Best and Worst (Apparel) of 2014/2015 - Part 6, Tribal Wear in a Men's World
If figure skating were a job you had to apply for, the ideal candidate would have to be more than just a skater. They'd have to also fulfill all the following requirements: talent, creativity, hard work, flair and an eye for detail. On their CV, under skills, they'd probably put: great taste in music, masterful presentation skills, ability to choose a great costume, lots of charisma and, yes, of course, outstanding skating skills. Anyone lacking one of these attributes would not even be called for an interview.
In the real world though, there is no such thing as an ideal figure skater, which is why we end up with bits and pieces of perfection spread all over the place rather than concentrated in one athlete. The best programme, the best costume, the best choreography, the best music choice, the best jumps, the best spins, the best presentation, etc. cannot all be found in one place. That's why it is no surprise that the best costume worn this season by a man in the free skate belongs to a skater whose season wasn't his best so far:
Figure skating and tribal costumes don't always make a good pair (do you remember the international uproar Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin created with their 2010 aboriginal costumes?), but Florent Amodio's apparel this season is hands down one of the best I've ever seen in the men's competition. Maybe I am biased because his programme was a tribute to African culture, which I have a particular admiration for, but I find it hard to believe I am the only one who acknowledges how uniquely beautiful his outfit was.
The Frenchman's entire routine was like a journey to the dark continent and his costume was a big part of it. I am not sure if using a darker shade of sheer to darken his skin might be considered racist by some (can you be racist if you mean it as a compliment?), but I, for one, appreciated the extra step he took to be accurate.
In fact, his whole outfit was as accurate as you'd like. The painted patterns on his torso and arms stood for the patterns tribal men paint on themselves for different reasons - nowadays they are often used to mark certain events in their lives, such as reaching adulthood, but in the past they were also used when going to war. The beaded necklace (glued to the costume so as not to come off) is an accessory often seen in traditional African wear and the girdle-looking part of the costume had as many traditional African patterns woven into it as possible.
The only unusual thing about his attire were the pants - I see no reason why they looked patched up other than that they were cooler that way. If you can identify another reason, please enlighten me. Even if they didn't make much sense, they looked awesome as well and completed a costume that was obviously researched and well-thought of. That's why it stood out from the rest.
If the Frenchman's costume was influenced by the music he skated to, the worst costume(s) worn by a man in the free skate this season had absolutely nothing to do with his song choices:
Sergei Voronov is a very charismatic man. His choices of music almost always reflect that. It's a Men's World, Come Together, At Last and Big Time Boppin' were no different, which is why his terrible choices of costume baffle me. He obviously likes the music, he interpreted it well, but what he wore was such a far cry from its style, he might as well have been deaf.
There was an old Hollywood / jazz lounge vibe about the music that was not even a bit illustrated in the black leather / fringed costume. I honestly can't see a single connection between what he wore and what he skated to, which took something away from the presentation for me. He should have looked smooth, dashing, like an actor from a 1950s film. Instead he looked like a rocker or one of the characters from The Matrix. Also, the newest version of the costume reminded me too much of the one worn by Brian Joubert for his Genesis routine back in 2012/2013. So on top of everything, I can't even give Sergei points for originality. Surprising really given that usually he's one of the best dressed male skaters.
Like I said in the beginning, one skater can't have it all. It's frustrating really and it makes you wish there was a Best of the Year Awards, something like the Oscars of figure skating, where routines could be deconstructed so that the best costume, the best music choice, etc. could get a shout-out too, not just the champions. Until that happens though, all I can do is take a look at what the pairs wore this season for the short programmes, so come back next week to check that out.
In the real world though, there is no such thing as an ideal figure skater, which is why we end up with bits and pieces of perfection spread all over the place rather than concentrated in one athlete. The best programme, the best costume, the best choreography, the best music choice, the best jumps, the best spins, the best presentation, etc. cannot all be found in one place. That's why it is no surprise that the best costume worn this season by a man in the free skate belongs to a skater whose season wasn't his best so far:
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| Florent skated to music from the soundtracks of Blood Diamond and Lion King Photograph: Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images Asia |
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| He is the champion of France Photograph: Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images Asia |
The Frenchman's entire routine was like a journey to the dark continent and his costume was a big part of it. I am not sure if using a darker shade of sheer to darken his skin might be considered racist by some (can you be racist if you mean it as a compliment?), but I, for one, appreciated the extra step he took to be accurate.
In fact, his whole outfit was as accurate as you'd like. The painted patterns on his torso and arms stood for the patterns tribal men paint on themselves for different reasons - nowadays they are often used to mark certain events in their lives, such as reaching adulthood, but in the past they were also used when going to war. The beaded necklace (glued to the costume so as not to come off) is an accessory often seen in traditional African wear and the girdle-looking part of the costume had as many traditional African patterns woven into it as possible.
The only unusual thing about his attire were the pants - I see no reason why they looked patched up other than that they were cooler that way. If you can identify another reason, please enlighten me. Even if they didn't make much sense, they looked awesome as well and completed a costume that was obviously researched and well-thought of. That's why it stood out from the rest.
If the Frenchman's costume was influenced by the music he skated to, the worst costume(s) worn by a man in the free skate this season had absolutely nothing to do with his song choices:
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| The old version of the costume Photograph: Oleg Nikishin / Getty Images Europe |
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| Sergei won the Bronze medal at the European Championships this season Photograph: Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images Asia |
There was an old Hollywood / jazz lounge vibe about the music that was not even a bit illustrated in the black leather / fringed costume. I honestly can't see a single connection between what he wore and what he skated to, which took something away from the presentation for me. He should have looked smooth, dashing, like an actor from a 1950s film. Instead he looked like a rocker or one of the characters from The Matrix. Also, the newest version of the costume reminded me too much of the one worn by Brian Joubert for his Genesis routine back in 2012/2013. So on top of everything, I can't even give Sergei points for originality. Surprising really given that usually he's one of the best dressed male skaters.
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