Fumie Suguri

dlkksk8fan · Dec 16, 2003

I was watching Fumie Suguri skating the other night and besides her wonderful skating I noticed that she is always dressed so lovely. I don't think I have ever seen her in any ugly costume. Her dresses are always tasteful and perfect for her skating programs.

Does anyone know who designs her costumes?

Johar · Dec 16, 2003

I have no ideal who designs her outfits, but I agree, they are very lovely.

Tonichelle · Dec 16, 2003

Maybe Jef Billings? If she's using Lori Nichol, he'd be my guess for costumes... she seems to use only the best

sk8ing_lady2001 · Dec 16, 2003

I like Fumie a lot. Her dresses are beautiful, as always. So are her skating programs, especially this year. I love Mozart too!

RealtorGal · Dec 16, 2003

dlkksk8fan said:
I was watching Fumie Suguri skating the other night and besides her wonderful skating I noticed that she is always dressed so lovely. I don't think I have ever seen her in any ugly costume. Her dresses are always tasteful and perfect for her skating programs.

Perhaps you didn't see that awful pants outfit she wore for the NHK SP? Usually I would agree with you, but that costume was particularly awful. :rolleye:

:\

Antilles · Dec 16, 2003

I thought the ladies couldn't wear pants?

Rgirl · Dec 16, 2003

Re: Re: Fumie Suguri

RealtorGal said:
Perhaps you didn't see that awful pants outfit she wore for the NHK SP? Usually I would agree with you, but that costume was particularly awful. :\

The commentators noted that it was extremely cold in the arena, so my guess is Fumie wore them to keep warm. At Cup of China she didn't wear the pants. As I've said before, IMO, Fumie has the most gorgeous legs in the Sr. Ladies. And a really beautiful bod too. True, I'd like to get a hold of her free leg on her spiral so I can get her to turn it out and extend it. But one advantage of the pants is that you didn't see that. "Paint it Black" wasn't skated as well at NHK as it was at CoC, but at the latter, she was gorgeous. I haven't seen her do "Mozart" clean yet but if she skates it anything like the way she skated "Paint it Black" at CofC, I may be transformed into a fan the way I was with Michelle last season. :love:

And how ironic is that Fumie found her best and most natural style skating to a string/piano version of "Paint it Black," which Mick Jagger and Keith Cough Cough Richards wrote after the death of fellow "Rolling Stone" Keith Moon when he took so many drugs that he thought he could breath underwater in his pool. Seriously, when Fumie skates it well, I think it's the best SP of the season and it's really wonderful to see Fumie skating in a style that suits her to a T. Kudos to Lori Nichol for hanging in there and trying different music and styles until she finally hit on music and a style that allowed Fumie's magic to come out.

I'm looking forward to see her do a clean "Mozart," but when she does, be prepared, I just might gush, lol.
Rgirl

dlkksk8fan · Dec 16, 2003

RealtorGal I did see that "awful" costume. As Rgirl said I think she wore those pants because it was cold. I also saw the costume without them. I love the simplicity of that black dress.

BravesSkateFan · Dec 17, 2003

I liked the pants. In fact when she wore just the dress at CoC I though that it would be great if she wore black pants or black tights.

Piel · Dec 17, 2003

So what's the rule? Is there a deduction for ladies wearing pants? Was an exception made because the ice arena was cold? If so, is it something that is determined at each event or are there rules in place in case of unexpected arena conditions. I don't skate so I wonder if since it was so cold did Fumie have an advantage over the other ladies by wearing pants? It seems that having warmer legs would be an advantage.

Piel

skatingfan5 · Dec 17, 2003

Pants OK, as long as there is a skirt too

Piel said:
So what's the rule? Is there a deduction for ladies wearing pants? Was an exception made because the ice arena was cold? If so, is it something that is determined at each event or are there rules in place in case of unexpected arena conditions. I don't skate so I wonder if since it was so cold did Fumie have an advantage over the other ladies by wearing pants? It seems that having warmer legs would be an advantage. Piel

There is no deduction if a lady skater wears pants -- because there is no rule against wearing them. The "Katarina rule" is that they MUST wear a skirt -- but nothing prevents them from wearing pants as well -- or a unitard with a skirt over it. I happen to have liked Fumie's outfit with the pants, but that's just me. As to the skirt rule, I think it's a stupid one; I loved how Debi Thomas looked in a unitard for her SP in Calgary. I think this type of costume would flatter other skaters, too. But Katarina's high cut over the hips costume with barely enough feathers to satisfy the ISU led to mandated skirts (though some skaters have had sparse enough fringe, tatters, etc. to make their "skirts" rather nominal. Katarina herself wore a tunic for her Robin Hood SP in Lillehammer that really wasn't much of a "skirt" -- but it was a great costume and with dark colored tights probably satisfied the ISU "decorum police."

Piel · Dec 17, 2003

Thanks. That Kat, always stirring things up

Piel

yukky · Dec 17, 2003

dlkksk8fan said:
I think she wore those pants because it was cold. I also saw the costume without them. I love the simplicity of that black dress.

Black dress with black pants is THE costume for SP.

It was just not ready for CoC .

But who know? maybe she will chang it.

Last season ,at least I noticed,she had three costumes for LP.

shine · Dec 17, 2003

Actually Fumie wore the black pant as part of her costume again at GPF. I was :eek:

at it when I first saw it at CoC, but then I grew to like it, mainly because I think it actually hides her less than stellar leg line and makes her camel spin and spiral look much better.

Mathman · Dec 17, 2003

About the Katerina Rule that the ladies must wear skirts, this is the sine qua non of figure skating. Without something to fly up on every move, the sport would lose half its audience (guess which half?)

I, too, am very intrigued with Fumie's music this year. Lori Nichol, it seems to me, took the exact opposite path with Fumie as she did with Michelle. For Michelle, Lori often chose combinations of intricate and dense modern classical music which no one had ever heard of. With Fumie, it seems like she is working her way down the list of the most beautiful and famous classical melodies in the lexicon. The Mozart is in this tradition, although I think there is more to the editing than has been the case previously.

The SP music, though, really is a new Fumie. I love what she's doing with it so far.

Mathman

rtureck · Dec 17, 2003

Mathman said:
For Michelle, Lori often chose combinations of intricate and dense modern classical music which no one had ever heard of.

Since I am a bit slow, what do you mean by dense?

With Fumie, it seems like she is working her way down the list of the most beautiful and famous classical melodies in the lexicon.

Click to expand...

ITA

Holst Planet: Jupiter 00 lp? (love the choice)
Schubert: Ave Maria 02 sp (ditto)
LvB: Moonlight sonata 02 lp(ditto)
Chopin piano concerto #2 03 sp fantastic choice and editing
Tchaikovsky : Swan Lake 03 lp (not my favorite piece of music)

The Mozart is in this tradition (of beautiful classical melodies) although I think there is more to the editing than has been the case previously.

Click to expand...

I am slow again, what do you mean by "more to the editing"

I think Moonlight sonata, Chopin piano concerto, are even more edited than the current lp. The opening of the 04 lp, G minor Symphony #40 , K550 is more edited than the piano concerto #23 K488

I think Lori is a genius at choosing music (can't go wrong with Karl Bohm and Maurizio Pollini) and editing. I love Fumie, I am a huge fan, I am very happy that she won GPF. I think she has not fulfilled Lori's artistic vision for her re: the Mozart program. I am glad Fumie and Lori are partnering to explore Mozart. If WAM is easy to edit, choreograph and interpret, we will be hearing his music in every competition from novice to senior.

Nadine · Dec 17, 2003

Just chiming in as well...

Though I freely admit that I, personally, prefer Yoshie & Shizuka over Fumie, that doesn't blind me to Fumie's exceptional qualities ~ i.e. swift & beautiful footwork reminiscent of Yuka Sato, nice & soft lyrical quality about her & her skating, big jumps, powerful stroking, smooth edging, and perseverance. But what would really make me a fan of hers is if I didn't get this feeling that she relies on her presentation marks to pull her through and as a result doesn't push herself technically. Rather, she plays it safe. And since she gets rewarded for it, why even bother, unless she wants to genuinely challenge herself personally (the way Michelle Kwan is doing now by committing to upping her ante technically, even though she doesn't need to). JMHO. ***Note: and since I'm being honest, I have to admit that I didn't like it when I felt she was trying to become a "clone" of Michelle Kwan a few yrs. ago - same expression on her face, same choreographer that Michelle used to use, similar style dress, etc. - though how does that old expression go "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"***

One of the most beautiful & touching programs I have ever seen comes from Fumie. It was at Skate America or Skate Canada several years ago......made my eyes fill with tears it was so moving......skated to "I Vow To Thee, My Country". Just felt the love she has for Japan & its people. Beautiful. Makes me wish that America was more like that, more like family, but maybe it's not entirely possible b/c practically everyone in America is originally from a different country. And as a result there's that lack of feeling for a country that really isn't one's to begin with. JMHO.

Peace & Love, Nadine

P.S. Btw, though I didn't care at all for the dress/skirt/pants costume that Fumie wore at NHK, I do admire some of the ones she has worn in the past (aka "Ava Maria" sky blue dress with winglike sleeves & what looked like a beautiful white bird motif on the front around the neckline).

skatingfan5 · Dec 18, 2003

Nadine said:
One of the most beautiful & touching programs I have ever seen comes from Fumie. It was at Skate America or Skate Canada several years ago......made my eyes fill with tears it was so moving......skated to "I Vow To Thee, My Country". Just felt the love she has for Japan & its people. Beautiful.

Was this a competitive program or an exhibition? If the former, then it likely was her "Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity" program -- I saw her skate it at 2001 Worlds and thought it was a wonderful program for her. The Holst music was used for "I Vow To Thee, My Country."

dizzydi · Dec 18, 2003

Although I give Fumie credit for nice costumes and she does seem musical, I've just never been a huge fan. Trying to pinpoint just what I don't like about her skating has been difficult. But I think it's her lack of stretch. She just doesn't seem to hit the beautiful positions of other skaters. I feel her skating isn't as polished as some others. I do like her light touch on the ice and I have no doubt she is a threat to the top skaters.

Perhaps Fumie is just one of those skaters that I just don't connect with. Her performances have never moved me or made me say "oh, that was beautiful". For me, she just doesn't have those show stopping seconds where I am in awe.

Just my opinion.

Dizzy

Mathman · Dec 18, 2003

Hi, RTureck. By "dense" I guess I meant that you have to listen really hard to all the instuments sawing away in order to pick out the tune. And even then you won't go away whistling it. Lyra Angelica, for an example. Sitting here, I can't at all think of how the melody goes. Like I can for Moonlight Sonata, or Schubert's Ave Maria, or Tocatta and Fugue in D minor.

About music editing, I know that you are a well respected violinist, so I will have to take a back seat to your knowledge in this area. It just seemed to me that putting two completely different works together, like the piano concerto and the symphony, must necessarily involve more cutting and pasting than working with a single piece. Now that I think of it, though, Lori almost always works material from other sources into her main selection.

Mathman

Fumie Suguri

dlkksk8fan

Johar

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll

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RealtorGal

Antilles

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dlkksk8fan

BravesSkateFan

Piel

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On Edge

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shine

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