ICE STYLE.....2014 U.S. Prudential Figure Skating Championships Costumes Recap Part Four: The MEN & ICE DANCE Free Skate/Free Dance Costumes

Dick Button and Tenley Albright are introduced during the Smucker's
Skating Spectacular following the Prudential U.S. Figure Skating
Championships, TD Garden Boston, Massachusetts

The 2014 U.S. Prudential Figure Skating Championships ended Sunday night--culminating in the Smucker's Skating Spectacular gala which followed the Championship Men Free Skate and corresponding Medals Ceremony for the Men...

 

The Top Four Men: (left to right) Jason Brown, Jeremy Abbott, Max Aaron and Joshua Farris pose for
photographers on the medals podium after the Men's competition during
the Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, TD Garden Boston, Massachusetts

Time to Recap the MEN and ICE Dance Costumes of the 2014 U.S. Nationals...First the MEN:

Jason Brown, Free Skate: Jason skated an AMAZING performance/skate for his Free Skate to "Reel Around the Sun" by Bill Whelan. His costume--while a bit gawdy and TRIM-a-licious, I still liked it because it goes perfectly well with his "River Dance"-like performance, it's a "show-stopper" of a costume (and maybe in a tacky way), and Jason IS a showman. At least, Jason is giving me something--compared to Brandon Mroz (keep reading!). I completely approve this costume, designed by Elena Pollack.

Jeremy Abbott, Free Skate: For his Free Skate to "Exogenesis Symphony Part III (Redemption)" by Muse, Jeremy Abbott wore this costume designed by Elise Fife. It's a printed loose top in brown, lilac and gray watercolor-like colorings. The ensemble is finished off with dark blue pants. It's a good look for this elegant, subdued, modern music.

Adam Rippon, Free Skate: I love how soft and drapy Adam's costume is (the top, at least). He skated his FS to "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" by Claude Debussy and this Jan Longmire-designed costume tries to mimic the Nijinsky-like soft femininity that one knows is associated with this music.

Joshua Farris, Free Skate: Speaking of soft and drapy, this is a fabulous costume on one of my favorite male figure skaters, Joshua Farris. Joshua skated his FS to Music from Schindler's List by John Williams in this Susi Hubbs designed costume (Susi contacted me to let me know that she was the designer of this FAB costume. She also created John Coughlin's "Phantom" costume and the designs worn by Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, the Canadian ice dancers, among others.).  Pat Pearsall-designed costume. Pearsall is one of the most renown Figure Skating Costume Designers and she knows what she is doing! The asymmetrical ivory ombre dyed cowl neck top is gorgeous; so fluid and so harmonious with the music.

Ross Miner, Free Skate: Ross skated his FS to Boston Strong--Music from the album Glory by Michael W. Smith. This was a tribute to his hometown of Boston--which also incidentally, was the host city of this year's U.S. Nationals. I thought this was a very nice costume--designed by The Work Room Productions--I thought the deep purple and silver sequins, created in a cross-like pattern was exquisite and enough of a costume exclamation point needed to highlight this emotional skate.

Max Aaron, Free Skate: Max skated his FS to Music from Carmen performed by Rodion Shchedrin and the Boston Pops Orchestra. I LOVE this sleek, modern costume. I especially like the use of solid with sheer panels (see above pic). It's one of my favorite male figure skating costumes for being so chic, sleek and modern--and for not using any overt "Carmen"-like toreador details...or a red rose!

 Bye Bye Curls: Just one sad note--that he cut his hair! I LOVED it all long and curly in the front in above pic.

Brandon Mroz, Free Skate: Brandon is a phenomenal jumper--but when it comes to his costumes...Oyyy veyy!! This is what he wore for his Free Skate to "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"--a ballet with music by Richard Rodgers about a hoofer who falls in love with a dance hall girl who is then shot by a jealous boyfriend. The 1957 film by the same name chronicles the dealings of crime, murder and widespread corruption in NYC's waterfront. With that being said and knowing the background, this costume is still THE. WORST. COSTUME. EVER. Seriously. It's like he--or whoever his costume designer is--did not even try; it's as if they went to an Express Outlet store, had a $100 budget and bought this above. Take a look at how the too-short shirt--that's not even tucked, lifts up and shows his tummy while he is jumping...it's just unacceptable.



Ice Dance Free Dance Costume Highlights:

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani Free Dance: I've written about these great costumes that brother-and-sister ice dancers Shibutani and Shibutani wear for their Free Dance to a Michael Jackson medley. You can read that HERE.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Free Dance: Chock and Bates skated their FD to Selections from Les Misérables by various artists. The good: it's pretty obvious that they are skating to Les Misérables. Also, I think Evan looks sharp and perfect.The not-so-good: Madison's pink costume with shredded shoulder details is a bit lackluster--design-wise for me, it almost seems as if more time was taken for his costume than hers, which is odd since Madison designed these costumes. I also don't think the shape is flattering to her figure at all. 

Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Free Dance: The gold medal winning ice dance pair of Davis and White skated their FD to "Scheherazade" by Nikoli Rimsky-Korsakov...

I absolutely love these costumes--especially hers--she looks like a near Eastern Empress! The chiffon gathering and draping plus the multicolored jeweled crystals are divine. Incidentally, this is a Change of Costume--well, more specifically, the color of the costume. This lilac color is a change from this...

What she wore at NHK Trophy 2013 in November...same design, just a color change.

Congrats and Good Luck at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: Members of the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team are introduced at the
Smucker's Skating Spectacular following the Prudential U.S. Figure
Skating Championships, TD Garden Boston,
Massachusetts. 

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!

Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia The Men and Ice Dance

 Oh My! Costumed Boys...Misha Ge of Uzbekistan (left) and Taksuki Machida of Japan and their very colorful costumes at the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia 2013

FIGURE SKATING Costume Fans: As you know, this past weekend was the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia 2013--the last Grand Prix competition before the Grand Prix Finals of this 2013-2014 Season. I talked about the LADIES and PAIRS of the Rostelecom Cup HERE in my last post. And now, it's time for the MEN and ICE DANCE. Let's get started:

The Men:

Konstantin Menshov Russia, Short Program: Skating his SP to "Coultergeist" by Phil Coulter, Konstantin wore this above: a white loose top with images of Michelangelo's' Sistine Chapel hands, black pants and white gloves. The song is from Phil Coulter's "Highland Cathedral" album and so I surmise that there's religious imagery in the theme. Even then, I kind of don't get it. It's a cool long sleeve t-shirt but other than that, I'm a bit costume-confused.

Tatsuki Machida Japan, Short Program: Japanese male skater skated his SP to East of Eden (TV Miniseries Soundtrack) by Lee Holdridge in this white and black costume. I liked the costume but still have no idea what this has to do with "East of Eden" and the TV Miniseries; the costume looks more like something one would wear to Beethoven or Mozart music.

Free Skate Costume Change: For his FS to Music from The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky, Japanese Figure Skater Taksuki Machida wore this above. It was a black long sleeved jumpsuit that had fire-like references in black, red and yellow upon a not-matching skin-colored illusion background. I didn't like it. This is what he wore in his previous ISU Grand Prix appearance which I REALLY LOVED:

 At Hilton HHonors Skate America 2013 and the costume he wore last season (to the same music)--One of the BEST! Note to Taksuki: Please go back to this!

Misha Ge Uzbekistan, Short Program: For his SP to I Still Got Blues, Still Got Rock by Gary Moore, Misha Ge wore this colorful costume. It is VERY "Blades of Glory" and I have to admit, I kinda like it! Yes, it's rather tacky but boy, did it make me sit up and come alive with joy when I saw it. He definitely should get a "Oh No He Didn't" trophy for his very "Hollywood Costume Designer"-designs-a-costume-for-an-actor-playing-a-Figure Skater.

Free Skate: For his FS to World Dance Collection including Neo Tango; Rhumba; Electro; Jive; Rock'n'Roll, Misha did not disappoint. This was a red, black, white, laced-up costume of CRAY-CRAY. I love that Misha--and whoever is designing his costumes, are still stuck in the 1990's era of figure skating. This makes me smile. Yes, it is so tacky and so not chic but it's kind of nice of have some retro...even tacky-licious retro.



Ice Dance:

Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khavalian Russia, Short Dance: For their SD to Quickstep by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, "L-O-V-E-" by Nat King Cole, Russian Ice Dance team Monko and Khavalian wore these costumes above. I thought her costume was so intricate, so well done. Loved the color and Art Deco-like sequin work. And he looked like a very fab waiter with his double-breasted shawl collared jacket and pants look. I just wished he had some royal blue in his costume--to tie her costume to his.

Free Dance: For their FD to Selection by Rene Aubry and selection by Gaetano Donizetti, this Russian Ice Dance pair gave "Venice Gondola" in their costumes. Overall, I liked these costumes, I just wish his pants were more fitted; there's too much thigh-leg excess. Make them stretch woven and thin out the leg. Please! At least, it's an improvement from her wearing "Olivia Newton-John/Let's Get Physical" leg warmers in their last appearance at 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard:

 Leg Warmers at At 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev Russia, Free Dance: For their FD to Music from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi and "Lacrimosa" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia 2013, the Russian Ice Dance team of Bobrova and Soloviev changed their costumes! And...I wasn't a fan. These new costumes featured ombre-dyed white-to-blue-to-dark gray...BORING and un-Olympic level material...

Bird Fab: I would LOVE for them to go back to these costume above that they wore for their last Grand Prix appearance Short Program