Man of España: Javier Fernandez of Spain during his Free Skate, Audi cup of China 2017, Beijing People's Republic of China
Continuing with my ICE STYLE Costumes Recap BLOG on ISU Grand Prix of figure Skating Audi Cup of China 2017, I have talked about the LADIES HERE so now, it is time to discuss THE MEN! Let's begin with USA's Vincent Zhou:
Vincent Zhou of USA: Vincent skated his Short Program to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. He wore this lilac-hued shirt and dark lilac/gray skin-tight pants. The shirt featured beautiful crystals throughout but it was the white-shirt underneath that made it slightly too "Casual Friday's" for my taste.
Free Skate to Moulin Rouge (soundtrack): Zhou wore this red-and-black costume for his "Moulin Rouge" Free Skate. While I appreciated that he (or his costume design team) stepped it up several notches from his short program costume...but he looked a little too much like one of the background dancers of the "Like A Virgin" segment of the film (photo above). But maybe that was the point.
Boyang Jin of China: For his Short Program to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (soundtrack) by Tan Dun, he wore this all black costume that had the detailing of a traditional Chinese robe, but reinterpreted in a modern way. The entire look was slim, sleek and minimal. I LIKEY!
Free Skate to Mars (from "The Planets") by Gustav Holst and Stars Wars (soundtrack) by John Williams: This white top and black pants design was almost like a "design extension" of his Short Program costume. I liked the double-breasted look and crystal embellishment. Once again, it was Minimal Costume Design...at its best.
Han Yan of China: Han Yan skated his Short Program to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri in this light gray top and dark gray pants. The top had pretty crystals on the neck, shoulder and sleeves. I liked all that detail up top and I also appreciated how snug his top was. This was a good example of a Costume Look that was similar in its style to Vincent Zhou's but...was done better. Not my favorite color combination, but it was nice none the less.
Free Skate to I'll Take Care Of You performed by Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa: For his Free Skate, he wore this wine-red dress shirt, black-and-gray vest (with black pants, of course). Overall, it was a nice costume for him. There were sprinkles of silver crystals throughout the vest which added nice sparkle to the costume. Also...I wonder if his new silver-colored hair is part of the look? Very On-trend Millennial.
Kevin Reynolds of Canada: Kevin is kind of known for his costumes. For his Short Program to Moanin' by Art Blakey, however, there was really none--except for a white dress shirt, a bold blue tie, black pants and...OH GOD WHAT IS THAT BELT???!!!! I cannot believe he fell for the dreaded Male Figure Skater Ross Dress For Less 90's Belt Virus!!! I think I owned that belt...in 1994. Please Kevin, give it to Out of the Closet! ASAP!
Free Skate to The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace by Karl Jenkins--For his Free Skate, Kevin was more on his comfortable "Costume Territory" and as a fan of Figure Skating and Figure Skating Costumes...I liked this! I liked all the detail of the jacket--especially those epaulets and gold embroidery. It also fit him quite nice and worked with the music. I know that maybe he looked a teeny bit too much like "The Nutcracker" Prince but hey, I'll take that over a 1994-like Ross Dress For Less belt ANY DAY!
Max Aaron of USA: Max wore this black pants and draped gray knit top to his Bring Him Home and One More Day (from "Les Miserables") by Claude-Michel Schoenberg Short Program. This look was very Max Aaron in it's gray/black colors and sleek costume look. I liked the cowl draped neckline and asymmetrical hem especially. It added a little bit of interest to his costume. I also have to add that the design reminded me of...
Draped Boys: Joshua Farris of USA and Daisuke Takahashi of Japan during the 2013 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating season
Free Skate to The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber: For his Free Skate, he went typical Max Aaron gray-and-black (of course) with this look. It was not very exciting but then again, Aaron is not know for his exciting costumes. The look, however, was a nice departure from what we usually see from skaters doing "The Phantom of the Opera". This off-center closure, heathered gray top with black pants design was like the "Modern Dance" interpretation of the musical.
Javier Fernandez of Spain: Spaniard Javier Fernandez brought back his "Charlie Chaplin" program (as many of the skaters are doing for this Olympic Season) from the 2012-2013 Season. Back then, it was his Free Skate and now, it for his Short Program. And as much as I liked his "Chaplin" costume back then, I am happy that he wore a new costume. For his Short Program to Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin soundtrack), he wore this sleeker-and-sexier Charlie Chaplin look comprised of snug gray pants, a second-skin black stretch velvet jacket and white shirt. The jacket had nice details like sequined trim, satin lapels and a fab flower-like lapel "rosette". It was sharp and fit him well and still had elements of the character he was playing.
And...in case you were wondering...
This is his old Charlie Chaplin costume from his 2012-2013 Season Free Skate Program
Free Skate to Man of La Mancha: For his Free Skate, he wore this "Conquistador"-style costume appropriate for the musical. Javier's 15th century-like doublet and shirt had great little details such as the back loops, side sleeve buttons and dramatic stand-up collar. I liked the fact that it was "costume-y" but not too Costume-y (if that makes any sense). On a non-costume note: Let's hope the next time he skates, he does a better job. Go Javi!!!
**UP NEXT: ICE DANCE and PAIRS COSTUMES of Audi Cup of China 2017!!
