These are some of the most memorable figure skating fashions from this year’s Winter Olympics
Scottie Andrew, CNN
There are few occasions in this life for which we can really dress to the nines — the Met Gala, if you’re a certain kind of famous, or Halloween for us regular folk.
Add to that list the icy stage at the Winter Olympics.
Figure skaters and ice dancers know it takes more than a quad jump to wow the judges (though a move that involves four spins certainly doesn’t hurt). They don some of the more outlandish outfits you’ll see at an Olympic Games, though bolder doesn’t always equal better.
From the campy to the graceful, the over-the-top to just enough, these are some of the most unforgettable looks — for better or worse — from this year’s Games.
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, Canada
Separately, these outfits are relatively middling, though Lajoie was one of the few women to incorporate pants into her outfit. Together, they’re downright confusing. What’s the story here? If there was some more cohesion between his pink cheetah-print jacket and her sparkly black jumpsuit with the blue sash, their outfits might’ve been cheekily charming.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Canada
In bedazzled, traffic cone orange jumpsuits, feathery rainbow shoulder appliques dancing in the wind, Gilles and Poirier ensured their routine would be a memorable one. The Canadian pair is known for their outlandish outfits that Elton John would have rocked in his heyday — fittingly, the ice dancers skated to John in their routine. Unfortunately, they did not adopt his spectacles.
These jumpsuits are both garish and daring, offensive to the eye but impossible to look away from. Sure, the pair didn’t earn any medals this year, but they did bring some much-needed lightness to the proceedings.
Nathan Chen, USA
Sometimes less is more, and Chen’s simple getup for his gold-medal performance was an effective choice. This was Chen’s chance at redemption after a heart-wrenching fall at the 2018 Games, and, dancing to a medley that included Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” Chen gave an interstellar performance. The nebulous pattern on his long-sleeve tee, with pops of oranges and reds, like a star exploding, told his story — here was a once-in-a-lifetime skater, back to reclaim what was rightfully his, in a routine to rock the world.
Admittedly, Chen’s look did resemble that of a “Star Trek”-inspired soccer goalie, with the long sleeve and gloves, but he smartly let his outfit take the backseat to his effortless talent.
Katharina Müller and Tim Dieck, Germany
In a haunting routine that featured line readings from Jared Leto’s “Suicide Squad” Joker, this German pair dressed — and danced — as two villains from Gotham, the aforementioned clownish psychopath and his muse, Harley Quinn. Dieck’s homage to the Joker included a shiny purple blazer, a green button-down and chest tattoos, while Müller wore a mesh shirt with “Harley Quinn” printed all over it and pigtails dyed pink at the tips.
Perhaps if the pair dressed as another anti-hero pair — Catwoman and Batman, perhaps? — they might’ve looked a bit sleeker and more stylish (plus, think of the narrative tension in that hypothetical routine). But without further flourishes, the costumes didn’t exactly evoke the beloved bad guys. Props, though, for infusing some comic-inspired playfulness into a tense competition.
Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto, Japan
Komatsubara donned a thin, reddish-purple dress styled like a kimono and embellished with blossoms and sparkles in a nod to her home country. Koleto, her husband, followed her lead with an aubergine jumpsuit — rightfully, he ceded the style spotlight to Komatsubara. It was a lovely variation on the fluttery dresses skaters typically wear.
Eva-Lotta Kiibus, Estonia
The Estonian skater stunned in a ’60s-inspired sequin shift dress that was both costumey and genuinely stylish — a memorable and mod choice from a performer who didn’t medal this year.
Anastasiia Shabotova, Ukraine
Shabotova’s outfit (see the top of the story) evoked traditional Ukranian dress, which for women includes an embroidered blouse and colorful skirt. Her take involved many more sequins, rose appliques and a shorter-than-standard hemline, but still, she shone.
Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan
Hanyu was a cotton candy dream in this wispy top. Wearing delectable sky-blue with stripes of sunset-pink throughout, Hanyu looked like a Disney prince come to life. He just missed the podium this year, but his storybook style was still medal-worthy.
Lindsay van Zundert, Netherlands
Now THIS is a comic book costume done right — not that “Spider-Man” was what van Zundert was going for. The Netherlands’ flag is also red, white and blue, so this was likely a patriotic homage, but the ombré bodysuit whose sleeves turn into gloves was something out of a superhero’s closet (though it might have had some more gems than is typical for Spidey’s suit).
Ekaterina Kurakova, Poland
Donning a dress reminiscent of the one worn by beleaguered waitress Vi in “Grease,” Kurakova failed to medal for her routine set to Meghan Trainor. It was a sweet look nonetheless, a departure from the usual bedazzled fare.
Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri, Italy
Suspenders on ice! These two look straight out of the 1930s in their vintage-inspired costumes. Guignard’s wearing a unique silhouette in an icy baby blue while Fabbri is dressed like a newsboy. If only he had the cap to match.
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