Best and Worst (Apparel) of 2014/2015 - Part 8, Unwritten Rules of Figure Skating
If season 2014/2015 has taught us anything about figure skating, it's been that this is an unpredictable sport. From Javier Fernandez winning the World Championships, to Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov not winning the European Championships, we've been fully reminded that it's never safe to bet in figure skating. Skaters who are now on top can abruptly drop tomorrow and rankings can change like the wind. This changeable nature of the sport is also reflected in the costumes.
Just because a skater has the best costume in the short programme, doesn't mean they must also have the best costume in the long one. That is certainly true for this next pair:
I decided to begin with the worst costumes this time around simply because the ones wearing them were Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov, whom I have previously praised for their fantastic short programme outfits. The fact that they have dropped from best-dressed to worst-dressed is a perfect example of how difficult it is to stay on top in this sport.
I really only have a problem with Ksenia's dress. What Fedor was wearing looked exactly like the type of rags Quasimodo would, so I have nothing bad to say about that. Ksenia however was as far from Esmeralda as it gets.
First of all, Esmeralda is a gypsy. She wears long skirts that flutter in her wake, corsets, floral shawls and ribbons in her wavy hair. She does not wear glamorous purple gowns made out of expensive lace, which is what Ksenia' dress looked like. I don't know how they thought the dress would fit into the story, but it looks like they did not research the character too much. I certainly hope that isn't the case.
Secondly, her outfit was not period-appropriate. This is a story happening in the 19th century and what Ksenia had on was a modern piece that looked taken out of a Reem Acra catalogue. It was very stylish, but they missed the right time by two centuries. All in all, it does not represent the character she portrayed in the least, which is a shame because the programme itself was the best they've ever had in the free skate.
Speaking of bests, the pair who wore the best costumes of the season in the free skate have never not been on the list of best-dressed. It's not only because I've never seen them wear something bad, but also because of their graceful skating. It's no wonder they've become superstars in their homeland.
Yes, I am talking about the often overlooked Qing Pang & Tong Jian.
These two skaters have been around for long enough to participate at no less than four Olympic Games, but despite their longevity, they are still one of the best pairs in the world. They are elegance embodied, which is why it comes as no surprise to this fan that they had the best long programme outfits this season.
They skated to Io Ci Saro, a lyrical piece of classical music for which the costumes they wore were perfect.
Like Ksenia's, Qing's dress also looked worthy of the red carpet, but in her case it was rightly so. The shade of blue she chose to wear was refreshing and very elegant. The embellishments, which covered her torso and crept around to the back, were also gorgeous. My favourite things about her costume though were the sleeves. Not only were they fluttering in the wind, almost in sync with the buttery voice of the singer, but they also made the whole dress look regal.
Tong's costume was actually just a shirt and a pair of pants. Although I think he could have worn something better than plain black pants (I'm thinking dark blue velvet trousers), I'm not complaining. They went with the classical option, and that is perfectly fine. His shirt was enough of an eye-catcher on its own. The darker shoulder pads were also embroidered, to match Qing's dress, but they weren't overwhelmingly so. If her sleeves looked regal, his shoulder pads made me think of a cape, the type kings wore in Medieval times.
None of the outfits were supposed to look like anything more or less than perfectly classy, of course, which is why I love them so much. They were stylish enough to give some sparkle to an otherwise mellow routine without taking too much away from its softness. Also, at the end of the day, they were simply the most beautiful.
Thus concludes my journey through the best and worst outfits worn by skaters in competition this season. Come back next week for a special look at the worst costumes worn by champions and medalists for their exhibition programmes. Until then, to paraphrase Charles M. Schulz, remember that all you need is love, but a little figure skating doesn't hurt.
Just because a skater has the best costume in the short programme, doesn't mean they must also have the best costume in the long one. That is certainly true for this next pair:
 |
| Ksenia and Fedor skated to Notre Dame de Paris by Richard Cocciante Photograph: David Ramos / Getty Images Europe |
 |
| Their music was sung in English, French and Spanish, depending on the country they were skating in Photograph: Jamie McDonald / Getty Images Europe |
I decided to begin with the worst costumes this time around simply because the ones wearing them were Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov, whom I have previously praised for their fantastic short programme outfits. The fact that they have dropped from best-dressed to worst-dressed is a perfect example of how difficult it is to stay on top in this sport.
I really only have a problem with Ksenia's dress. What Fedor was wearing looked exactly like the type of rags Quasimodo would, so I have nothing bad to say about that. Ksenia however was as far from Esmeralda as it gets.
First of all, Esmeralda is a gypsy. She wears long skirts that flutter in her wake, corsets, floral shawls and ribbons in her wavy hair. She does not wear glamorous purple gowns made out of expensive lace, which is what Ksenia' dress looked like. I don't know how they thought the dress would fit into the story, but it looks like they did not research the character too much. I certainly hope that isn't the case.
Secondly, her outfit was not period-appropriate. This is a story happening in the 19th century and what Ksenia had on was a modern piece that looked taken out of a Reem Acra catalogue. It was very stylish, but they missed the right time by two centuries. All in all, it does not represent the character she portrayed in the least, which is a shame because the programme itself was the best they've ever had in the free skate.
Speaking of bests, the pair who wore the best costumes of the season in the free skate have never not been on the list of best-dressed. It's not only because I've never seen them wear something bad, but also because of their graceful skating. It's no wonder they've become superstars in their homeland.
 |
| Their free skate music was performed by David Foster and Walter Afanasieff Photograph: Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images Asia |
 |
| 2014/2015 was their last competitive season Photograph: Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images Asia |
These two skaters have been around for long enough to participate at no less than four Olympic Games, but despite their longevity, they are still one of the best pairs in the world. They are elegance embodied, which is why it comes as no surprise to this fan that they had the best long programme outfits this season.
They skated to Io Ci Saro, a lyrical piece of classical music for which the costumes they wore were perfect.
Like Ksenia's, Qing's dress also looked worthy of the red carpet, but in her case it was rightly so. The shade of blue she chose to wear was refreshing and very elegant. The embellishments, which covered her torso and crept around to the back, were also gorgeous. My favourite things about her costume though were the sleeves. Not only were they fluttering in the wind, almost in sync with the buttery voice of the singer, but they also made the whole dress look regal.
Tong's costume was actually just a shirt and a pair of pants. Although I think he could have worn something better than plain black pants (I'm thinking dark blue velvet trousers), I'm not complaining. They went with the classical option, and that is perfectly fine. His shirt was enough of an eye-catcher on its own. The darker shoulder pads were also embroidered, to match Qing's dress, but they weren't overwhelmingly so. If her sleeves looked regal, his shoulder pads made me think of a cape, the type kings wore in Medieval times.
None of the outfits were supposed to look like anything more or less than perfectly classy, of course, which is why I love them so much. They were stylish enough to give some sparkle to an otherwise mellow routine without taking too much away from its softness. Also, at the end of the day, they were simply the most beautiful.
Thus concludes my journey through the best and worst outfits worn by skaters in competition this season. Come back next week for a special look at the worst costumes worn by champions and medalists for their exhibition programmes. Until then, to paraphrase Charles M. Schulz, remember that all you need is love, but a little figure skating doesn't hurt.
Comments
Post a Comment