fernandez Spain, Short Program: Javier debuted his Season 2013-2014 skate at NHK Trophy 2013-This above was the costume he wore to his SP to "Satan Takes a Holiday". I wanted to know a little bit more about the music (to get a sense of where this costume came from) and I found out that it was written by bandleader Larry Clinton in 1937, and Wikipedia says that it was "originally used as background music for 'magic acts and midnight spook shows' ". Interesting. Just like his costume. The ensemble featured a striped pant and "shirt" look with an elongated vest/jacket (I think) that hugged over his...um, buttocks, in black with back panels of oversized houndstooth. Oh, and for some reason there were also accents of red and yellow (for Spain perhaps?). It was all a bit "kooky" for me. To be honest, I thought it was fun and at least, visually exciting. I just felt the top "vest" section was a bit too long. The proportions seemed a bit off and the houndstooth on his back was distracting.  Now, speaking of a bit "kooky"...Take a look at what he wore for his Exhibition skate:

Let's Get Physical: Spanish male figure skater in his "Gala Exhibition" skate entitled "Aerobic Class" (of course!) at NHK Trophy 2013. I rarely discuss these Exhibition costumes, but after seeing these pics, how could I not??!!! He looks like a character from a Pedro Almodóvar movie and I am LIVING for it!



Now, back to the actual competition costumes:

 Jeremy Abbott Free Skate Costume at NHK Trophy 2013 this past weekend

Jeremy Abbott FS Costume at Skate Canada 2013 two weeks ago

Jeremy Abbott USA, Free Skate: Jeremy skated his FS to "Exogenesis Symphony Part III (Redemption)" by Muse--the same music he skated to during the 2011-2012 Season. Now, I remembered that in my Skate Canada 2013 post, I discussed his costume but I realized "wait, he changed!". The look he wore at NHK Trophy in Japan this past weekend was different from what he wore at Skate Canada 2013 two weeks ago. Both costumes were designed by Elise Fife. I'm not sure which one I like best. I am on the fence. I do like the ease and fluidity of the new top and he finally wore a bit of color! Which one do you guys like best?

Nobunari Oda in his Free Skate costume--NHK Trohpy 2013 this past weekend

 Nobunari Oda Free Skate Costume at Skate Canada 2013 two weeks ago

Another Costume Change: Japanese male figure skater Nobunari Oda changed his costume as well for his Free Skate to "William Tell Overture" by Giacochino Rossini. The new look has a much more detailed yellow blouse/shirt and brown velvet vest. I have to say that this new costume is so "Disney Prince" Costume from a Halloween shop. And he has such a juvenile look already, this only makes him look more like a kid working at an amusement park. I think I liked the first one better. But what do you guys think? NHK or Skate Canada?

Sergei Voronov Russia, Short Program: Voronov skated his SP to "Two Guitars". I thought this was a good look for Sergei; clean, vibrant with the black and white and I really appreciated the designs/print in the jacket--are those peacocks? fish? abstract paisleys? Whatever it is, it is kind of a cool jacket--something I would see at Men's Paris Fashion Week.

Ice Dance

Elena KIlinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia, Free Dance--Well I wonder what these two very good-looking Ice Dancers from Russia skated to for their Free Dance? If you answered "Swan Lake", yep, you are correct! (it's not so difficult). I thought these costumes were marvelous! She was "Classic Swan Lake" and he was "Punk Roller Disco Swan Lake". And they went together beautifully: modern, retro, classic, a little Fashion Runway. Oh and yes, it does kind of help that both of them are GORGEOUS!

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier Canada, Free Dance: For their Free Dance to Music from the Hitchcock soundtrack by Danny Elfman and "The Rainstorm" by Bernard Hermann, they wore these costumes. First of all: I really liked this Free Dance: it was original, creative and taking Ice Dance to a more adventuresome and directional level, I was intrigued and wanted to see what more they can do. In terms of their costumes: I liked! They were dark yet glitzy; interesting and went with the Hitchcock music.

Cathy Reed and Chris Reed Japan, Free Dance: I discussed these costumes which they wore for their Free Dance to "Shogun II Total War Soundtrack" already HERE in my Hilton HHonors Skate America 2013 post.

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani USA Free Dance: I also talked about these great costumes the Shibutani's wore for their fun Free Dance to a Michael Jackson medley HERE in my Skate America 2013 post. I loved them!

Meryl Davis and Charlie White USA, Short Dance Costumes to My Fair Lady by Frederic Loewe--NHK Trophy 2013

Meryl Davis and Charlie White USA, Free Dance Costumes to "Scheherazade" by Nikoli Rimsky-Korsakov--NHK Trophy 2013

I talked about both these SD and FD costumes HERE in my Skate America 2013 blog post--I LOVED both and thought they were exquisite. I especially like the pink bodice of Meryl's SD dress; it looks like a woven satin boned and corseted bodice of a ball gown. The fit is DIVINE. Speaking of DIVINE: their Free Dance is TIMELESS, incredible, moving...it's ALL THAT! Now, if I have one secret wish, I would SHAKE with Style Glee...if Charlie slicked back his hair for the Short Dance for the Sochi Olympics. Literally, I would SHAKE!!!! That would really do it for me! (I'm crossing my fingers!).

ICE STYLE.....2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships--Men's Costumes

 Top Three Men: (left to right) Silver Medalist Denis Ten of Kazakhstan, Gold Medalist Patrick Chan of Canada, Bronze Medalist Javier Fernandez of Spain--2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, London, Ontario, Canada

The 2013 World Figure Skating Championships ("Worlds")
occurred a couple of weeks back in London, Ontario, Canada at Budweiser
Gardens. As you know, I LOVE ME some figure skating and especially
talking about the costumes. When the Worlds were happening,
unfortunately, I was traveling doing events for Macy's as well as
hosting the FIDM Debut 2013 Fashion Shows so...I didn't have time to do
my traditional "Nick Figure Skating Costume Recap" but now I do.

 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, London, Ontario, Canada at Budweiser Gardens, London, Ontario, Canada

I was
almost not going to talk about it (since it occurred a couple of weeks
ago--which is like A YEAR in "blog time"!) but so many people--either on
Facebook or Twitter kept asking "Nick, where's your "World's Costume
Recap?" that well, I decided to do it. So without further a do--Let's
begin with the MEN:

Alexei Bychenko Israel--Alexei failed to advance to the Free Skate but, nevertheless, I wanted to comment on his Short Program costume to "Party Sailor" by Wilson Picket and "John Rango" by James Brown. I can see the sailor theme with his top for sure. But (here we go again!), I am SO NOT A FAN of the BELT!!! And why a BROWN one?? Couldn't he have found one that matches the pants? Or hey, have the costume designer actually create Sailor Pants (with the front flap)? Heck, I can go to the Army Surplus store and find some for him!

Viktor Romanenkov of Estonia--For his Free Skate to "Prince of Egypt" by Hans Zimmer, Viktor made me (Costume) proud! He may have [placed 22nd out of 24 skaters in the Free Skate but he was up there in my Top Three for Best Men's Costumes. This was Tutankhamen HOT!

Justus Strid of Denmark--Justus (who ended up last overall) did his Free Skate to "Where Do I Fit In" by Nicola Piovani in this get-up. It was so bright, so jarring...that I had to discuss. Piovani was the composer to "Life Is Beautiful" as well as many other soundtracks. Here, in this costume, he looks like a cross between a clown and a referee. Maybe that was the point? He doesn't "fit in" anywhere!

Brian Joubert of France--Sexy Hottie-McHottie Brian Joubert knows that A) he's very athletic, B) he's a Sex Symbol in his country and C) He's got to keep the ladies in the audience smilin' (and some of the boys too!) by always showing some muscles, in one shape or form. For both his Short Program and Free Skate costumes, he delivered. The first photo is from his Short Program to "Genesis" by Justice and "Aerodynamic" by Daft Punk. Love the faux leather details juxtaposed with the black illusion. The top is amazing... masculine, futuristic and sexy at the same time. In the costume above--for his Free Skate to Gladiator by Hans Zimmer, he's looking like a cross between a Spartan Warrior and a Samurai. I like the asymmetry of the top (notice the "nude sleeve"), silver applique and leg warmers (yes, those are LEG WARMERS!). Now, the belt he's wearing, I actually approve. Why? Because it goes with the rest of the costume and doesn't look like it is from "Ross Dress For Less".

Max Aaron of USA--Take a guess where this is from? If you guessed "Tron", you were right! Yes, Max skated his Short Program in one of the most "unusual" costumes worn by the men this 2012-2013 season. He skated to "Tron: Legacy" by Daft Punk in this black jumpsuit/unitard designed by Kay Evans. I think it's perfect for the music and theme and graphic enough to stand out. Now, speaking of "standing out"...oh never mind, I have to keep it PG-13 here!

Daiksuke Takahashi of Japan--I always like what Daisuke wears in competitions because he's not afraid to go soft with his costumes and use flowy, drape-y fabrications...so very feminine but still, he looks completely masculine. For his Short Program to Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven he wore this cowl draped top costume with fluttery volants and encrusted sequins.  This was different from what he has worn previously for the Short Program this season:

The music of Daisuke's Short program was different from what he had been skating to previously this season--a "Rock 'n Roll Medley", therefore his costume changed as well. The "old one" (which I also LOVED!) reflected his old "Rock 'n Roll Short Program.

For his Free Skate to Music from Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, Daisuke stayed romantic, soft and "frilly" with details on his costume--especially the top portion. He knows how details and trims can add movement while he's skating and uses them well. Pagliacci is a tragic opera about a clown and there's nothing tragic or clownish about this ensemble. He first "unveiled" this costume in December of last year at the 81st Japan Figure Skating Championships. But...

Before then, this above is the costume he had been wearing for his Season 2012-2013 "Pagliacci" Free Skate.

 

Takahito Mura of Japan--Takahito skated his Free Skate to Music from the TV series Shogun and I think his costume was exceptional in terms of the theme. I love the cross-over trim detail of his kimono top, the silky velvet fabrication--showing elegance and wealth and I especially like how the costume theme was taken down to his boots as well.

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan--Yuzuru's costume for his Free Skate to Music from the Notre-Dame de Paris soundtrack by Riccardo Cocciante was one that I really liked all season long and commented on previously here on my blog. In fact, I deemed it one of THE BEST of the season. I said this: It was soooo Johnny Weir in its no-holds-barred design philosophy and embrace of feminine-like details. The
big cross, the ombre dyed ivory and red shirt, the one sleeve ruffle and
one black glove; lots of details and he was not afraid to "Go For It"!

Javier Fernandez of Spain--For his Free Skate to a Charlie Chaplin Medley, Javier wore this shirt, tie, vest and pants look, keeping within the "Charlie Chaplin" theme. I liked the combination of baggy pants and tight waistcoat. I think he
looks good. Slim and modern.

It would have been nice to see a very shrunken
jacket (like the "real" Charlie Chaplin) to finish the entire outfit off but I get that it might have been
restricting when it came time to accomplish his fab jumps!



Patrick Chan of Canada--Gold Medal winner Patrick Chan skated in this ensemble above to his Free Skate to "Selections by Rachmaninoff". I admit that I wasn't a fan of this costume throughout the season. It was drab and reminded one of the Miserables...in Les Misérables. But I did really like...

What he wore for his Short Program to Music from La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. It was a deep
blue-colored, lightly beaded blouson long sleeve top with a plunging
neckline (Oh Patrick!). And also had attached convertible collar and cascade
ruffles. 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. I appreciate the risk Patrick took with this costume and definitely thought it was one of the best of the season.



**Up Next: The LADIES Costume Highlights of the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships