Who do we blame for a decade of awful ice dance costumes?

[julietvalcouer]

Couldn't get near the place...the French and Italian Federations would be lined up to get them for their ice dancers.

ROTFLMAO...

And yet, sadly, true. I had a dream about ice dancing recently. (Seriously, I did. I need a hobby from my hobby.) I knew it was a dream because Fusar-Poli and Margaglio were tastefully dressed.

ETA: In the picture of Grishuk and Platov, second row from the bottom--http://www.efsc2004.hu/ang/statistik4.html Is she supposed to be kissing him or giving him mouth-to-mouth? Honestly, sometimes I see why my friend Aaron once said of ice dance, "Oh, is that what they're doing? It looked like foreplay on ice."

 

[JonnyCoop]

You know, really, much as an issue as I had with Gritshuk & Platov, I never found any of their costumes especially horrible. (Well, there was a multicolored ruffled shirt Latin thing going on one year, but that was the In Thing for a couple of seasons there and pretty much anyone of any nationality who followed that trend looked like crap). Actually, my vote for all time worst Russian Dance Costumes would be -- and if I knew how to track down links or had time to, I would post it -- I expect some of you have seen it -- the gold spangled pants/blue shirt and gold spangled dress worn by Maia Usova & Alexander Zhulin. I believe they wore it for a set pattern (I believe it was still the set pattern then, before they turned into the OD) in 88-89 or 89-90. This pretty much dispelled the notion that Maia and Alexander were attractive enough people to look good in pretty much anything.....

 

[Bijoux]

:agree:

ROTFLMAO...

And yet, sadly, true. I had a dream about ice dancing recently. (Seriously, I did. I need a hobby from my hobby.) I knew it was a dream because Fusar-Poli and Margaglio were tastefully dressed.

ETA: In the picture of Grishuk and Platov, second row from the bottom--http://www.efsc2004.hu/ang/statistik4.html Is she supposed to be kissing him or giving him mouth-to-mouth? Honestly, sometimes I see why my friend Aaron once said of ice dance, "Oh, is that what they're doing? It looked like foreplay on ice."

Juliet,

How strange! I had my first dream about an ice skater ever just last night.
Confessing to spending time with Kurt browning, LOL! Then a calf cramp woke me up! Darn it.

 

[STL_Blues_fan]

You know, really, much as an issue as I had with Gritshuk & Platov, I never found any of their costumes especially horrible. (Well, there was a multicolored ruffled shirt Latin thing going on one year, but that was the In Thing for a couple of seasons there and pretty much anyone of any nationality who followed that trend looked like crap). Actually, my vote for all time worst Russian Dance Costumes would be -- and if I knew how to track down links or had time to, I would post it -- I expect some of you have seen it -- the gold spangled pants/blue shirt and gold spangled dress worn by Maia Usova & Alexander Zhulin. I believe they wore it for a set pattern (I believe it was still the set pattern then, before they turned into the OD) in 88-89 or 89-90. This pretty much dispelled the notion that Maia and Alexander were attractive enough people to look good in pretty much anything.....

I have one "better" - Maya was wearing a complete body suit made out of stretchy red lace-like material. It even covered her head. Sasha was wearing a "man in tights" outfit that he may have borrowed from Kat Witt. I think that was an pro outfit.

I can't believe nobody had mentioned "not even there" A&P outfit - I think it was 1996-1997 season. I looked a lot like an outfit Calla Urbanski wore ages ago. Apart from this one, I have loved the rest of their costumes.

ok - I did some searching here it is:

http://figureskating.free.fr/9621617.jpg

Also, ugly costumes in the dance category belong to Germany and Finland as much as to Russia As far as singles, Ukranian and Japanese ladies take the first prize!

Yana

 

[JOHIO2]

Since we are including M. Klimova for tacky make-up, how about the hairdo - frightwig look that went with it?

 

[Bijoux]

How true Yana

Truly dreadful costume and pose --not pretty at all!

 

[SusanBeth]

I have one "better" - Maya was wearing a complete body suit made out of stretchy red lace-like material. It even covered her head. Sasha was wearing a "man in tights" outfit that he may have borrowed from Kat Witt. I think that was an pro outfit.

I can't believe nobody had mentioned "not even there" A&P outfit - I think it was 1996-1997 season. I looked a lot like an outfit Calla Urbanski wore ages ago. Apart from this one, I have loved the rest of their costumes.

ok - I did some searching here it is:

http://figureskating.free.fr/9621617.jpg

Also, ugly costumes in the dance category belong to Germany and Finland as much as to Russia As far as singles, Ukranian and Japanese ladies take the first prize!

Yana

Am I seeing things or are they making a face? His knee looks like a tongue under two eyes.

 

[JonnyCoop]

As far as singles, Ukranian and Japanese ladies take the first prize!

Yana

NOBODY beats the Ukrainians -- in any category. Spangles, Christmas ribbon, rope, feathers, pajamas.... Tho somehow or other Elena Liashenko has avoided the bad taste curse, because I have yet to see HER in anything awful. As for as the rest of them - double ick times five. I remember being at the Worlds in 2001 and Neil Wilson (GBR) was skating in his qualifying group and all the sudden, off to my left, I saw this flash of garish color and sequins and whatnot and I look over and it's the next 5 or 6 guys who were to skate in the next group, 4 of whom looked like REALLY tacky Christmas ornaments. Suddenly it occured to me, since I had taken a brief glance at the skating order sheet, isn't this the group the Ukrainians are in? I looked and it certainly was! Dmitrenko and Danilchenko both looked absolutely awful, tho actually the worst offender in the group was Ricky Cockerill (NZL) who had on gold glitter pants like the ones I described on Zhulin, and if it don't look good on Zhulin, it don't look good on anybody.

 

[Ptichka]

Since we are including M. Klimova for tacky make-up, how about the hairdo - frightwig look that went with it?

Actually, Klimova's "signature" hair was only introduced in her last eligible season when she started training with TT. Before, when she was with Dubova, it was rather tame.

 

[Frau Muller]

Call me Old Fashioned (or "Old Hag" as per another post, LOL!), but I much-much prefer the pre-Tarasova Marina Klimova. She was so classy, elegant. Then she suddenly became Vampirella. Initially, I wondered if perhaps she was on some sort of dope!

 

[JOHIO2]

Frau muller, as I said, that hairdo was scary. But then, so was the choreography!

Ptichka, I too think Marina is a gorgeous lady, but most people will only remember the "Vampirella."

 

[Bijoux]

Anyone seen "Burn the floor"?

I am beginning to think some of the blame lays with ballroom dance. Just watched it and saw costumes more awful than what the ISU allows. EEWW!

 

[julietvalcouer]

I am beginning to think some of the blame lays with ballroom dance. Just watched it and saw costumes more awful than what the ISU allows. EEWW!

Tell me about it! Some of the Latin outfits in particular--I mean, you thought skating used a lot of illusion netting. Some of those dresses are more illusion netting than real fabric!

Hm. Genetically, I'm a good percentage Ukrainian. In fact even though I have more Polish blood, put my hair up and do my makeup right and I look eeriely Eastern Slav (which, all things considered, might not be bad for an ice dancer.) I just hope the Bad Costuming Gene skipped a generation or something.

 

[dizzydi7]

For me that's an easy one to answer. I blame the Russians. IMHO, generally speaking, they have the ugliest costumes in figure skating in Pairs, Dance, Men and ladies. They never cease to come up with some bizzare, shredded get-up.

Dizzy

 

[icedancingnut31]

I dont know who to blame but I was in a skating show once helping out with the special olymipics and we had to where these bright canary yellow dresses. Whoever designed them was on crack. They looked aweful. We had a dress sale at my rinnk and I donated it for free to underpriveledged skaters.