The ISU has different rules and definitions on what constitutes garish and theatrical, which I believe is why Savchenko/Szolkowy toned down their makeup for Send in the Clowns over the course of the season. The ISU has, on rare occasions, asked skaters to change or even called for deductions outright. My understanding is that they mostly don't want competitions to look like a Halloween party.
ESPN: Figure Skating Needs Uniforms
- Thread starter TontoK
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- Nov 19, 2010
How about this as the national uniform for Belgium in honour of KVDP? The Swiss team can proudly don Lambiel's iconic zebra outfit. The US can commission Johnny Weir to design their national uniforms, for both men and women or unisex, whereas Takahito Mura may consult for the Japanese fed in their uniform decisions.
ESPN would be impressed.
I think of D/S in Vancouver and I'm not so sure...
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- Jul 26, 2003
I ended up responding to him on Twitter. When I later checked out the rest of his Twitter history: https://twitter.com/UniWatch it seems that he only posts or retweets posts about sports uniforms. It seems he's a uniform enthusiast (to put it mildly) and even retweets posts comparing the font style, size, colors, etc. of sports uniforms. Maybe he just wants to have another sport where he can analyze their uniforms.
As for whether or not he explicitly said anything about the sport being "gay", critiques about costumes, artistry, and figure skating not being a sport all tend to historically have had anti-feminine and anti-gay undertones and overtones and it continues today.
As for whether or not he explicitly said anything about the sport being "gay", critiques about costumes, artistry, and figure skating not being a sport all tend to historically have had anti-feminine and anti-gay undertones and overtones and it continues today.
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I can conceivably understand how sparkly costumes might make casual spectators take skating less seriously as a sport and an athletic competition, but I just can’t agree that we should do away with them. Like someone else said, it is a way for the audience to understand the theme of the program better.
I don’t necessarily think uniforms would decrease the quality of skaters’ artistic expression, since they practice their programs in workout clothes, but it’s a piece of the performance on the actual competition day and fosters a connection with the audience as well. The performance is a part of skating that contributes to the whole package, whether everyone likes it or not. It would honestly crush me to have that taken away.
OTOH, I’m not entirely opposed to the idea of having separate events like in gymnastics or the compulsory skating events that exist in lower levels (competing just with jumps, or spins, or doing a showcase or improv program). I think that could be fun and uniforms might have a place in the technical events.
I don’t necessarily think uniforms would decrease the quality of skaters’ artistic expression, since they practice their programs in workout clothes, but it’s a piece of the performance on the actual competition day and fosters a connection with the audience as well. The performance is a part of skating that contributes to the whole package, whether everyone likes it or not. It would honestly crush me to have that taken away.
OTOH, I’m not entirely opposed to the idea of having separate events like in gymnastics or the compulsory skating events that exist in lower levels (competing just with jumps, or spins, or doing a showcase or improv program). I think that could be fun and uniforms might have a place in the technical events.
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- May 25, 2014
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130404&content_id=43867540&vkey=ice_news
But all joking aside, I think the author basing his opinion on costuming by what he saw in "I, Tonya" is problematic to say the least. What's missing from the discussion is that Tonya's overall artistry - or lack thereof - that held her back was about a lot more than just questionable costuming choices. What about her choreography, music choices, posture, line, and so much more? When I read the article, I felt like the author was implying that if only Tonya had better (read: more expensive) costumes, she would have gotten the marks she felt she deserved. I just don't think it's that simple. I'm not saying that a skater in a well-fitting, nicely cut costume doesn't have an edge (sorry no pun intended) over someone who's wearing something that doesn't look as attractive, but I think the costuming thing is blown out of proportion -and isn't the main thing that was lacking in Tonya's artistry/presentation. I think if she had a firmer hand guiding her with packaging - someone like an Eteri Tutberidze who is known to be very involved in her skaters' packaging - Tonya might have fared better in that regard.
And to the bigger issue, I agree with those who say that toning down or eliminating costumes will not increase figure skating's popularity - in fact, it will alienate its existing, loyal audience.
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- Feb 16, 2014
Horrible idea...I can't stand watching skaters in boring plain clothes as it is, and now you want everyone to look the same and have no differentiation between programs? No thanks. The costumes make programs memorable...who wants to look at photos of skaters in a uniform years later and try to guess what they were skating to? Could be Rachmaninoff, could be Bollywood, but who could tell the difference? Yuck...
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- Jun 21, 2003
About the article itself, any publicity is good publicity. I adhere to the old show biz adage, "I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name right." (Right, Maryl?)
We should be happy that ESPN even thinks that figure skating is enough of a sport to write an article saying that it is not much of a a sport.
Plus, I think it is interesting that the skaters he chose to contact for the piece are pairs (Shnapir and Castelli) and ice dancers (Davis and White) (he probably looked up the 2014 Olympics and saw their names). These are the disciplines that pay the most attention to costuming, especially dance.
He did have one good idea, though. Put numbers on their backs, so as to cut down on elaborate costuming.
https://www.wellesley.edu/sites/default/files/assets/dailyshot/ds14-0807ballroom930x475.jpg
We should be happy that ESPN even thinks that figure skating is enough of a sport to write an article saying that it is not much of a a sport.
Plus, I think it is interesting that the skaters he chose to contact for the piece are pairs (Shnapir and Castelli) and ice dancers (Davis and White) (he probably looked up the 2014 Olympics and saw their names). These are the disciplines that pay the most attention to costuming, especially dance.
He did have one good idea, though. Put numbers on their backs, so as to cut down on elaborate costuming.
https://www.wellesley.edu/sites/default/files/assets/dailyshot/ds14-0807ballroom930x475.jpg
Look at any photos of Peggy from the 60s. Her costumes are Jackie Kennedy classic. No fuss or excess frills, and beautifully tailored and fitted. No one could cut and drape a more beautiful skating skirt than Mrs. Fleming.
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- Jan 28, 2013
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I do not understand your reasoning here.
First paragraph, you note that he a "uniform enthusiast" which, by the way, is a phrasing that I love... so points to you for that... and that he must have found another sport to analyze uniforms. I'll take your word for this, because I'm not going to his twitter account.
But, second paragraph, you note that although he doesn't explicitly include any anti-gay references, you believe his criticism of theatrical costuming is rooted in some historical bias. I'm not so sure about that, but reasonable people can disagree - or in this case, I can acknowledge that I don't have enough information to endorse your opinion.
But if he's a "uniform enthusiast" for all sports, then that seems to weaken a case that his criticism is a veiled anti-gay or anti-feminine screed. Agree with him or not, it's not an opinion that can be dismissed out of hand because of bigotry.
As for me, I just dislike over-the-top garish costumes because I think they sometimes make serious and gifted athletes look ridiculous or frivilous.
And now that I've found an ISU rule that supports my view, I can bash away at costuming I don't like as a violation of the rules. So I'm happy, but I don't expect to anyone that could effect real change will hear or care about the thoughts of a random fan.
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- Nov 19, 2010
I was just pondering a few days ago about how boring and restricted in colours men's clothing has been in this and the last century or two. Any deviation of styles or anything colourful is met with criticism, disdain, and suspicions. In different cultures all over the world, men, especially the wealthy ones, used to be proudly vain and wore elaborate, ornate, and brightly hued attires, fashionable and adorned hair dos as well as makeup. Some specific bright colours were even restricted to the royalties. Dark sombre colours, or white in China and Japan, were for funerals. These days, colourful and ornamented attires for men are almost only worn as deliberate attention grabbers by entertainers labelled flamboyant, and as period costumes. People, particularly men, wear the same clothes globally and the more prominent in politics and business they are, the more limited the choices of styles and colours. Only the quality of fabrics and workmanship serves as the distinction between the economic classes and as status symbols. Those rich beyond any need to impress dress comfortably in their own extremely boring uniforms.
Standard uniforms serve to denote the groups or teams people belong to and are especially necessary for differentiation in a competitive or combative situation such as in team sports or wars. They are not for personal expressions.
We have had enough of the same boring attires in today's societies; let's not deprive us the few displays of creative or disastrous flamboyance. More costumes, fewer uniforms please. Go, figure skaters!
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Eh... fashion comes and goes.
It wasn't that long ago that wild colors and patterns were the rage in men's fashion. Check out men's clothing from the 60's through the 80's.
Psychedelic polyester clothing, homestyle knits, powder-blue and yellow tuxedos - I was guilty, as were most men my age.
Granted we're in a men's fashion era now where understated is "in." But the pendulum will swing.
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- Jun 27, 2003
He wrote about it in great detail in his autobiography about the reasoning behind his uniform costumes. They were custom designed speed skating uniforms.
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- Jun 21, 2003
I wonder if I can get him to write an article on the University of Oregon Ducks uniforms.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...WzInz6acHFuDDyQaHxeyCJU5lktxtbil-6FOvdgbCj3Eg
I am intrigued that ESPN has a sportswriter whose forte is what the athletes wear. I wonder if he would like to contribute to our many threads about winners and losers in figure skating costumes.
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- Nov 19, 2010
The '60s hippies' garbs were worn by specific group of people as deliberate rebellion and protests. They were a short lived aberration in men's mainstream attires even if they had more influence in women fashion. The hippies are now the stolid members of the establishment the new generations blame for the ills of society.
The pendulum has not swung for quite a while. However, looking on the big picture, this period of extremely limited men's fashion has been very short in human history.
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- Aug 30, 2017
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- Jun 21, 2003
I can't say anything about Mr. Lukas. But it is certainly true that for the last half-century and more, figure skating was thought of as a girly sport. A boy who was interested in the sport was guaranteed to be teased at school. When Scott Hamilton was interviewed after he won the Olympic Gold Medal, he looked straight into the camera, held up his medal, and said (to all his classmates at svhool), "F****t this!"
Not only did male figure skaters wear "flamboyant" costumes (not that there's anything wrong with it), but they also moved gracefully. :eeking:
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