Figure skating dress design with an edge

desertskates · Mar 10, 2016

The article is well written and interesting, however I'm not impressed by Johnson throwing shade at another designer's work. Not cool at all.
I'm also not a fan of the bulk of the costumes she designs. I'm sure they're very well made and comfortable, but some of the styles just border on garish. Aren't I just a ball of positivity? :laugh:

I'd love to see a profile on the designer that does Ashley's (and many of Sasha's) dresses. Always very pretty and appropriate for the music.

TwinnerA · Mar 10, 2016

mrrice said:
I don't know but, if it is.......IMO, it's a miss. Yikes!! My Eyes...:eeking:

Remember when Phoebe saw Chandler and Monica?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgk_qTc_7AI

My sister and I still throw out that "My Eyes" phrase now and again. The other one we liked was when Chandler kissed Phoebe and said they should have "the sex". He was trying to make Phoebe think there wasn't anything going on between him and Monica and was coming on to Phoebe.

As for the skating dress debacle, I am just mad I am reading this at work because my employer blocks half the links being posted here! How dare they!

cruzceleste · Mar 10, 2016

desertskates said:
The article is well written and interesting, however I'm not impressed by Johnson throwing shade at another designer's work. Not cool at all.
I'm also not a fan of the bulk of the costumes she designs. I'm sure they're very well made and comfortable, but some of the styles just border on garish. Aren't I just a ball of positivity?
I'd love to see a profile on the designer that does Ashley's (and many of Sasha's) dresses. Always very pretty and appropriate for the music.

I would love a profile on the person that´s does Suzuki Akiko´s dress, always perfect and elegant.

mrrice · Mar 10, 2016

TwinnerA said:
My sister and I still throw out that "My Eyes" phrase now and again. The other one we liked was when Chandler kissed Phoebe and said they should have "the sex". He was trying to make Phoebe think there wasn't anything going on between him and Monica and was coming on to Phoebe.

As for the skating dress debacle, I am just mad I am reading this at work because my employer blocks half the links being posted here! How dare they!

That entire post was hilarious...

mrrice · Mar 10, 2016

Dan said:
I wish that ISU regulations for costumes restricted the creativity as much as it does the "free" skate. Saying it should not be "garrish" is just not specific enough. I am a huge fashion fan and I enjoy seeing how skaters bring their expression into the costumes. However, I think our sport places too much importance on this aspect. I would rather a skater spend 4000 dollars on ballet lessons or a spin coach or additional ice time or something to improve the way they skate. Costumes can help the package but it can't change the basic underlying skills. I hate to see a gorgeous costume on a skater that can't point their toes or extend their leg or straighten their back. In those instances, the importance is placed in the wrong place.

I agree with this entire statement and I really wish more skaters would spend some money on a relatively inexpensive Ballet Class. Even if it meant knocking a couple rhinestones off their dresses.

Mathman · Mar 10, 2016

gkelly said:
Expert design and construction usually cost more. But sometimes inexpensive designs are prettier or expensive clothes are badly designed. And often it's just a matter of taste.

I assume that there are special construction features that go into costumes that are used for vigorous physical activity? And further construction issues specifically for figure skating? Would it be possible just to grab a short-skirtted dress off the rack at T J Maxx and skate in it? Do adult and recreational skaters invest a lot in costumes?

SarahSynchro · Mar 10, 2016

Mathman said:
I assume that there are special construction features that go into costumes that are used for vigorous physical activity? And further construction issues specifically for figure skating? Would it be possible just to grab a short-skirtted dress off the rack at T J Maxx and skate in it? Do adult and recreational skaters invest a lot in costumes?

I suppose that would depend on how you define "investing a lot", as in, what amount quantifies as being "a lot"? A dress for someone like Gracie runs into the thousands of dollars. Alternately, my seven year old daughter is a skater, I'm not sure how to define her "level" of skating in general terms, but to get an idea, she can do all the single jumps except the lutz. I had a dress custom made for her program that cost me $200 - which may not quantify as being a big investment in comparison to what Gracie's dress would cost, but it's no chump change either for the average person.

I guess it's all relative; Gracie's entire skating regimen costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per season. My child costs me a couple of thousand per season.

It would be rare to find a dress at a retail store that can be worn during a skating program. The material has to be able to move in a certain way, the skirt has to be a certain length, etc.

I just googled this article on skating dresses, it's from Cosmo magazine (ick, lol) but it gives a good picture of what goes into making a skating dress.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/advice/a19764/ice-skating-costume-facts/

ice coverage · Mar 10, 2016

Mathman said:
I assume that there are special construction features that go into costumes that are used for vigorous physical activity? And further construction issues specifically for figure skating? Would it be possible just to grab a short-skirtted dress off the rack at T J Maxx and skate in it? ...

One of my favorite Tessa Virtue costumes :luv17: was a dress bought off the rack (although maybe not at TJ Maxx

).
It was for the Golden Waltz CD at 2010 Worlds.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/skati...ir_lead_after_compulsory_ice_dance_event.html (this article has a photo)

IIRC, another article at the time went into a bit more detail about Tessa and her mother buying the dress without being sure that Tessa would use it as a costume. When they saw it in the store, they simply liked the dress so much that they could not walk away without it.

Alas, I don't remember whether the other article (which I could not quickly find) explained what -- if any -- kind of alterations were necessary to convert it into a skating costume.

Mathman · Mar 10, 2016

SarahSynchro said:
I suppose that would depend on how you define "investing a lot", as in, what amount quantifies as being "a lot"? A dress for someone like Gracie runs into the thousands of dollars. Alternately, my seven year old daughter is a skater... I had a dress custom made for her program that cost me $200…

OK, so my wife saw a dress in a fashion magazine that she liked, so I decided to surprise her by buying it. It was at Saks. This was years ago when Saks was Saks. Anyway, when I inquired about the price, the lady said she wasn't sure, but she thought it was in the twos. I thought, well, $200 for one dress, that's kind of steep, but oh well, easy come, easy go. Maybe it will be on sale.

I knew I was in trouble when the lady led me to a private room that had only this one dress in it. Then she said that she would have to call Paris to find out where the size eight was. (THE size eight?) It turned out to be in Rio. Plus, it wasn't in the twos, it was in the threes. :laugh:

I guess it's all relative…

:yes:

I just googled this article on skating dresses, it's from Cosmo magazine (ick, lol) but it gives a good picture of what goes into making a skating dress.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/advice/a19764/ice-skating-costume-facts/

Thanks for the link. I sure miss Michelle.

gkelly · Mar 10, 2016

Mathman said:
I assume that there are special construction features that go into costumes that are used for vigorous physical activity?

Stretch fabric. Going back 50+ years ago when that wasn't an option, darts and cutting on the bias, I guess.

And further construction issues specifically for figure skating? Would it be possible just to grab a short-skirtted dress off the rack at T J Maxx and skate in it?

Well, the skirt is going to fly up during movement, quick rotational movement, and a lot of skaters use flexibility moves with legs split apart. So the skater's bottom has to be covered somehow, in ways that wouldn't be an issue if you were just walking around in a short skirt. That could involve attaching opaque panties to an existing dress or wearing some kind of separate bloomers, or wearing opaque tights/leggings under the dress, but the most common and usually the neatest looking approach is to start with a leotard-type garment and attach the skirt to that.

Do adult and recreational skaters invest a lot in costumes?

Some do, some don't. I'm one who doesn't, and I look less neat on the ice than those who do.

stella luna · Mar 10, 2016

Mathman said:
OK, so my wife saw a dress in a fashion magazine that she liked, so I decided to surprise her by buying it.

Shopping for brand new clothes is so heartbreaking.

:sad21::sad21::sad21:

Dan · Mar 23, 2016

gkelly said:
So would I, but how could you write or enforce rules to support those preferences?

American Ballet Theater requires students to all wear the same outfits. http://www.abt.org/education/jko_cd_faqs.asp.
I think if we wanted to write rules, we could do it such that all skaters wore the same outfit. This would definitely be boring compared to the beautiful costume that we have today. And it would take away a level of expression from artistic side which we seem to have less and less of these days. But it would give a little bit of equality and cost relief at the lower levels that is much needed. Maybe Juniors and below wear the same costume a la Catholic school (yuk) and part of the reward of making it the senior level is to get to express your skating in a whole new way.

dreamsk8 · Mar 23, 2016

I think the article was really stupid sorry. A lot of much to do about nothing. You don't like one dress find another its really not hard or newsworthy. Sorry
:coffee:

Icey · Mar 25, 2016

the neck treatment should have continued down to the bodice in a crisscross fashion imo. As is, looks like they ran out of time or sequins lol

stella luna · Mar 25, 2016

dreamsk8 said:
I think the article was really stupid sorry. A lot of much to do about nothing. You don't like one dress find another its really not hard or newsworthy. Sorry

That's why they call it a feature. :biggrin:

Sam L · Mar 25, 2016

I wish a lot of the female figure skaters would start to wear dresses that look like they're dressed for winter and not for a stroll through the park on a summer day.

yuzushenko · Mar 25, 2016

doesn't anyone feel like it's a little.. i dont want to say sexist, per say.. but a little demeaning to have to wear a dress? i mean i know they allow unitards and trousers but the argument for female figure skaters having to wear tiny dresses is that it provides more mobility. yet men wear pants and long sleeved button ups and have no problem moving around. all skaters train in leggings and sweaters all the time so i don't see why a dress is explicitly the norm for costumes. just seems so backwards to me.

sort of reminds me of women's volleyball in a way. i see these olympic volleyball stars train in leggings and tanks yet for competitions they HAVE to wear a bikini. just seems so... "oho im a man and i want to see women dressed like that, so that's the rule!! mm soo attractive!" i just find it slightly repulsive that female athletes have to wear less clothes to compete in the same sports.

NanaPat said:
While we're (sort of) on the subject of Gracie Gold's costumes, I wonder if anyone else is bugged by this dress:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...acie-gold-new-program-skate-america/74451604/
What bothers me about it is the pseudo-straps in the back (OK so far) that peter out in the front. Illusion netting, to me, is supposed to give the illusion of being nude. What then are we supposed to imagine is holding up those straps?

i think they're supposed to be feathers. i like her firebird dress.

stella luna · Mar 25, 2016

Sam L said:
I wish a lot of the female figure skaters would start to wear dresses that look like they're dressed for winter and not for a stroll through the park on a summer day.

Wouldn't it be cool if there was a group figure skating performance to Skater's Waltz with everyone dressed in old-fashioned winter costumes?

Sam L · Mar 26, 2016

stella luna said:
Wouldn't it be cool if there was a group figure skating performance to Skater's Waltz with everyone dressed in old-fashioned winter costumes?

With the men also fully suited up. Yes.

Sorrento · Mar 26, 2016

Sam L said:
With the men also fully suited up. Yes.

If all men suit up that would be really dull. Seriously. I love that in figure skating they can wear feathers and rhinestones and blingbling. :biggrin:

Most of girls dress designs copy the real time evening dresses by various high fashion designers. How exactly you can lure them into wearing winter coats instead? I doubt all could wear fur- lots of anumal lovers would be upset over it.

Figure skating dress design with an edge

desertskates

TwinnerA

cruzceleste

mrrice

mrrice

Mathman

SarahSynchro

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605

Mathman

gkelly

stella luna

Dan

dreamsk8

Icey

stella luna

Sam L

yuzushenko

stella luna

Sam L

Sorrento

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