Best and Worst (Apparel) of 2014/2015 - Part 4, The Classic versus The Modern
What makes figure skating such an interesting sport is that it allows athletes to express themselves through the music they skate to. Whether they're rebels or dashing gentlemen, classy ladies or cheeky girls, all skaters share a bit of their personalities or at least their tastes in music each time they skate. This makes figure skating more diverse than any other sport in the world, and that shines through in the costumes.
The free skate (or long programme) is the most important part of the competition. Each skater wants to bring out their best and most impressive skills in the free skate. The costumes are a big part of that, especially in the ladies' competition, where skaters are expected to look impeccable.
As far as the ladies' free skate goes, this season has been very good to fashion. From Kanako Murakami's suggestive Phantom of the Opera costume to Ashley Wagner's perfect copy of the famous red dress worn by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, we were not disappointed by what we saw the ladies wearing. There is one costume though that exceeded all the others in beauty:
Anna Pogorilaya's costume was more fire than bird, but it was epic. To paraphrase Julie Kagawa, her dress writhed around her like fire incarnate. The skirt was designed as the flames and they looked as real as you'd like. Every time she moved the flames came to life, but instead of giving the impression they were consuming her, they looked as if they had been part of her. The bodice looked torn out of a work of art, showcasing painted feathers which also seemed made of fire. I love that she chose to give the illusion of long gloves instead of actually wearing them because it made the costume one whole gorgeous piece and accentuated her arm movement.
There have been many 'firebirds' in figure skating throughout the years, but I believe it's safe to say that Anna's was the best, at least costume-wise. No other has come closer to a living masterpiece and I'm sure Stravinsky would agree if he could see it. So I don't know about you, but I believe Anna's dress belongs somewhere in a museum where crowds of people can gather around it and stare in awe, mesmerised by its beauty.
Classical music pieces, as the one Anna skated to, often come with costumes that look like works of art, which is why they're often the prettiest. Modern music, on the other hand, sometimes attracts the weirdest, ugliest costumes. Or, as it was the case with the worst costume worn by a lady in the free skate this season, costumes that don't stand for anything:
This was not the first time Mae Berenice Meite wore something generic and inexpressive. She seems to have a soft spot for elegant dresses that mean nothing to the music she's skating to. I, for one, think that's a shame. Her blue costume was indeed pretty and classy, but her music was whimsical and edgy, not something befitting a shorter version of a cocktail dress.
I know that medleys, especially if they are of Woodkid, are hard to be paired with costumes because of the variety of songs they're comprised of. Perhaps that's why she decided to simply wear something complimentary rather than find the perfect match, but this dress doesn't say anything to me. Her choice of music makes me think of Brian Joubert. He often skated to edgy music, but he looked equally edgy doing it. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron skated to songs by Woodkid last season, and they looked awesome in their fringed costumes. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that in order to sell a programme, you have to look the part and put some effort into your costume. If you just wear whatever, as glamorous as said whatever is, it will never be memorable.
So this season classical costumes have won the battle against their modern counterparts, as far as the ladies' long programmes are concerned. Come back next week to see the best and worst fashion choices of the boys in their short programmes.
The free skate (or long programme) is the most important part of the competition. Each skater wants to bring out their best and most impressive skills in the free skate. The costumes are a big part of that, especially in the ladies' competition, where skaters are expected to look impeccable.
As far as the ladies' free skate goes, this season has been very good to fashion. From Kanako Murakami's suggestive Phantom of the Opera costume to Ashley Wagner's perfect copy of the famous red dress worn by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, we were not disappointed by what we saw the ladies wearing. There is one costume though that exceeded all the others in beauty:
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| Anna skated to Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Photograph: Oleg Nikishin / Getty Images Europe |
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| She won the European bronze medal in Stockholm Photograph: Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images Asia |
Anna Pogorilaya's costume was more fire than bird, but it was epic. To paraphrase Julie Kagawa, her dress writhed around her like fire incarnate. The skirt was designed as the flames and they looked as real as you'd like. Every time she moved the flames came to life, but instead of giving the impression they were consuming her, they looked as if they had been part of her. The bodice looked torn out of a work of art, showcasing painted feathers which also seemed made of fire. I love that she chose to give the illusion of long gloves instead of actually wearing them because it made the costume one whole gorgeous piece and accentuated her arm movement.
There have been many 'firebirds' in figure skating throughout the years, but I believe it's safe to say that Anna's was the best, at least costume-wise. No other has come closer to a living masterpiece and I'm sure Stravinsky would agree if he could see it. So I don't know about you, but I believe Anna's dress belongs somewhere in a museum where crowds of people can gather around it and stare in awe, mesmerised by its beauty.
Classical music pieces, as the one Anna skated to, often come with costumes that look like works of art, which is why they're often the prettiest. Modern music, on the other hand, sometimes attracts the weirdest, ugliest costumes. Or, as it was the case with the worst costume worn by a lady in the free skate this season, costumes that don't stand for anything:
 |
| Mae's song choices for the long programme were Conquest of Spaces, Shadows and Run Boy Run by Woodkid Photograph: Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images Asia |
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| She is France's national champion Photograph: Atsushi Tomura Getty Images / Asia |
I know that medleys, especially if they are of Woodkid, are hard to be paired with costumes because of the variety of songs they're comprised of. Perhaps that's why she decided to simply wear something complimentary rather than find the perfect match, but this dress doesn't say anything to me. Her choice of music makes me think of Brian Joubert. He often skated to edgy music, but he looked equally edgy doing it. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron skated to songs by Woodkid last season, and they looked awesome in their fringed costumes. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that in order to sell a programme, you have to look the part and put some effort into your costume. If you just wear whatever, as glamorous as said whatever is, it will never be memorable.
So this season classical costumes have won the battle against their modern counterparts, as far as the ladies' long programmes are concerned. Come back next week to see the best and worst fashion choices of the boys in their short programmes.
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