ICE STYLE.....2015 World Figure Skating Championships Costumes Recap Part 3: PAIRS COSTUMES!

Costume Pairs: Pairs skaters--and their costumes--at 2015 World Figure Skating Championships Shanghai China

Since I have already discussed the LADIES Costumes HERE and MEN Costumes HERE from this past week's 2015 World Figure Skating Championships, It's now time to discuss the PAIRS Costumes Highlights:

Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov of Russia: Above is what they wore for their Free Skate to  "The Master and Margarita" (soundtrack) by Igor Korneliuk. While at first glance, these costumes may seem a bit on the "Cray-Cray" side, I liked them! They go perfectly well with the music and the theme of that Russian TV miniseries involving demons, Stalin, and an "Annual Spring Ball of the Full Moon". The red and black are very impacting and his slash-open sleeves flutter nicely while he skated. But my favorite was her costume: it's like a Demon Goddess/Spiderweb Couture. 

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia: These are the costumes Kavaguti and Smirnov wore for their Short Program to Méditation from “Thaïs” by Jules Massenet (top photo)

and Free Skate to "Manfred Symphony" by Petr I. Tchaikovski (lower photo). If I had to choose a favorite, I like her pale blue costume for the Short program and his slate-gray chiffon and sequined look he wore for the Free Skate. I think that in terms of the SP and Free Skate costume's overall effect would probably be on a 6/10; in other words, OK designs but nothing extraordinary.

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France: Free Skate to "Angels and Demons" (soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer, "Heaven and Hell" by Vangelis and "Requiem for a Dream" (soundtrack) by Clint Mansell. I LOVE these costumes worn by James and Cipres. They tell the story of Angels and Demons well through fashion (the black and white colors), and the sequin detail is exquisite. Her costume especially needs to be in a Figure Skating Costume Museum ASAP! But another highlight is...

The great detail on Morgan Cipres' back. I love when the design or designers don't just focus on the front but pay as much (if not more!) interest on the back. C'est Magnifique!

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada: For gold medal-winning Pairs skaters Duhamel and Radford's Short Program to "Un peu plus haut" by Ginette Reno and Free Skate to "Neutron Star Collision", "I Belong to You" (from "Samson and Delilah") and "Uprising" by Muse, they wore the costumes above. I really liked Meagan's one shoulder black with sequins costume for her Free Skate. And normally, I am not a big fan of the "let's just make the guy wear a black top and black pants and call it a day" look, but with Duhamel and Radford, I will give him a Costume Pass. They won the Gold so...

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim of the USA: These costumes above are what Scimeca and Knierim wore for their Free Skate to "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin. I really like these costumes, both Alexa's and Chris'. Her blue and silver sequined costume looks refined, expensive and very effective with the music and theme. And Chris really reflects the Gene Kelly character in the iconic musical "An American in Paris".

Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China: Pang and Tong skated their Free Skate to "Io Ci Saro" by David Foster, Walter Afanasieff in these costumes above. I really love her blue chiffon and sequined applique costume. Especially  those fluttery sleeves. Her costume reminds me of a figure skating costume version of an Elie Saab Haute Couture design (lower photo of Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2014). Now, for the not-so-nice: his costume was BLAH and almost tacky; that shirt with the shoulder yoke detail is two minutes from a bad 1987 shirt (that I probably owned!).

Nicole Della Monica and Mateo Guarise of Italy: Above is what Italian Pairs Della Monica and Guarise wore for their Free Skate to The Mask of Zorro (soundtrack) by James Horner. I like these costumes. Especially HIS! I love how his back is "exposed" through the nude illusion and framed by the exquisite silver/black sequined applique scallop edges.

Mari Vartmann and Aaron Van Cleave of Germany: These are the costumes Germany's Vartmann and Van Cleave wore for their Short Program to Waltz from "Petersburg's Secrets" (soundtrack) by Andrei Petrov (top photo) and Free Skate to "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo (lower photo). The Short Program costumes seem almost Ice Dance "comical" in its styling and color matchy-matchy; it's a bit on the tacky side--unless they were skating to the B-52's! I do like the Free Skate costumes better; they are elegant, reflect the "Near East" music well and seem fashion-restrained. And in a good way. 

Peng Cheng and Zhang Hao of China: Peng and Zhang skated their Short Program to Arabian Dance (from "The Nutcracker") by Peter I. Tchaikovski. Now, I know "The Nutcracker" very well and every single part of that iconic music. I think that these costumes well reflect the "Arabian Dance" (lower photo of the San Francisco Ballet's "The Nutcracker" Arabian Dance). I love the snake sequin panel that wraps around her costume and his electric blue and gold sequined top is very "Middle Eastern" Sheik. 

Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer of Austria: Finally, I wanted to add the Austrian Pairs skaters Ziegler and Kiefer and the costumes they wore for their Short Program to "C'est pas l'amour" by Rupa and the "April Fishes Zydeko" by Benoit Jutras. They never made it to the Free Skate competition but when I first saw these, I wanted to say how much I liked them--only for their "kookiness". These costumes are very "Cirque du Soleil"-ish and fun but my favorite part is the bedazzled heart on his bootie! #GoAustria



**UP NEXT!! The Final Part of my Costumes Recap of the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships...ICE DANCE!

ICE STYLE.....2015 World Figure Skating Championships Costumes Recap Part 2: The Men!

The Men of 2015 World Figure Skating Championships

In my last post HERE, I discussed the highlights (and a couple of low ones!) of the costumes from last week's all-important 2015 World Figure Skating Championships which were held in Shanghai China. So now, it's time to talk about the MEN:

Jason Brown of the USA: Jason skated his Short Program to"Juke"
by Little Walter. His look was very Jazzy, sassy and
rock-and-roll fab! And VERY Jason! He certainly is not a male Figure Skating
Costume wallflower. Love the slim great fitting pants, the suspenders and
cobalt colored studded sleeve cuff and collar shirt. Oh and if that wasn't
enough, there was a silver chain from the belt loop to the pocket. Nothing was
left out of this costume in terms of details. For his Free Skate, he did (kind
of) a Costume Change--or modification...

Free Skate to "Tristan and Iseult" by Maxime Rodriguez: Jason wore this costume above featuring an off white blouse with dark chocolate brown wrist straps, a one shoulder over-panel piece, dark gray/black pants and dark chocolate brown cummerbund. This was a change from what he had worn before during this season...

Mustard and brown: The pants, boots, cummerbund and wrist strap colors were different. I like the darker costume much better; it looks less "gimmicky" and more adult-like. What do you guys think? 

Javier Fernandez of Spain: First off the (costume) bat: I LOVE me some
Javi! He's just DREAMY! OK, now that I have gotten that out of the way...his
costumes. I liked both costumes he wore for his

Short Program to "Black Betty" by Ram Jam (top photo) and his Free Skate
costume to Ouverture, Acto Laro al Factotum, andTemporale from
"Il Barbiere di Seviglia" by Giacchino Rossini (lower photo). If I had to pick a favorite, it would
definitely be his Free Skate one; the striped vest fit him perfectly and I
especially LOVED the mitering (matching) of the stripes in the back. I didn't
have much of a problem with his all black rockin' look for his Short program
however...the only I-Don't-Likey part is that belt! I understand that it goes
with the whole rock & roll look but...I just don't like seeing belts
that look as if they came from "Ross Dress For Less" as part of a
so-called costume; I rather see a clean waist look. 

Adam Rippon of the USA: Adam wore these costumes above for his Short Program to
"Nyah" by Hans Zimmer and Free Skate to "Piano Concerto No. 1" by
Franz Liszt. I like both costumes because they showcase Adam's very lean
body and still have enough "costume punch" to work very
effectively with his music. I especially LOVE the white shirt and black
pants look he wears for his Free Skate. The sequin work on the shirt is
spectacular! And Thank goodness there is no tacky Ross Dress For Less belt in
sight: I HEART you Adam!

Denis Ten of Kazakhstan: Denis skated his Short Program to Caruso by Lucio Dalla, performed by Joseph Callejia, and Free Skate to Ambush from Ten Sides for Pipa, Sheng, Guitar, Cello and Orchestra (from "New Impossibilties") performed by Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble Vocussion (from "New Impossibilties") by Sandeep Das, Joseph Gramley, Dong-Won Kim, Shane Shanahan, Mark Suter. I think both costumes are perfectly fine on Denis and work with the corresponding music. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be the blue and black free Skate ensemble. that blouse is elegant, mysterious and only "hints" at the Near east and possibly his homeland of Kazakhstan. But part of me (as costume tacky as it is), kind of misses this:

Denis Ten during his Free Skate at the 2014-2015 Trophee Eric Bompard

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan: Yuzuru wore these
costume above for his Short Program to "Ballade
No. 1 op. 23 in G minor" by Frederic Chopin and Free Skate
to "Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew
Lloyd Webber. In the beginning of
this 2014-2015 season, I was not a fan of these costumes--especially his Short
program one. But, I have to say, that I have warmed up to liking them. Maybe
not 110% but let's say 65%. I do like the blouson like sleeve and ombre effect
of his Short program costume even though it still seems a bit "on a budget" and not so Figure Skating Haute Couture. And I do appreciate his
Free Skate costume and the obscure almost-spray painted look of his top. At
least he didn't look like a typical cheesy "Phantom of the Opera". I
give Yuzuru--and whoever designed this costume--points for that.

Misha Ge of Uzbekistan: I am a big fan of Misha. I enjoy his skating and do appreciate his sense of costume drama! I have never met him but I have a feeling we would definitely get along! The costumes above are what he wore for his Short Program to "Ave Maria" and Free Skate to "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (soundtrack) by Michel Legrand. I like BOTH. Let me start with the Free Skate one--it features an ombre dyed top of blue and black with a figure drawn in it. The top also is bedazzled (of course!) but in a good way, emphasizing certain details in the top. I also like his old-school male figure skater high waisted pants. Now, THAT "Ave Maria" costume:

Ave Maria Misha: Thorns, blood, silver crystals, criss-cross straps and jagged "car wash" peplum and sleeve hems...yes, it's A LOT. I get all the references: Jesus on the Cross, perhaps, might be one of them. While this might be controversial in some circles, I like this costume and also enjoy that Misha let his (semi) beard grow for it, while for the Free Skate, he is all clean shaven (see photo before); and also: why do I get this feeling that Jason Brown would LOVE to borrow this for a future skate!!??? It's so him! If he were skating to something "religious"-esque.

Michal Brezina of the
Czech Republic: Michal wore this costume for his Free Skate to "The Marriage of Figaro" by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Intermezzo (from "Cavalleria Rusticana") by
Pietro Mascagn. I think it's a nice
costume and a well-thought out complete look. If you're going the traditional
costume route, this is a great example.

Alexander Majorov of Sweden: Alexander wore this skeleton-like costume for his Free Skate to Archangel by Thomas J. Bergersen (from "Nero"). I think it's "different" and slightly macabre. While I appreciate the "I'm being different" with the costume, it's just a little X-Ray at a Doctors Office looking...or a little "Day of the Dead".

Alexei Bychenko of Israel: For his Short Program to "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi, Alexei wore this costume above. The entire look is Hollywood Costumes Rental Amateur Hour; there's the pale blue shirt, the faux vest, the neck tie/scarf, the odd ombre dyed sleeves...it's all a bit Cheese-oid Costume. Not a fan of this.

Florent Amodio of France: For his Short Program to "Le Concert" (soundtrack) by Armand Amard, Florent skated in this costume above. The look featured an off-white shirt with a VERY deep plunging neckline held up by thin straps, a black midriff cummerbund and black tight pants. Oh, and yes, black gloves. First off: we all know Florent LOVES a plunging neckline. And he should, he has like .0000012 % body fat and therefore can make use of the very lean chest he's showcasing. Personally, I think it's A LOT of chest showing. And I am even surprised at myself for even saying that. So, in a way: yeah, it's Too Mucheey. Speaking of Too Mucheey, check out his Free Skate costume:

Free Skate to "Blood Diamond" (soundtrack) by James Newton Howard and Lion King - The Lioness Hunt. In case you haven't noticed yet, yes, kids, that's his nipple showing through the dark nude illusion top. While I like the African/Tribal-like details of this costume, it's a bit Cirque Du Soleil-meets-Las Vegas Male Stripper. If I were to chose something positive, it would be that multicolored sequined midriff waist cummerbund.

Chafik Besseghier of France: Chafik wore this costume above for his Short Program
to "Heat"
and "Clozee Mountain Legend".
The look featured a colorful top with "grafitti"-like details on a
black v-neck t-shirt, black gloves and black pants. The pants had
sequined-embellished patch pockets. I thought this was an
"interesting" look--kind of street cool mixed with the necessary
sparkle needed for figure skating.

Ivan Righini of Italy: Ivan wore this costume above to his Short program to "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. OK, I totally get the Michael Jackson "Billie Jean" reference. But, for some reason, I feel as as that black paillette sequin jacket would look better on Shirley MacLaine or Liza with a Z! 

Nam Nguyen of Canada: Nam Nguyen skated his Free Skate to "La Strada" by Nino Rota in the costume above. I totally see "La Strada" in his costume. So, I give him--and his costume designer--points for that. But, I still feel it seems a bit too "gimmicky" and "Cirque Du Soleil"-like (in not a good way). I am not so sure what would have been better but I have a feeling a very good (directional-thinking) costume designer, might have come up with something!

Takahito Mura of Japan: Takahito skated his Short Program to "Carmen" by
Georges Bizet (top photo) and his Free Skate (lower photo) to "Phantom
of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Both were a bit "MEH"
on the costume scale for me; the "Carmen" one seemed a bit too
"Tron"-ish and the "Phantom" one was waaaay too formulaic.
I give both a 5.0 out of 10 in terms of a Costume Score.

**NEXT UP: PAIRS and ICE DANCE Costume
Highlights of the 20145 World Figure Skating Championships

ICE STYLE.....2015 World Figure Skating Championships Shanghai Costumes Recap Part 1: Ladies Costumes!

Ladies Costumes--2015 World Figure Skating Championships, Shanghai China

This past week--and weekend--the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships, were held in Shanghai China. In terms of importance in international figure skating competitions, this is the most important event of the year (second only to the Olympics during those years). The Championships were held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center and involved events in Ladies, Men, Pairs and Ice Dance.

Opening Ceremony--2015 World Figure Skating Championships Shanghai China

Here in my blog , I love to discuss the COSTUMES so...it's time to break down the highlights (and some not-so-mucheey!) as well as some costume changes of this past week's 2015 World Figure Skating Championships. Let's begin with the LADIES:

Ashley Wagner of the USA: I've discussed Ashley's costumes for her Short Program to "Spartacus" by Aram Katchaturian (top photo) and her Free Skate to "Moulin Rouge (soundtrack)". I LOVED them both! I think they are impacting, seem to be made very well and feature distinctive features and details unique to the music she skated for each of the programs. I also love that one was more drape-influenced (her Short) and the red one, went a more fitted/corset route.

Gracie Gold of the USA: Gracie skated her Free Skate to "The Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships wearing the costume above. This was a new costume, in contrast to what she had worn previously at the 2015 Prudential Figure Skating Championships as well as the 2015 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. She kept basically the same deep violet color but this new costume was more "mature", more elegant and definitely more directional in terms of style and fashion. I especially liked the "plunging" back with extra long gathered straps. Overall, a much more chic costume than these:

2015 US Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships/U.S. Nationals: plunging neckline, violet, sequined applique.

2015 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships: Same style of costumes but notice the different neckline--the one above is more scooped as opposed to plunging.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia: Even though Elizaveta's costumes for both her Short Program and Free Skate were very similar in terms of silhouette (caftan madness!!), I still thought they were two of my FAVORITES of the entire season. For her Short Program to "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel (top photo), she wore this black dolman sleeved costume with side tie and delicate bead work. While for her Free Skate to "Batwannis Beek" by The REG Project and "Sandstorm" by La Bionda (lower photo), she basically wore the same costume (with slight neckline variations) but in a different color and with much more jeweled sequined work . I loved the color, the asymmetrical neckline, the chiffon dolman sleeves and gold jeweled details. FAB-ulous! If I had any critique, it would be her UNKEMPT hair; it always seemed as if she had just gotten up and was about to head to the gym--or shop for groceries. I would have loved a much more stylized bun, perhaps. 

Anna Pogorilaya of Russia: These two costumes above were worn by Anna throughout the season for her Short Program to "Adagio" by Il Divo (top photo) and Free Skate to "The Firebird Ballet Suite" by Igor Stravinski (lower photo), I thought both were very "Fashion Diva" in terms of design and execution and while I do LOVE bright, bold colors, I might have to choose the light blue one (Short Program) as my favorite of the two, especially because of the asymmetrical torso lines in the costumes which seemed to "swirl" around her body. On another note, Anna also was suffering from EMHS--the "Elizaveta Messy Hair Syndrome", especially in her Short Program; she had lots of annoying flyaways and needed more hair gel or hairspray. 

Elena Radionova of Russia: Little Elena wore this red costume for her Short Program to "De Mi Vera te Fuistes" by Pepe Romero and "Ain't It Funny" by Jennifer Lopez. It's tacky-licious and frankly, looks amateur hour. I get that because of the fiery sexy music, the costumers tried to interject some "fiery-ness" into the costume but still have it be age-appropriate. Unfortunately, it still ended up lacking in a certain taste level. And oh, that big ol' rosette on her fingerless glove was DEFINITELY too mucheeey!

Li Zijun of China: Li Zijun wore this very pretty costume to her Short Program to Waltz of the Flowers (from "Nutcracker") by Peter I. Tchaikovski. The pink costume featured many silver crystals and a jigsaw puzzle-like gathered bust section. I also loved the built-in necklace. The entire costume looked well made and expensive. This is a perfect example on how to be young, age-appropriate pretty (for a young skater--she's 18 years-old) yet still be chic. Maybe her costumers need to talk to Elena Radionova's people. ASAP!

Kiira Korpi of Finland: Kiira Korpi did not advance at the 2015 Worlds to the Free Skate but I wanted to talk about her short program costume which she wore skating to "A Day In the Life" by The Beatles. I loved this--it was modern, very fashion-savvy, in fact it reminded me of one of my NIKOLAKI red carpet dresses, especially the asymmetrical lines and tone-on-tone beading. Very well done!

Mae Berenice Meite of France: Mae Berenice is a bit of a Fashionista and it's always interesting to see what she'll have on--costume-wise. I liked both her Short program costume to "Hosanna" by Soweto Gospel Choir, "The Groove You Liked (Mala Dub)" by Savanj Rooms and "Freedom" (top photo) as well as what she wore for her Free Skate to "Conquest of Spaces", "Shadows" and  

"Run Boy Run" by Woodkid. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the ivory and gold sequined number. That bead work is EXQUISITE and very, very expensive! That's a $5,000 costume right there (if not more!) and looks like it! And I give her costume designer points for MATCHING her skin with the illusion. Yeayyy for that! Part of me, though, does miss this little ensemble from Mae Berenice's (recent) costume past:

Jumpsuit Diva: Mae Berenice Meite of France at 2014 Skate America. She also wore it for the Sochi Olympics

Nicole Rajicova of Slovakia: Nicole wore this costume for her Short Program to Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" by Nino Rota. I thought this was quite good in terms of a costume perfectly relating to the theme/music. There's no denying that one instantly get's "Juliet!". everything--from head to toe--is well done!

Polina Edmunds of the USA: Above are Polina's costumes for both her Short Program to "Flamenco Medley" of "Buleria" and "Tango Serenata" from the Flamenco Fantasy and Free Skate to "Tinker Bell" from "Peter Pan Soundtrack" by James Newton Howard. To be perfectly honest, I am a bit conflicted with these costumes on Polina. When I first saw them at the beginning of the season, I liked the Short Program one better than the Free Skate outfit. The Free Skate dress seemed almost too juvenile (even for "Peter Pan"/Tinkerbell). I also think that Polina's body is changing and she's really looking more and more 'adult" and therefore may need more adult-like costumes that really fit her long lithe figure better; these seem made more for a junior skater as opposed to someone on Polina's level.

Joshi Helgesson of Sweden: Joshi wore this for her Free Skate to "Snow White and the Huntsmen" (soundtrack). While I kind of get the reference, I think it fell quite short of achieving it. It looks a bit like a "Hollywood Costume Shop"  costume one gets in a bag. I wish the costumers might have gone darker and slightly more sinister...like this:

Two of my LEAST FAVORITE costumes were...

Kanako Murakami of Japan: I do not like this yellow costume worn by Kanako for her Short program to Think of Me (from "The Phantom of the Opera") by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's two seconds from tacky-licious and more importantly, the combination of the lemon yellow with the applique roses--plus a really unnecessary bow in her back--all scream "Quinceañera".

Satoko Miyahara of Japan: Satoko wore this for her Short Program to "The Magic Flute" by Mozart. It is so "Toddlers & Tiaras"! I have issues with the colors, the silhouette...those Leg o' Mutton sleeves, the stretch velvet...How do you say "Oh dear!" in Japanese??



**UP NEXT: The MEN!