Figure skating clothes in the UK? | Golden Skate

Figure skating clothes in the UK?

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Hello everyone!

I'm a skater in the UK and was wondering where people get their figure skating clothes from (bonus for budget friendly as I'm a student!!)

I usually skate in gym pants, sports bra and a running top but the past few months I've started to take skating more seriously and do patch! My rink is particularly cold, and I have a really bad case of Reynaulds disease (terrible circulation [emoji19] ) and my current clothes are just not keeping me warm enough for those 6am winter patch sessions!

I cant skate in hoodies as theyre bulky and they annoy me, especially when I'm spinning, and any warm pants I've tried aren't water resistant and sweat wicking.

I've been trying to save up for some proper skating specific clothing and got my hands on a mondor jacket and intermezzo leggings from my skate shop which have been great but they were expensive and I really can't afford more.

Unfortunately, the UK seems to have a really limited source of skating clothes. Can anyone recommend any budget friendly clothes that are good to skate in?


P.s. recommendations for socks would be appreciated too. I wear seamless diabetic socks to skate in atm as theyre very thin, but I literally can't feel my feet for most of the session because they're cold!
 

sk8kirsty

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 24, 2019
Hello everyone!

I'm a skater in the UK and was wondering where people get their figure skating clothes from (bonus for budget friendly as I'm a student!!)

I usually skate in gym pants, sports bra and a running top but the past few months I've started to take skating more seriously and do patch! My rink is particularly cold, and I have a really bad case of Reynaulds disease (terrible circulation [emoji19] ) and my current clothes are just not keeping me warm enough for those 6am winter patch sessions!

I cant skate in hoodies as theyre bulky and they annoy me, especially when I'm spinning, and any warm pants I've tried aren't water resistant and sweat wicking.

I've been trying to save up for some proper skating specific clothing and got my hands on a mondor jacket and intermezzo leggings from my skate shop which have been great but they were expensive and I really can't afford more.

Unfortunately, the UK seems to have a really limited source of skating clothes. Can anyone recommend any budget friendly clothes that are good to skate in?


P.s. recommendations for socks would be appreciated too. I wear seamless diabetic socks to skate in atm as theyre very thin, but I literally can't feel my feet for most of the session because they're cold!
This probably wont be much help because of the prices, but just about all my skating clothes are from Chique Sport
They are warm, stylish and great for skating in as they are quite tight fitting
However, if you are looking for something quite cheap, Chique Sport isn't great [emoji28]
I do have some things from Chloe Noel, jackets etc which is a bit cheaper
Another suggestion (but is also quite pricey) is Lululemon UK, their skating/fitness clothes are great!!
As for socks, I tend to just go with thin nylon socks as I personally find them the best to skate in, however, they aren't very warm. My feet don't really get cold though so I prefer thin socks
Sorry if this wasn't much help but I hope it gave you some ideas at least
Kirsty
 

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
This probably wont be much help because of the prices, but just about all my skating clothes are from Chique Sport
They are warm, stylish and great for skating in as they are quite tight fitting
However, if you are looking for something quite cheap, Chique Sport isn't great [emoji28]
I do have some things from Chloe Noel, jackets etc which is a bit cheaper
Another suggestion (but is also quite pricey) is Lululemon UK, their skating/fitness clothes are great!!
As for socks, I tend to just go with thin nylon socks as I personally find them the best to skate in, however, they aren't very warm. My feet don't really get cold though so I prefer thin socks
Sorry if this wasn't much help but I hope it gave you some ideas at least
Kirsty
Chique sport is very popular in my rink! I'd love to get a few of their items but I could pay a months worth of lessons for the price of a top [emoji23]

I did find a couple of new chique items on ebay for half price but they were all a size above what i need unfortunately [emoji17].

Thanks anyways!
 

Elija

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Skating and ‘budget friendly’ don’t really go in the same sentence unfortunately :/ perhaps try a couple of thin layers so that you can still move? For example thin merino or other wool long-sleeved tees that you can get from outdoor stores. I don’t know what outdoor stores you have in the uk, but stores like macpac, Kathmandu, columbia, bivouac, the north face etc. You might be able to get stuff on sale. I imagine they probably also have fleece leggings as well. Or tights under your leggings, i know some people who do that.

You could also probably get a zip-up fleece from any cheap department store, which would be more practical than a hoodie.

I find Lululemon the best for skating, but if you’re looking for budget friendly that’s probably not it.
 

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Skating and ‘budget friendly’ don’t really go in the same sentence unfortunately :/ perhaps try a couple of thin layers so that you can still move? For example thin merino or other wool long-sleeved tees that you can get from outdoor stores. I don’t know what outdoor stores you have in the uk, but stores like macpac, Kathmandu, columbia, bivouac, the north face etc. You might be able to get stuff on sale. I imagine they probably also have fleece leggings as well. Or tights under your leggings, i know some people who do that.

You could also probably get a zip-up fleece from any cheap department store, which would be more practical than a hoodie.

I find Lululemon the best for skating, but if you’re looking for budget friendly that’s probably not it.
Thanks for the tips! I think layering may be a way forward!
 

MCsAngel2

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 10, 2019
To help with cold legs and feet: leg warmers and boot covers. I gather cold feet are especially common in boots with thin soles like Edeas.
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
Cold feet are a known problem with thin soled boots (like Edea and Risport). I've heard various ways to try to counteract that, including putting a thin layer of tin foil under the footbed/insole and using thermal bootcovers (made from neoprene) which fix further underneath the sole than the normal ones made from thin Lycra.

As to clothing, try searching Etsy and you'll most likely find somebody making skating clothing in the UK.
 

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
To help with cold legs and feet: leg warmers and boot covers. I gather cold feet are especially common in boots with thin soles like Edeas.
I skate in Edea's! I usually wear leg warmers as it is but forgo boot covers as I've ripped so many of them doing drags!
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
I would not be wearing anything wool, it does not breathe. Just a heads up there.


Check places online like kinzies closet. They normally have a large variety of brands and styles there. Also,

A pair like this would work well for your situation: https://www.shop.kinziescloset.com/Mondor-4453-Polartec-Fleece-Figure-Skating-Pants-Mondor4453.htm


There is also: https://discountskatewear.com/jackets-and-pants/?sort=priceasc They even have a discount/hot deals section of their site.

On your budget I wouldn't be looking at Lululemon, unless they are drastically cheaper in the UK than US/Canada, because it's higher end pricing here. And I would agree with others who said that figure skating and cheap rarely or ever go together.
 

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Cold feet are a known problem with thin soled boots (like Edea and Risport). I've heard various ways to try to counteract that, including putting a thin layer of tin foil under the footbed/insole and using thermal bootcovers (made from neoprene) which fix further underneath the sole than the normal ones made from thin Lycra.

As to clothing, try searching Etsy and you'll most likely find somebody making skating clothing in the UK.
I skate in Edea's so that could be contributing! The tinfoil idea is interesting, as is the neoprene - I actually have tons of neoprene lying about in my lab at work so I might give this a go!

I've looked at Etsy through the advice of a poster who pm'd me and pointed me in the right direction [emoji4] I think I'll be making an etsy order when I get paid this month! Thank you for the tips!
 

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
I would not be wearing anything wool, it does not breathe. Just a heads up there.


Check places online like kinzies closet. They normally have a large variety of brands and styles there. Also,

A pair like this would work well for your situation: https://www.shop.kinziescloset.com/Mondor-4453-Polartec-Fleece-Figure-Skating-Pants-Mondor4453.htm


There is also: https://discountskatewear.com/jackets-and-pants/?sort=priceasc They even have a discount/hot deals section of their site.

On your budget I wouldn't be looking at Lululemon, unless they are drastically cheaper in the UK than US/Canada, because it's higher end pricing here. And I would agree with others who said that figure skating and cheap rarely or ever go together.
Thanks Ic3Rabbit! The mondor pants look ideal! I'll have to keep tabs on the discount section too.

Unfortunately lululemon does not seem to be any cheaper here. Yes, budgeting for my skating is difficult but I am determined to make it work (I've already gave up my car to afford skating and now have to endure hour 80min bus rides to the rink [emoji28] ). My plan was to build up my skating clothes gradually over time but I'm not well adapted to the cold to endure it haha.
 

cl2

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
A skating friend of mine likes skating in the Heattec products by Uniqlo. You can get base layers and leggings, which you can wear by themselves or under your regular sports tops/pants. The Heattec (not sure the spelling) material is their trademark fabric that is supposed to keep your body heat in. I'm not sure about sweat wicking properties, but if you're doing patch in a freezing rink, you probably won't be sweating that much, I would assume. They also don't cost an arm or a leg. I don't have personal experience with it, but my friend swears by it.
 

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
A skating friend of mine likes skating in the Heattec products by Uniqlo. You can get base layers and leggings, which you can wear by themselves or under your regular sports tops/pants. The Heattec (not sure the spelling) material is their trademark fabric that is supposed to keep your body heat in. I'm not sure about sweat wicking properties, but if you're doing patch in a freezing rink, you probably won't be sweating that much, I would assume. They also don't cost an arm or a leg. I don't have personal experience with it, but my friend swears by it.
Thank you so much cl2! These look perfect!
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics

sandraskates

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
A skating friend of mine likes skating in the Heattec products by Uniqlo. You can get base layers and leggings, which you can wear by themselves or under your regular sports tops/pants. The Heattec (not sure the spelling) material is their trademark fabric that is supposed to keep your body heat in. I'm not sure about sweat wicking properties, but if you're doing patch in a freezing rink, you probably won't be sweating that much, I would assume. They also don't cost an arm or a leg. I don't have personal experience with it, but my friend swears by it.

I have a pair of the Heattech leggings in the non-ribbed, extra warm option. They're ok; material is on the thin side.
I have other fleece-lined leggings that keep my legs warmer (the rinks I skate in are amongst the coldest I've ever encountered!).
Also, IMO they run small. I'm usually a Med - Large in leggings. Bought these in L/XL and didn't think I'd get them on at first.
 

ribbit

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
I'm no more than an occasional recreational skater these days, so I can't recommend brands, but I can recommend a way of acquiring high-quality clothes cheaply: I buy secondhand Lululemon, Columbia, and other workout/outdoor clothes online. I'm in the US, so I use Poshmark; ThredUp is another popular site here. I'm not sure what the equivalent sites would be in the UK, but I'm sure they exist.

As crazy as it may sound to buy used workout clothes, lots of people buy clothes in the wrong size and forget to return them within the refund window, or buy clothes they end up not using or using once or twice. I've bought new (often still with tags) and nearly new leggings and tops for a third to a half of the retail price.
 

NanaPat

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Country
Canada
I'm going to weigh in on the merino wool vs wicking synthetics debate.

I don't skate, but do hike and am familiar with trends in outdoor clothing, including for mountaineering. The stakes are much higher in outdoor activities than in skating, as becoming cold in the outdoors can lead to hypothermia and even death (which is the last stage of hypothermia).

When the first wicking synthetic, polypro, came on the market, it rapidly became very popular. However, it had some drawbacks: scratchy, stinky (even after laundering), and didn't hold its shape well in laundering. Other, better wicking synthetics were developed and took over the market. And then, wonder of wonders, merino wool made a comeback. Like the second-generation synthetics were much better than polypro, the second-generation merino wool was much better than older forms of wool. It gained a lot of traction in the outdoor community, and the newer synthetics and merino wool are both holding their own in popularity. Some disadvantages of merino wool: it is expensive, and if laundered incorrectly even once will shrink dramatically. Merino wool doesn't wick like synthetics, but it has the real advantage of being warm even when wet.

There are ardent advocates of both merino wool and wicking synthetics, and I believe they'll both stick around for a good long time. Most outdoor wardrobes contain both, with merino wool more likely to be worn against the skin and synthetics for outer layers.
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
Just remembered something else! Back when I was doing shows, many of us took ginko biloba supplements which help with circulation. They really helped me, as I feel the cold dreadfully and struggle to warm up when I get beyond a certain point.
 

Figuringitout

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Just remembered something else! Back when I was doing shows, many of us took ginko biloba supplements which help with circulation. They really helped me, as I feel the cold dreadfully and struggle to warm up when I get beyond a certain point.
Thanks WednesdayMarch!

I've just googled these and they're actually recommended for reynaulds sufferers. Can't believe I've never come across these before. I'll be picking some up from holland and barrett tomorrow!
 
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