Figure Skating Fashion Minute: 2012 US Figure Skating Championships--Ice Dance!!

Costume Change-a-Thon!!

Top Ice Dancers: (Left to Right) Silver Medalists Alex Shibutani and Maia Shibutani, Gold Medalists Charlie White and Meryl Davis, Bronze Medalists Zachary Donohue and Madison Hubbell, and Pewter Medalists Logan Giulietti and Lynn Kriengkrairut, 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships HP Pavilion San Jose, California

Rounding out my Blog Costume Review of last weekend's 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships held in San Jose California, we are now left with the colorful and always sassy (most of the time, especially those Eastern Europeans!!) Ice Dancers. For this 2011-2012 Season, the Short Dance is a Latin-inspired one, as required and specified by the ISU/International Skating Union. I think it should ALWAYS be Latin...much more exciting that way--musically and costume-wise! Oh, and did I mention there were some Costume Changes this time around. Love that! So, let's begin:

Bronze Medalists Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donahue Free Dance Costume: They skated to "I Put A Spell On You". And their costumes, though contemporary, were on the yawn side. I get it--they're supposed to be a couple in the midst of a love spell, and so on and so forth. Now, I understand that her mother makes all her costumes and Kudos to all Mom's and especially ones with Sewing Talents (I LOVE me the Sewing Moms!), but I just wasn't a fan of these in particular. Both his and her "costumes" (if one could call them that) were straight out of a store from a mall: Madison's, from "Contempo Casuals" back in the 80's and 90's and Zachary's, from "Ross Dress For Less".

Hubbell and Donahue Short Dance: For their Latin-influenced Short Dance, they BROUGHT IT!! (Thank Goodness). Now here, I really, really liked Madison's costume. So, Congrats to her Mommie on this one! They danced to samba and rhumba rhythms and her costume reflected this. I loved the black-and-white print, the multicolored strips of fabric mimicking feathers. And I also liked that she slicked her hair back in a FIERCE chignon. She looked like a Fantasy Cheetah from Brazil! Oh, and I almost forgot about Zachary: he looked HOT HOT HOT! The plunging neckline, the sheer and solid panels on the shirt, the "tuxedo" stripe on the pants...all fab!

Madison Chock and Evan Bates: For their Short Latin Dance to "Chick, Chick Boom", Madison wore a coral-red costume and Evan went black (of course). I liked her costume; it moved marvelously on the ice (love the "fringed" strips of fabric on the skirt section), and I liked the sexy styling and contrast velvet and sequined underpiece. Unfortunately, they did not skate they're best and didn't make the podium this year. But they get my Nick V. Medal for sexy costumes!

Costume Change The Ice Dancers Edition:

Silver Medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani: They did their Latin Short Dance to "Batucada", "Skip to the Bip" and "Jazz Machine". Maia wore a deep violet halter neckline costume with silver crystal embellishment and fringed skirt (fringe is BIG this 2011-2012 Season!). I liked this costume--the color is vibrant, the sequins are strong, framing her torso well and it was great to see a sassy semi-backless number on little Maia. Speaking of sassy, Alex's costume (the deep violet stretch shirt in particular) was tight and hunky! I didn't realize there were defined muscles on that boy (I know, he's just 20!).

NHK Trophy: Anyhow, from the minute they stepped on the ice (I was there at the HP Pavilion!), I noticed "Wait, those aren't the same costumes they wore last time in the Short Dance". And after a quick web search on my iPad at the stadium, lo and behold I was right: this above is what her costume looked like when they competed at the NHK Trophy in Japan--also for the Latin Short Dance: a one-shoulder black asymmetrical skirt costume with silver beaded fringe. Alex wore a black tuxedo shirt and pant look.

ISU Grand Prix Finals: this above is what they wore for their Latin Short Dance at the ISU Grand Prix Finals in Canada back in December. Maia's was the same black one shoulder costume but they added pink edge trim to it and Alex's remained untouched.

Shibutani and Shibutani Free Dance Costumes: Continuing with the costume change theme, Maia also changed her costume for the Free Dance to "Selections from the Sun Valley Serenade Soundtrack" by Glenn Miller. Above is the "new" one she wore last weekend at the US Nationals. The orange and fuchsia color was pretty and strong enough to stand out on the ice, and I liked the original "threading" detail through the side of the costume.

Grand Prix Finals: This is what she last wore at the Grand Prix Finals--same color story but had a more "conservative" 1940's feel to it, in its neckline, flutter sleeves. Alex also changed his suspenders and tie to match the colors of Maia's dress which really helped unify the looks.

NHK Trophy: And above is the very first version of their Free Dance Costume which they debuted at the NHK Trophy. I really liked these costumes. They reflected the "Big Band" theme of the music, they looked young, fresh and oh-so-cute, like two college kids back in the 40's going out to a dance. But I suspect, they were deemed too cute and young-looking. Therefore the changes. But I have to say, I absolutely love that they keep changing their costumes--whether it is because they and their coaches can't make up their minds in terms of what look works, or if it's to keep the dance exciting and to keep the fans excited--like "what will Maia wear next!?" Whichever reason it is, as a fashion designer and a fan of the sport, it keeps me watching!

Gold Medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White: And yet, another Costume Change...this time with Davis and White--the "Golden Couple" of Ice Dancing. This time, the costume change was for their Short Latin Dance to "Batucadas", "Life is a Carnival" and "On The Floor". And it was just Meryl who did the change. Again, I noticed it immediately when she stepped on the ice. For the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she wore a bronzed, copper and gold costume with intricate swirly patterns and fringe (of course!) at the bottom. It was a change from her last two "appearances" on the ice:

Skate America 2011-2012: This is what she wore for the Latin Short Dance at the first Grand Prix competition event of the season. It was a bright neon orange halter style costume with keyhole detail, skirt fringe and multicolored stones at the hip and neckline. Charlie wore black pants and striped bronze-and-black shirt...

Rostelecom Cup 2011-2012: This was what they wore at the Cup of Russia Grand Prix. I loved this look on Meryl!!! This is my favorite of all the three costume changes. It was the same color story as the one at Skate America but in terms of the styling, it was FASHION FASHION FASHION! Loved the asymmetry of the torso, how sexy it was and the very expensive-looking bead work at the bust. Also, notice that Charlie changed his shirt--to a more wavy pattern (as opposed to striped) print--same bronze-and-black color though. I wished she would have stayed in this costume for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. I feel it's much more impacting and Latina! Very JLo On Ice!

Figure Skating Fashion Minute: ISU Grand Prix Final 2011-2012--Ice Dancing Costume Changes!

Costume Changin' Ice Dancers...

Backless Cha Cha Queen, or...

Violet Sequined Princess? Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and her change of costumes--which one is better? Read on...

The Top Three Ice Dancing Teams: (Left to right) Canada's Virtue and Moir (Silver), Davis and White from the USA (Gold) and Pechalat and Bourzat of France (with their Bronze medals)--ISU Grand Prix Final Pavillon de la Jeunesse Quebec City, Quebec Canada

Alright Figure Skating Fans, we've come (finally) to my last "Figure Skating Fashion Two Cents" posting for last weekend's ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. I'm sure those non-figure skating fans reading my blog were thinking "What Is With All the Figure Skating Fashion posts??" Well, kids I LOVE the sport and LOVE the costumes even more...so there! But you can breathe a sigh of relief: this is the last one--well until the next Figure Skating event (most of the National Championships are next month--in 2012--so get ready for more!!).

Let's get to the Costume Changes for these Two Ice Dancing Teams. I begin with...

Virtue and Moir of Canada: They were the favorites to win--especially on "home turf" at this 2011-2012 Grand Prix Final held in Quebec City. They garnered a very close 2nd place (Scott fell on the Short Program and well, that was "it"). Now, in terms of their costumes, I was very surprised to see a costume change for Tessa.

For their "Hip Hip Chin Chin", "Temptation" and "Mujer Latina" Latin-inspired number, she wore this backless sequined fringed mini "flapper dress" in a gorgeous degrade' pink that went from light to dark. It was GORGEOUS! Love the backless silhouette and that one silver crystal strap. The style was sassy, saucy and very "Miss Republica Dominicana" in its design. Take that style to the floor and huney, you've got a Miss Universe Runner Up...if not the Winner!

This Royal Blue-and-Silver sequined dress above is what she last wore at Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris last month. I liked this then. It was elegant, very "Dancing With The Stars" cookie-cutter Dance Number Fab (and nothing wrong with that). But it did miss the "Hot Latina" edge. And I think the new pink number, brought that. I, for one, was happy for the change. It definitely was a change for the better..or shall I say, for the Sassier! What do you guys think? Pink or Royal Blue: Which do you prefer?

Shibutani Costume Change:

Shibutani and Shibutani of the USA: Brother and sister Ice Dancing team, Alex and Maia Shibutani skated well in Canada at the Grand Prix Final, getting a respectable fifth place overall. I absolute love these two; their skating, their fun enthusiasm, their passionate grasp of the Latin Dance...Speaking of the Latin Dance, for the Short Dance number, there was a Costume Change--well, more like a Costume Improvement. For the Grand Prix Final, Maia's one-shoulder black with "fringed" sequined got a "freshening up": fuchsia hem binding. Compare the "new" costume at the Grand Prix Final above with...

This one here which she wore at the 2011-2012 NHK Trophy in Sapporo Japan in early November. Same costume but without the pink addition. I think this was a good change. I liked the one-shoulder all black number but it did need a "pop" of color. Especially since Alex was also in all-black. Sometimes, the little changes make all the difference--costume-wise.

For their Free Dance, however, they did a full-on Costume Change--both Maia and Alex. This above is what they wore to the last Grand Prix competition in Japan. I LOVED it! They skate to a Big Band Medley including "In The Mood", "Moonlight Serenade" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo". Their outfits were SPOT ON as I said HERE. But they decided to "stir it up":

And completely changed their costumes. Alex ditched his argyle sweater vest ensemble for peach and white collared shirt with suspender look. And Maia went for a multicolored neon orange with purple trim dress with cascading crystal details. Although I love the addition of color, I just don't think it was necessary in this program. They were fine with their original "Free Dance" costumes.

He looks like a Black Jack Dealer and she belongs in the Latin Short Dance. Something seems a bit disjointed--costume-wise. I still LOVE them, though :) Please let me know what you Figure Skating Fans think: Argyle-and-Red Sequin Cute? Or Black Jack Dealer-and-Latina Orange Sassy?

Until Next Time--Lots of Figure Skating Costume Kisses xoxo