Random Thoughts about the Ladies Olympic Short Program

The Turkey skater, Tugba wore a stunning red and gold dress, very different from what we usually see. Very beautiful. 

Miki Ando's dress also had a unique look about it. I like the longer hemline, very flattering on her. The colors were great and while I usually don't care for uneven hems this I liked. It was tailored nicely to her. 

Kim Yu Na by far had the best outfit. It was stunning-a work of art in itself, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. She gave an equally stunning performance as well. 

I'm looking forward to the long program.

Random thoughts about Olympic men's short program

Plushenko needs an updated hairdo. He has needed on for years. The "pageboy" look is pretty passe. I used to think that Johnny Weir had the worst haircut ever but Plusenko holds that title. Actually, Weir really improved his looks and finally found a haircut that frames his face. No more stringly looking hair.  Nice.

Patrick Chan's outfit was nice. I love the texture. Johnny Weir's outfit, well, I'm not sure what to think of it. It reminds me of a bad antique corset. I like the tassel and the shiny stretch patent leather look though.

I see Kevin Van Der Perrin came to the Olympics dressed for Halloween. What's with the bones outfit?

I really like the boards, it's so colorful and I love the blue-green retro design. Best of all, it's so refreshing to see boards without advertising. I don't think I've seen boards in a rink that nice looking before, it's like a work of art in itself. Way to go Canada!

Random Thoughts about the Olympic pairs short program

Shen and Zhao's outfits were so stunning. They have really improved their style through the years. The black, white, grey and pink color scheme looks fresh and contemporary. Good choice.


Caydee Denney' s hair reflects her youth. The red streaks are totally different. I wonder what does that say about her personality...


Speaking of good color choices, love the turquoise color on the outfits of Langlois & Hay. I also like the electric blue outfits of Volosozhar & Morozov.


The sparkly headband on Yuko Kavaguti was very cute.


One of my favorite outfits of the night was worn by the team that really put their best skate forward, Pang and Tong What a beautiful shade of blue and the jewels on Pang's forehead was a nice touch. Very stunning.

US Nationals: Ladies Looking Good

The ladies competition at US Nationals featured a dazzling array of fabulous dresses. Emily Hughes looked stunning in a black dress dripping with multicolored jewels. The long sheer sleeves on the dress were an elegant touch. I tend to favor long sleeve skating dresses over the sleeveless ones which can sometimes look like bedazzled one piece swimsuits.



Mirai Nagasu's red and black long program dress was cute but I liked her black and gold short program dress a little better. Alyssa Cisney has always had excellent taste in skating costumes. Her short program sleeveless blue dress was beautiful and proved that you don't have to wear red to skate to Spanish music. She wore a matching blue flower tucked in her bun. Cisney wasn't the only one to adorn her hair with a flowers, Sasha Cohen, Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu also sported flowers.


Rachel Flatt chose a different way to embellish her hair. Her long program outfit featured gold hair jewelry that matched the gold beading on her red dress. The "strapless looking" dress was a gorgeous shade of red but looked unfinished. Maybe the skirt needed to be longer. I think it's time for a makeover too. The hairdo wasn't working for me. I hope she will consider bangs instead poofing the hair up in the front.


Wasn't it great to see Sasha Cohen back at nationals? I have always loved her style on the ice. Her dresses always look polished and sophisticated. This nationals was no exception. She may not of skated away with the gold but she definitely gets my highest points for fashion. Her short program dress was "totally Sasha". Red is her signature color, she wears it better than anyone else on the ice. The sleeveless dress with a lacy design on the bodice showed off her perfect figure without looking too suggestive. The double skirt floated softly with each jump. The long fingerless gloves added a different touch and was a good balance to the sleeveless dress. Cohen's long program dress was also beautiful. I don't recall her wearing that color of blue before but it was a perfect choice to skate to the "Moonlight Sonata". It was also a refreshing change to see a turtleneck, a rare item in skating dresses these days. The high neck gave the whole outfit a more elegant look. In a competition where so many ladies came to Spokane, Washington dressed to win, Sasha Cohen rose to the top and put her best skate forward.

Season's Greetings!

Happy Holidays!!

I'll be back to blog again in 2010.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the skaters will be wearing at

Nationals and the Winter Olympics.

Skate Canada: What the Pairs Wore

Skate Canada had great skating and not so great costumes in the pairs competition. None of the outfits really stood out to me. Most of them were predictable and mediocre.



The goal of pairs costuming is for both skaters dress as one complete look. They don't have to wear the exact same color and have the same exact embellishments to achieve this but the colors should compliment each other and they should look great together. The problem with many of the looks for this competition was a lack of creativity.


So many of the outfits looked basic with nothing special about them and there were way too many black costumes and white costumes . German competitors Allona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy wore black and white in their short program and long program. I think they could of experimented with more color.


There was one bright spot though. The beige/pink outfits of Russian skaters Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov was a welcomed changed from a sea of black and white fabric. Mukhortova's dress draped beautifully and floated with her movements. The layered skirt with sheer fabric over heavier fabric was the perfect combination and the jewels added the right amount of sparkle. I also loved her pink lipstick and choice of eyeshadow, it truly complimented the dress. Trankov's outfit was nice but not quite as nice as his partner's dress.


They scored a winner with their short program look but weren't as successful with their long program outfit. Skating to "Love Story" Mukhortova wore a pink sleeveless dress with white tights (that's a look you don't see very often. I can't remember the last time I saw a skater compete in white tights) and Trankov sported a grey vest and pants with a matching pink shirt. I give him extra points for the shirt. I think men look great in pink and shouldn't be afraid of looking less manly. As far as I'm concerned real men do wear pink.

"Men in Black" at Skate America

Black is the new black when it comes to the Skate America men's competition. Many of the outfits wore by the competitors featured black pants, black shirts, black one piece outfits and black pants with black shirts.



I know it's a strong masculine color but lighten up guys, there's a whole spectrum of colors out there to choose from. US skater Evan Lysacek could be called the man in black. His outfits were designed by Vera Wang, a woman who is known for designing white wedding dresses. For some reason, Wang decided to dress Lysacek completely in black for his long and short program.


The problem with dressing black from head to toe is you tend to look flat and one dimensional on the ice, like a black shadow gliding across the bright, white ice. It's hard to stand out wearing black and when you are competing you want all eyes on you. If you must go to the dark side be more creative about it by wearing black with a lighter or brighter color.


French skater Florent Amodio's short program outfit of black pants paired with a white shirt was a nice balance. The white shirt was embellished with black and silver beading and the same design continued on his black pants tying the whole look together. Canadian Shawn Sayer's outfit to Latin music was basically black with a white shirt but it was the stunning turquoise and white paisley design over the black fabric that made it so eye catching. Brandon Mroz's red-black outfit was a great use of black without dressing monochromatic. The US skater wore deep red shirt with a black collar and cuffs. It was completely studded with black sparkly beads that would catch the light. The shirt complemented the plain black pants nicely.


Another way to avoid the black costume rut is to wear navy instead. Navy is a dark, masculine color that currently isn't overused on the ice.


Let's go back to Lysacek's black ensembles for a moment. Aside from being all black there is something else both of his outfits had in common. Feathers. I'm not a big fan of feathers on figure skating costumes for men or women (I still think Oksana Baiul's pink feather dress is one of the worst outfits ever) but there are exceptions. Every now and then feathers can be appropriate for interpreting the music or character being portrayed on ice. His short program music was "Firebird" so I understand the use of black feathers on the cuffs and shoulders of his top. However, I'm still trying to figure out the curly pipe cleaner like detail to his shoulders though. Once was not enough for Lysacek, his long program outfit also sported a few thin black feathers on the heavily beaded silver and black shoulder pads. Skating to the music "Scheherazade" I'm puzzled as to why he skated in feathers again.


The skater who put his best skate forward this week was picked for his creative use of black in the short and long program. Florent Amodio's long program outfit sparkled like glitter on ice. The burgundy long sleeve top had neon yellow and orange triangles appliques on the sleeves. It was accented with beaded suspenders attached to his black pants. He ended his program drawing attention to the suspenders. It was a very youthful and fun look for this talented teenager. What an unique combination of colors and yet it worked well together--- proving you can look masculine without dressing like Johnny Cash.