ICE STYLE.....NHK Trophy 2015 Figure Skating Costumes Recap! LADIES, MEN, PAIRS

ICE STYLE.....NHK Trophy 2015 Figure Skating Costumes Recap! LADIES, MEN, PAIRS

Skating Couture: Highlights of some of the figure skating costumes seen at the NHK Trophy 2015, Nagano Japan

This past weekend was the last of six events on the 2015-2016 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions in advance of the Grand Prix Finals. The event was the 2015 NHK Trophy and it was held in Nagano, Japan. I've covered my Figure Skating Costumes Highlights of 2015 Skate Canada HERE, 2015 Cup of China HERE, and the 2015 Rostelecom Cup of Russia HERE, so now, of course, it's time to talk about some of the costumes from 2015 NHK Trohpy.



Let's start with the LADIES:

Top Three: (L to R) Silver medalist Courtney Hicks of USA; gold medalist Satoko Miyahara of Japan; and bronze medalist Mao Asada of Japan--2015 NHK Trophy Nagano Japan

Mao Asada Japan: I've discussed Mao Asada's Free Skate Costume HERE so I wanted to talk about her Short Program costume to Bei mir bist du schoen, a famous Yiddish song from a Yiddish musical. Her costume was a fuchsia pink number with silver diamante crystals with pink trim sewn in flower-like patterns. It also featured long sleeves and an open back. This was quite feminine and pretty. It wasn't ground breaking in its design, but the color was impacting and the high neck and open back made for a striking image.

Satoko Miyahara Japan: Gold medal winner Satoko Miyahara skated her Short Program to Firedance from "Riverdance" by Bill Whelan. She was very "Carmen"-like in this red with black netting trim costume. The design also had scrolling applique and sequins. I wasn't a fan of this. For some reason, it didn't look polished or expensive enough. I did like the hints of black contrast and the red rose in her chignon hairstyle but besides this, it was just not that interesting of a design.

Free Skate to Un Sospiro by Franz Liszt: Miyahara wore this fuchsia pink costume featuring silver and multicolored diamantes and a scroll-like front bustier design. The skirt had tiers in an ombre-like pink coloration. The look was pretty and very starting-out ballerina. Nothing spectacular about this. She looked like she was part of the Junior Skating group. I'm sure it must be difficult to make her look sophisticatedsince she is all but a mere 17-years old. But I do appreciate the beautifully tiered skirt and the fantastic skate that won her the gold!

Courtney Hicks USA: Silver medalist Courtney Hicks wore this costume for her Free Skate to Elizabeth The Golden Age (soundtrack) by Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman. The costume featured bright canary yellow fabrication with multicolored sequin work. There were color and style nods to the grand mustard yellow costume worn by actress Cate Blanchett in the "Elizabeth The Golden Age" film. And I did like the subtle tiara in her updo hairstyle. 

Short Program to The Feeling Begins by Peter Gabriel: I really liked this costume on Courtney. The color, the sequin work, the design. And her elegant hairstyle. She looked like a top skater wearing a chic modern costume. Well done.

Ashley Wagner USA: I've written about her Free Skate costume HERE so it was time to talk about her Short program to Hip Hip Chin Chin performed by Club des Belugas. Especially since...she changed it! Can you spot the difference between the left and the right photos above? The left is the new costume and the right is the one she wore previously at Skate Canada 2015 Grand Prix. Similar silhouettes but the new one is much more "Haute" for sure.

 Before: The previous Short Program costume was a halter neckline black number with a simple stretch chiffon skirt, featuring subtle sequin detail--and that back sequin stripe...

After: The newer Short Program costume was much more designed, more sophisticated, more FABULOUS! I loved the fringe skirt and I especially liked the degrade effect of the front torso crystals. This, kids is what a well-done, EXPENSIVE figure skating costume looks like! Very good.

Alena Leonova Russia: Alena skated her Free Skate to Summertime performed by Carmen McRae, Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley, In Other Words by April Stevens, Sing Sing Sing performed by the Andrew Sisters in this fun costume above. I liked the bias-cut plaid in the torso/midriff and how it continued onto the skirt. The rest of the costume featured a gathered top with crystals, a red rose at the waist, gloves and arm feathers. This was fun and appropriate with the music.

Short Program to Smile performed by Nat King Cole, Overture - Unveiling the Statue (City Lights soundtrack) by Carl Davis, Terry's Theme (from Limelight soundtrack) by Charlie Chaplin: I also like Leonova's Short Program costume. She always has a knack for making a statement when it comes to her costumes and this little number was no exception. The minute I saw her on the ice I thought "Charlie Chaplin", and lo and behold, that's what she was skating to. I think that's a good thing.

Anna Pogorilaya Russia: Anna skated her Short program to Bolero for Violin and Orchestra by Walter Taieb and Vanessa Mae wearing this wine-red costume. The design featured nude illusion sections with red pieces intertwined. The costume was VERY Anna and very daring. 

Mirai Nagasu USA: Mirai skated her Free Skate to The Great Gatsby (soundtrack). This was the perfect costume interpretation of that film. There were Art Deco-like sequins, flapper-like details, the 1920's headpiece. The costume itself was pretty stunning and I also loved the crystal wristbands/cuffs. 

MEN-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuzuru Hanyu Japan: First off, Yuzuru did AMAZING!!!! His Free Skate at this past weekend's 2015 NHK Trophy was EVERYTHING! Now, back to the costumes...Yuzuru skated his Short Program to the same music he skated to last season Ballade No. 1 op. 23 in G minor by Frederic Chopin but his 2014-2015 Season costume was slightly different. See if you can spot the difference. The top photo is the newer version which he wore at the 2015 NHK Trophy. In the newer costume, his cummerbund is copper as opposed to black and the top/blouse is a more subtle ombre shading and features panels (on the midriff side and sleeves) of gold. 

PAIRS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford Canada: Gold medal winning Pairs couple Duhamel and Radford skated their Short Program to Your Song by Elton John, performed by Ewan McGregor. I loved the bright red color and the criss-cross gathered draping in her costume's torso. I also liked that Eric's shirt and tank matched hers and especially his crystal buttons. Oh and can I add, HOW HOT does Eric look with that five o-clock shadow??!! Welcome to the beard club darling.

Free Skate to Hometown Glory by Adele: Great multi jeweled neckline piece on Meagan's costume and I loved the gathered halter neckline detail.

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres France: James and Cipres of France skated their Short Program to Hometown Glory by Adele. Now, I love a unitard/jumpsuit. Especially a good one. And this one on Vanessa is a fabulous one. I like the heavy sequin neckline and wrist detail as well as the faux leather shoulder and high-hip accents. And yes, Morgan looks hot in his costume. All that faux leather strapping and criss-cross belting is very Leather Bar Lite. And I likey.

Figure Skating Costume Minute: Best Figure Skating Costumes 2012: Men and Ladies

Figure Skating Costume Minute: Best Figure Skating Costumes 2012: Men and Ladies

Best of the Bedazzled Figure Skating Couture

Continuing with my end-of-the-year "Best Of" Lists, now it's time for one of my favorites subjects here on my blog: Figure Skating Costumes! As you know, I enjoy blogging about Figure Skating Costumes and I have a feeling you guys like it too! This past year/season was a very colorful, bedazzled, feathered-filled one. Here are my Top Picks for favorites of the Year...



Best Men's Costumes:

Tatsuki Machida: Japan--He skated to "The Firebird" for his Free Dance and
his costume was FABULOUS! The neckline and upper torso red and yellow
sequin detail was marvelous and went perfectly with the black illusion top. This is a PERFECT Men's Costume for that particular
music. Not every male can get away with this look (at this point we know
we'll never see Jeremy Abbott or Patrick Chan sporting this style), but
if you can carry it off--and Tatsuki can--then Go For It!

Brian Joubert: France--2007 World Champion Brian Joubert performed his Short Program to "Genesis" by Justice and "Aerodynamic" by Daft Punk.
His soundtrack was very electronica/French House and so it was
appropriate for his costume to be less "Costume Period" and more
contemporary. The top section featured black illusion and faux leather
trimmed in gold. I call his look "Manly Flashy". And I like it! So much so, his costume was one of my favorites for 2012.

Yuzuru Hanyu: Japan--For his Long Program during Season 2012-2013, Hanyu skated to "Notre-Dame de Paris". I really liked this costume. It was soooo Johnny Weir in its no-holds-barred design philosophy and embrace of feminine-like details. The
big cross, the ombre dyed ivory and red shirt, the one sleeve ruffle and
one black glove; lots of details and he was not afraid to "Go For It"!

Daisuke Takahashi: Japan--Takahashi wore this above for his 2012-2013 Season Short Program to "Roll 'n' Roll Medley", "The Stroll", "Rudy's Rock". He went "Tokyo Elvis" with his get-up and I LOVED it: t
was exuberant, music-appropriate and a big hit with all his little girl
fans and yes, one of my Top Picks of 2012 Figure Skating Costumes.

I also loved the costume he wore for his Long Program to "Pagliacci". It
had overt references to the famous operatic clown but yet
deconstructed. This was a very thought-out look and costume. Kudos to
this modern, yet still Figure Skating theatrical-perfect "Pagliacci"
costume. I've said this before, but it bears repeating, I really love
how these Japanese MALE figure skaters embrace the whole costume part of
their performance and think "outside the box".

Patrick Chan: Canada--Above is what he wore for his 2012-2013 Season Short
Program to Rachmaninoff's "Elegie in E Flat Minor". It was deep
blue-colored lightly beaded blouson long sleeve top with a plunging
neckline (Oh Patrick!) with attached convertible collar and cascade
ruffles. Since his music was Classical, I think he was trying to vibe a
classic and romantic look and he even had a lace back detail which is
A LOT of look for Patrick. I did LOVE the pants. They fit him PERFECTLY
and I liked how they had the beaded tuxedo stripe down the side,
bringing in the lightly beaded detail from the top. I appreciate the risk Patrick took with this costume and definitely thought it was one of the best of 2012.

Best Ladies Costumes:

Ashley Wagner: USA--This, hands down--was one of my favorite Figure Skating Costumes of this past year/season. American figure skater Ashley Wagner, wore this for her Free Skate to "Samson and Delilah". From the moment she stepped on the ice, I thought this was Figure Skating Costume Perfection. The bright sunburst yellow with ombré dyeing; the expertly applied sequins, the torso and neckline detail...It was very "Samson and Delilah" for sure and at the same time suggested the works of some of the better-known Lebanese Couturiers like Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad. Therefore, she was Red Carpet Fab and Figure Skating Perfection!

Agnes Zawadzki: USA--Agnes skated her Free Skate to Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" by the Boston Pops Orchestra during the 2012-2013 Season. Her Costume was designed by Pat Pearsall.
I thought this was a very well done costume. The crystal effect down
the torso, bust and wrist area was excellent. As a whole, the
design--and costume--looked very European and chic.

I also liked  her Short Program Costume to "Sex and the City". It was a baby blue costume ensemble which evoked the spirit of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates "Gulf States Princess" of the movie "Sex and the City 2". Definitely one of my Top Picks for 2012.

Akiko Suzuki: Japan--I LOVED this costume above, which she wore for her Free Skate to "O" from Cirque du Soleil. The costume was pretty
fabulous. It had a one-shoulder neckline silhouette, was turquoise blue and green
and had overt Peacock influences--notice the sequin applique and
feathers. I also liked the side draped "skirt" section. This was a very
well done costume. One of the best of this season for sure.

Mao Asada: Japan-- Mao Asada wore TWO great costumes this 2012-2013. So great, both placed on my "Best of 2012" List. The one above is what she wore to her Short Program to "I Got Rhythm" variations by George Gershwin. It was a coral and silver criss-cross draped and shirred costume that looked chic, sexy and like a Rodarte dress. Loved it!

For her 2012-2013 Season Long Program to Music from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, Mao wore this gorgeous ivory, gray and silver costume which I also loved. The details on it were very Haute and I even liked the "shredded" skirt. My favorite part, however, were the wrist details. It was very "Black Swan", the movie. She HAD to be in this Top Costumes of 2012 list.

Alena Leonova: Russia--Bollywood Goes to Russia, through Alena Leonova's costume. She skated her Season 2012-2013 Short Program to "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Indian Hip Hop" (of course!). I
absolutely LOVED her apple green costume. It had great sequin detail in the torso. LOVED the asymmetrical bust draping, chiffon "skirt", arm and body straps
as well as the India-influenced bindi and center part hair decoration.

Gracie Gold: USA--Gracie skated her 2012-2013 Season Short Program to "Hernando's Hideaway" by various artists. Her costumes for both the Short Program and Free Skate were designed by Brad Griffies.
I think this red one above is just great! The juxtaposition of the
solid fabric vs. the small-to-large sequin detail is beautiful. The
costume fits the requirements (for me) of looking a little bit "Red
Carpet Couture" and at the same time, still being classic Figure Skating
Costume chic.

Yu-Na Kim in her Short Program to "The Kiss of the Vampire" at the
NRW trophy at Eissportzentrum on December 9, 2012 in Dortmund,
Germany.

The Return of Yu-Na Kim: Reigning Olympic champion, Yu-Na Kim (or Kim Yu-Na) of South Korea, launched her competitive comeback at the NRW Trophy in Dortmund Germany earlier this month.

For her Short Program, she skated to "The Kiss of the Vampire"
and her costume was SPECTACULAR! It was an icy blue color with very
expensive-looking crystals in silver, blue and "Vampire Blood" red. It
also had a perfectly matching nude illusion shoulder/sleeve section. The neckline had a "necklace" of sorts--highlighting all those
colors in very well placed sequins. It was one of my favorite Figure Skating Costumes of 2012--and Yu-Na Kim made it on to my list, just in time!!! Thanks Yu-Na for "bringing it" when it came to your costumes!



***Next Up: Pairs, Ice Dance and the Kookiest Figure Skating Costumes of the Year!

Figure Skating Costume Minute--Trophee Eric Bompard 2012--The Ladies!

Figure Skating Costume Minute--Trophee Eric Bompard 2012--The Ladies!

Les Femmes:

Colorful Top Three: (left to right) Silver Medalist Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia, Ashley Wagner of USA with the Gold, and Bronze Medalist Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia, ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Trophee Eric Bompard, Omnisports Bercy, Paris, France

This past weekend was Trophée Eric Bompard 2012, the French-hosted arm of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating invitational international competition. I discussed the Men and their costumes HERE in my last post, but now it's time for the LADIES. As usual, the Ladies Figure Skaters looked like little Princesses in their bedazzled and colorful costumes.

Figure Skating Princesses: Princess Caroline of Hanover Hereditary Princess of Monaco and her youngest daughter Princess Alexandra, seen above at the World Figure Skating Championships in Nice in March of this year

But, speaking of Princesses, there were a couple of REAL ones in the Omnisports audience: Princess Caroline of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco and her youngest daughter Princess Alexandra--it was very cute when the cameras would pan to them and little Alexandra would be holding up signs for USA's Ashley Wagner as well as some of the French figure skaters of course.



Now let's get to the LADIES and their COSTUMES. First up (Drum Roll Please!)...A COSTUME CHANGE!

Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia: Fourteen-year old Julia (she was born in 1998!!! Ouch that really hurts!) skated her Free Skate to the iconic "Pas de Deux" from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky wearing the above deep lilac costume at this past weekend's Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris. The costume had crystals and stretch lace with criss-cross details (a popular trend in current figure skating costumes) throughout the arms and neckline. It looks a little "Jr. Figure Skater" in the picture above but it came off prettier on TV. This was a Change of Costume from what she wore at the Cup of China 2012 earlier this month:

Julia Lipnitskaia at "Cup of China 2012" during her Free Skate to the "Pas de Deux" by Tchaikovsky. I didn't like this plain lace white costume. Back in my "Cup of China" post, I said that it looked like a cheap lace lingerie and I was alarmed by the sheerness of the lace on a 14-year old. Either someone read my blog or her "people" were thinking the same thing I was and well, voila: Costume Change! It's a good change, but part of me would still like her to look more like this:

  Sugar Plum Fairy Ballerina Costumes, "The Nutcracker"

Julia Lipnitskaia in her Short Program Costume to "Sabre Dance" (modern arrangement) by Khachaturian. Yes, it's a BODYSUIT, kiddies--which we don't see often in figure skating, especially in international competitive figure skating. I wasn't a fan of this either but I do like the fact that it's different, unexpected and stands out.

Léna Marrocco of France: I have never discussed Lena in any of my "Figure Skating Costume Minute's" so this is a first and I was excited to do so. When I saw photos of her and this costume, I prayed that she WAS NOT skating to "Les Misérables", and yes, I was right--she wore this for her Short Program to "No Hay Problema" by Pink Martini. Her bright orange and lemon-yellow fringed costume also features THE "figure skating costume" detail of the YEAR--The criss-cross laced-up detail. It's an attention-grabbing costume but somehow looks as if it belongs to one of the 1,000 samba-dancing extras at a Rio de Janeiro Carnival celebration. I also think that if she's going to "Go There", she needs to take it ALL the way; her makeup and hair need to be more finished.



 Speaking of Attention Grabbing...and someone who Takes It All The Way:

Joshi Helgesson of Sweden:  I've talked about the beautiful Joshi and this costume above which she wears for her Short Program to  "Mystere" and "Taiko" from Cirque du Soleil --you can read that HERE. In essence, this I LOVED. This is a perfect example of taking a look to the 110% level, down to her fabulous eye makeup and hair details. There's an element of "Oh No She Didn't!" but in such a good way. Léna Marrocco of France should take note.



Speaking of Oh No She Didn't:

Maé Bérénice Méité of France: Maé Bérénice, I have something to say to you: You are my new Figure Skating Costume DIVA! (someone else can translate that into francais!).  This above is the costume she wears for her Free Skate to (wait for it!) "Jessica's Theme" from the Who Framed Roger Rabbit soundtrack by Alan Silvestri and "Hey Pachuco" from the soundtrack of The Mask.  I have no idea what either "Jessica Rabbit" or "The Mask" have to do with Maé Bérénice's gold sequined "Cleopatra/SciFi"--looking costume. Maybe someone reading this can enlighten me (PLEASE!) because...

One look at Maé's Short Program costume and I couldn't help but think that she should have probably skated to an instrumental version of  Whitney Houston's "Queen of the Night" from "The Bodyguard".

UPDATE:

Well, thanks to one of my FABULOUS blog readers...I learned that in fact I did get 

Méite's music wrong. She skated to "1001 Nights". To me, either way, she still looks like a Figure Skating Costume Diva, but this now makes much more sense with the music theme! 

Here is Maé Bérénice and the bubblegum pink costume she wears to her Short Program to "Derniere lettre du Prince" by Henri Torgue. It is a WHOLE PLANET away from her Free Skate costume. A planet called "1986 Figure Skating". This is cute for an 8-year old skating at her local rink in Colorado, but not for one of the top French Ladies Figure Skaters.



Finally, I must end with what is--so far--Hands DOWN--my favorite Ladies Costume for this 2012-2013 Grand Prix of Figure Skating series...

Ashley Wagner of USA: Ashley wears this for her Free Skate to "Samson and Delilah". I talked about my utter LOVE for this costume back in my Skate America 2012 blog post HERE. This is perfection. The color, the cut, the silhouette, the intricate bead work...all of it reminds me of a Haute Couture gown from a top Lebanese or Parisian fashion designer. This, kids, is A COSTUME and one that costs a lot of money. And it is worth it! She looks like an International Gold Medalist. Oh, yes, I forgot, she is! She won the Gold at Trophee Eric Bompard this past weekend. Congrats Ashley!



***Up Next...The Pairs Costume Recap of "Trophee Eric Bompard 2012"!