best oultfits

[BronzeisGolden]

Looking good for the sake of it is purely and completely shallow.

I'm sorry. I couldn't disagree with anything more. It isn't a sin to look good, nor is it a sin to want to look your best. Why do people want to look good? Certainly, it is wonderful to be noticed, but it is even more important to feel that boost of confidence that comes along with looking your absolute best.

Otherwise, actors would wear their own clothes, no matter if it has nothing to do with what their characters would wear, for example.

Skaters have certain rules to follow that govern what they can and cannot wear, so I really don't think that is an issue in this case. But, I am so tired of people expecting skaters to wear certain types of costumes with certain pieces of music. If they are not comfortable with a particular style of costume or they don't feel confident in it...why should they have to wear a Spanish styled dress just because they are skating to Spanish themed music? Ridiculous! If a skater wants to wear a simple, lime green dress while skating to "The Blue Danube"...who cares! If they are following the official rules regarding costumes, and, at the same time are given added confidence by wearing something they really like...it shouldn't matter. Everyone can wear a blue dress to "The Blue Danube", just like everyone can do red with "Carmen", etc. It is easy and has been done a thousand times. At least they are trying to be different and are approaching something from their own direction and not someone else's.

[RIskatingfan]

I'm sorry. I couldn't disagree with anything more. It isn't a sin to look good, nor is it a sin to want to look your best.

This is not what I said. And it's not the question either. A skater can obviously look good and still wear a costume that fits the music, let's not be limited to think it's either one or the other. That's not a photoshoot where the purpose is simply to look good, we're talking about a skating program that is to be judged on technical merit and presentation skills.

If they are not comfortable with a particular style of costume or they don't feel confident in it...why should they have to wear a Spanish styled dress just because they are skating to Spanish themed music?

I'm not sure what you mean by "Spanish themed music" or "Spanish themed costumes", but anyway, if you want to understand why some sort of clothes go along with certain styles of music, I suggest you to make some research. You'll be amazed to see how the country where a dance was originated, the weather there, the characteristics of the style of music and etc play an important role in the clothes that are associated to a certain genre of music. This stuff doesn't come out of nowhere. There are some clothes that are deeply associated with certain styles of music and it's not because someone woke up someday and decided a dancer would have to wear a certain type of clothes to dance that music. And this is all part of a mood and feel the skaters is (should be...) trying to convey.

Everyone can wear a blue dress to "The Blue Danube", just like everyone can do red with "Carmen", etc. It is easy and has been done a thousand times. At least they are trying to be different and are approaching something from their own direction and not someone else's.

I really don't understand what you mean. First of all, there are patterns in life for everything. Using your own example, you can be original and innovative and still wear red for Carmen (although you sure don't have to, it's not like she was looking like a ball of fire during the whole opera, but anyway...). It is called imagination, creativity and heck, art. What is ridiculous IMO would be a skater skating to Waltz in jeans. Would that be innovative for you?

IMO people (and this includes skaters and coaches too) make generalizations about costumes and colors associated to certain pieces and don't understand that it doesn't have to be that way for a costume to fit a music. Gee, you don't need a swan drawn in a dress to skate to Swan Lake, you don't need to wear red for Carmen, you sure don't need blue to the Blue Danube... There is so much you can do with a costume. I remember reading about Michelle Kwan's Aranjuez, that bullfighters wear red and black. NOT. Yellow and blue are very appropriate colors for that "theme" in fact, if one learns a little more about bullfighting.

[MichelleWingKwan]

I always liked Michelle's costumes, but in particular her 94 Short Program from the Nationals dress, very pretty.