How important is costuming?

Layback11 · Aug 8, 2015

We saw it when I/K got a deduction at the Olympics because a feather fell off Elena's tutu.

We saw it when thousands of GSers lamented endlessly about a certain fairy program that involved an infamous pink dress.

We even saw it when Cellobutt took musicality to the next level...literally.

Costumes can make or break a program. If the skating isn't great, it can be hard to overcome a bad outfit-and likewise, subpar skating can be improved (though not overlooked) with a great one. And even if it isn't part of the CoP, there's no denying that costuming is a big part of a program's appeal, or lack thereof. But just how important?

We're all probably going to have very different opinions on this, so please don't get snappy (it's just not worth it!). On a similar note, it's perfectly fine to back up your point with examples of real skating costumes, but please don't get obnoxious or rude with it. Okay, so maybe it reminded you of a raccoon you ran over on the road once, but there's always a chance the person who wore the roadkill outfit might find this thread...be nice, okay?

Interspectator · Aug 8, 2015

Does it matter to the judges? -I mean, short of an actual costume deduction for overly revealing outfits and outfits that fall off, would a horrible costume make any difference in a judges scores of a program?

Costumes are important to me and I love to see a well made or unique costume. -It just seems to me that it's not something the judges even consider unless it is worthy of a penalty for breaking the rules.

For example, Yuzu had that (to me) awful Romeo and Juliet costume at the Olympics. Kurt Browning even mentioned that he 'couldn't take Yuzu seriously' in that outfit. -But who won gold at all the major events?

In the past few Seasons, Brezina has stood out to me to have very well made and classy costumes.

http://www.absoluteskating.com/interviews/2013michalbrezina2/Dsc_6272-2.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/58/0d/ca/580dca6f94e9b41951bb31882fe85a3c.jpg

http://www.absoluteskating.com/articles/2015euros/SPJ_0570report.JPG
http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Michal+Brezina+2015+Shanghai+World+Figure+C1iUCUyn41Nl.jpg

Thematic, without looking cheap. A great level of detail, but not too garish.

To round up my thoughts; costumes are for the fans to enjoy and/or hate. It is something to talk about and gives another layer to Skating and sets it apart from other sports. I don't think they should have much bearing on the scores of any skater. That should be determined by their actual skating.

Sam-Skwantch · Aug 8, 2015

I'll be immediately shot down again but I wish more skaters just came out in this type of look.

https://instagram.com/p/6GNwrjx9cY/

My interest is in the athletic nature of the sport. The way a skater can use their movements in fascinating ways to create mood and feeling. While I'm not opposed to dresses and costumes....I don't see how they can really add to a program in all situations.

I do have favorite dresses and costumes that come to mind and I have a feeling Mariah Bell is going to make that list this year. So whatever but this is a sport first and foremost and an athletic look should be able to score as well as any other look IMO.

If you think about it, wearing more athletic gear would open the door for sponsors to get involved and skaters could help sell and get endorsements of designed for figure skating products. It seems more likely to me that sales of new dry fit clothes would easily surpass that of skaters buying identical dresses or costumes of their favorite skater and it would be cool to see some signature designs.

just wondering · Aug 8, 2015

100% agree, Sam-Skwantch, particularly for the SP, which is intended to be more technical in nature, anyway.
With the now popular integration of workout wear into daily apparel, I think companies such as lululemon, Athleta, Nike, UA, Title Nine, etc . . . would flourish outfitting skaters for the technical event (SP) and practice ices. Makes me think of tennis - interesting to see who wears what, but the emphasis is on the match.

sabinfire · Aug 8, 2015

Costuming is very important for a performer. Even for normal folks, the way you dress sends out all sorts of signals.

For the Sotskova pic above, how would you feel if Yulia performed 'Schindler's List' at the Olympics in that same gear, with a red top?

Judges are definitely influenced by costuming, whether consciously or subconsciously. As are viewers.

I shudder to think about watching a 4-hour competition where every skater looks like they are hitting the gym or doing routine practice.

silverfoxes · Aug 8, 2015

sabinfire said:
I shudder to think about watching a 4-hour competition where every skater looks like they are hitting the gym or doing routine practice.

I agree. It would be the last nail in the coffin for the sport in terms of having any widespread appeal. Casual viewers may not be able to tell the jumps apart, or even the skaters, but they will tune in for the fashion, & individual styles helps people distinguish who the skaters are and what they're all about. Costumes can be simple, but please don't wear stuff that looks like it came from the Kohl's clearance rack, and I definitely never want to see someone in training gear during a competition. Skaters should always "dress to impress" as far as their budget will allow. Even bad costumes are topics of conversation for years to come...if they're all wearing similar boring athletic wear, there goes all the fun and color of figure skating. I would think being in costume helps a skater get more into the role they are trying to portray, as well.

Meoima · Aug 8, 2015

As long as the costume isn't toooopoo ugly, I will try to bear with it.

cleo2070 · Aug 8, 2015

Newbiespectator said:
In the past few Seasons, Brezina has stood out to me to have very well made and classy costumes.

http://www.absoluteskating.com/interviews/2013michalbrezina2/Dsc_6272-2.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/58/0d/ca/580dca6f94e9b41951bb31882fe85a3c.jpg

http://www.absoluteskating.com/articles/2015euros/SPJ_0570report.JPG
http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Michal+Brezina+2015+Shanghai+World+Figure+C1iUCUyn41Nl.jpg

Yes. THAT.

lyverbird1 · Aug 8, 2015

One pet irk for me is when the effort to match the costume to the music is overly obvious. I do like when there is a connection but subtlety is most welcome. Worst offenders for me are the flame costumes for Firebird, the green Oirish costume for Riverdance, the all blue garment for Rhapsody in Blue, feathery dresses for Swan Lake and the samey-samey POTO costumes. I guess you could call them warhorse costumes! I loved Gilles and Poirier's Hitchcock costumes - completely matched the mood and feeling of the theme without having to scream it out loud!

gravy · Aug 8, 2015

cleo2070 said:
Yes. THAT.

He is soooooo :love:

Why is he so beautiful and engaged?

karne · Aug 8, 2015

Layback11 said:
We saw it when I/K got a deduction at the Olympics because a feather fell off Elena's tutu.

We saw it when thousands of GSers lamented endlessly about a certain fairy program that involved an infamous pink dress.

We even saw it when Cellobutt took musicality to the next level...literally.

Okay. Just so you know, there are three different things to consider here. I/K got that deduction for Elena's feather falling off because a feather on the ice is dangerous. It sticks to the surface and if no-one had noticed it someone could have had a really bad accident.

I had no issue with Polina's costume - that was personal preference for a lot of people. But Cellobutt got a costume violation because it was an entirely inappropriate costume. There is no sport in the world that would allow someone to have the appearance of mooning.

Layback11 said:
Costumes can make or break a program. If the skating isn't great, it can be hard to overcome a bad outfit-and likewise, subpar skating can be improved (though not overlooked) with a great one. And even if it isn't part of the CoP, there's no denying that costuming is a big part of a program's appeal, or lack thereof. But just how important?

I disagree. Those awful pants that Jason wore last season spring to mind. They certainly didn't damage his standing with the judges, even if they looked awful.

gallavich said:
I agree. It would be the last nail in the coffin for the sport in terms of having any widespread appeal. Casual viewers may not be able to tell the jumps apart, or even the skaters, but they will tune in for the fashion, & individual styles helps people distinguish who the skaters are and what they're all about.

I absolutely agree. Casual viewers love to have a giggle about the costumes. Besides, this is still a performing art, as well as a sport, even if it is a sport first.

Winnie_20 · Aug 8, 2015

gallavich said:
I agree. It would be the last nail in the coffin for the sport in terms of having any widespread appeal. Casual viewers may not be able to tell the jumps apart, or even the skaters, but they will tune in for the fashion,

+1.
I do not consider myself a casual viewer anymore (when you try and watch all Junior (!) GPs live and fly to other countries to go to a figure skating event, surely that doesn't fit the definition of casual anymore, *grin*). However, after about seven or so years of following the sport, I still cannot tell most of the jumps apart and, frankly, I don't really care to.
I watch for the beauty of the skating, the music, and, yes, the "fashion". Costumes are one of the main appeals in this sport for me. If someone skates in a simple dark outfit, they do tend to lose my attention rather quickly. Sad but true. I am sure the same goes for a lot of "casual" and less casual viewers, too.
One of the reasons I like Yuzuru Hanyu so much is exactly because he has such colorful and sparkly costumes with bling bling. I love it.

iluvtodd · Aug 8, 2015

Since my focus is on the actual skating, I can honestly say that Ilia Kulik's "giraffe" costume didn't bother me one bit. OTOH, I guess I'm one of so many who couldn't get past Domnina & Shabilin's aborigine costumes in 2010.

Rule of thumb for me - keep the costumes elegant & understated as much as possible.

Interspectator · Aug 8, 2015

I was talking with a friend about why Men's gymnastics has such a relatively small fan-base in Japan compared to Men's Figure Skating in recent years. (we are fans of both)
-Both have very attractive men (gymnastics men, arguably even more-so)
-Both have difficult twisting and performing movements
-Team events
-Single events
-World and Olympic Gold Medal winners (Gymnastics even more than skating)

It seemed that it must be the music and costumes...the sense of fantasy and theater. Totally not sports related, but that is what attracts people. It certainly attracts me.

karne · Aug 8, 2015

iluvtodd said:
Since my focus is on the actual skating, I can honestly say that Ilia Kulik's "giraffe" costume didn't bother me one bit. OTOH, I guess of one of so many who couldn't get past Domnina & Shabilin's aborigine costumes in 2010.

Rule of thumb for me - keep the costumes elegant & understated as much as possible.

Big difference between the puzzling selection of a giraffe print, and a smash-in-your-face, appallingly offensive, absolutely disgusting racist costume. I mean, Ilia's choice was amusingly puzzling. D/S was offensive and racist.

brushalley · Aug 8, 2015

P/B
Petit Prince wouldn't have been the same without Nathalie's lovely rose dress /green tights!

I agree costumes are a great appeal in the sport for me too.
After the music selections it's the costumes that we want to know about.

witcher · Aug 8, 2015

Sam-Skwantch said:
I'll be immediately shot down again but I wish more skaters just came out in this type of look.

https://instagram.com/p/6GNwrjx9cY/

My interest is in the athletic nature of the sport. The way a skater can use their movements in fascinating ways to create mood and feeling. While I'm not opposed to dresses and costumes....I don't see how they can really add to a program in all situations.

I do have favorite dresses and costumes that come to mind and I have a feeling Mariah Bell is going to make that list this year. So whatever but this is a sport first and foremost and an athletic look should be able to score as well as any other look IMO.

If you think about it, wearing more athletic gear would open the door for sponsors to get involved and skaters could help sell and get endorsements of designed for figure skating products. It seems more likely to me that sales of new dry fit clothes would easily surpass that of skaters buying identical dresses or costumes of their favorite skater and it would be cool to see some signature designs.

Nooooooo. :shocked:

Keep your little capitalistic attitude away from my new favourite sport mister! :laugh:

I agree most of these young girls look great in tight outfits :biggrin:

and I wouldn't ever forbidden it, but standardizing oufits? Good lord, no no no, please don't.
Dresses are true magnet and mystery of figure skating. Talking point and drama. They are messages and entities, they are the distinction and the difference.
Dresses are figure skating. :love:

shmay · Aug 8, 2015

One of the low points was when Kanako Murakami wore a giant cross while skating to music about a Jewish girl in the shtetl. No one pulled her aside at any point in the season to have a chat about that?

katmari · Aug 8, 2015

Newbiespectator said:
It seemed that it must be the music and costumes...the sense of fantasy and theater. Totally not sports related, but that is what attracts people. It certainly attracts me.

This!

I won't go as far as some (Rohene!) to demand the costumes be period appropriate though. A costume suited to the music is fine -- I don't need it to resemble clothes available only in the day that have been colored with vintage vegetable dyes. :biggrin:

centerpt1 · Aug 8, 2015

I prefer simple attire that let you see the skater clearly as they move. Athletic clothing that is close fitting or simple costuming is attractive to me. If a skater must costume, I like a simple dress, without cutouts or skin toned mesh. Too much ornamentation or mesh looks cheap and takes away from the skate. For men, a menswear look that is tailored is acceptable if more athletic clothing is not worn.

Figure skaters ARE athletes. To be taken seriously, they really should be in athletic attire. (or simple, appropriate costumes that perhaps give a nod to the history of the sport)

When I see an outrageous costume- it makes me think the skater is trying to hide something. ( or buy a win)

Elaborate, gaudy costumes should be reserved for shows. (and Ice Dance)

How important is costuming?

Layback11

Interspectator

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”

just wondering

sabinfire

Doing the needful

silverfoxes

Meoima

Match Penalty

cleo2070

lyverbird1

gravy

¿No ven quién soy yo?

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode

Winnie_20

iluvtodd

Interspectator

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode

brushalley

witcher

Match Penalty

shmay

katmari

centerpt1

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