Nathan Chen | Page 617 | Golden Skate

Nathan Chen

Guys, I need help with my memory and some possible links.

There was an IN article nominating Nathan to be person of the year around April 20th. I remembered that Nathan talked about sticking to his layout no matter how he feels as the lesson learned from OG. Does anyone has memory about this? Is it in that article, or some SOI interviews? If it was indeed in that article, anybody has a copy of it?

I also remembered some fan saved all IN articles on google drive or somewhere, but couldn’t find the link.

Thanks in advance for any information about this.
 
Wouldn't Bolt be more affordable a designer than Vera? You would think this would appeal to frugal Nathan. :laugh:

There's something to dislike about every single outfit he has worn from Vera, from the unoriginal recycling of Lysacek and G&G outfits to the piebald cow one arm invisible against the ice SP outfit to the Mao's last dancer outfit that breaks the lines of his arms and covers up his beautiful hands and features a closure so chafing he'd rather leave the top open.

Why he would go to Vera in a non-Olympic year, when Vera has no incentive to donate her time or even discount her prices... *shrugs*
 
^ Because Nathan is a brand now so aligning himself with big names in all aspects is a big deal and a big part of marketing him. He’s pretty much the only skater America has that is highly marketable and is obviously going to be geared as the main Olympic star of 2022 and that starts from now even though it’s four years away. Vera Wang is a huge name in fashion and one of the few designers literally everyone will have heard of. She super exclusive and typically spends her time on only the biggest stars. That she’s willing to work with Nathan again is amazing bc most skaters do not have huge fashion brands willing to design their stuff, it helps sets him apart. When he got his costumes, you heard announcers say “designed by Vera Wang” while no one else’s costume designers got a shout out...that’s for a reason.

Also regardless of what fans like or don’t like, Vera’s costumes are more easily digestible to non-fans as in they’re much more simple in design and color and not the typical sequence and/or tacky customs that men’s figure skating is typically known for (no offense) which matches Nathan. Fans are going to be more analytical so they might be more critical but they’re trying to appeal to more of the masses with someone like Nathan and they’re not gonna care about those kind of details.

It helps Nathan build his brand by being associated with only the elite. Elite skater, elite school, elite sponsors, elite designer etc. He got his initial attention as a prodigy so all that falls in line with his overall image. His people are very smart and seem to have his best interest in mind so I wouldn’t complain about the Vera thing from that perspective. This is similar to how Michelle Kwan was able to build her brand as well and considering she’s possibly the biggest skating brand maybe ever, I’m not mad at that lol
 
oatmella said:
Caravan trailer - costume design by Bolt :)
https://twitter.com/nathanchengifs/status/1029178741761617921?s=21

Seems that Nathan returning to the Vera uniforms at some point is inevitable ... I actually liked the Veras last season (well eventually), so I don’t think it’s so bad.

The Caravan uniform doesn’t fit well and no need to show his Nike Pros at a competition lol.
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I totally agree. I don't mind the free program costume, but the ill-fitted vest plus a ill-fitted shirt for the short program is so bulky and somehow even manages to make Nathan look chubby. :scratch2:

It also bothers me how he switches costumes throughout the season. If he is going to use a Vera costume, he should get it earlier in the year, that way he at least gets more usage out of it... when he saves it for nationals, he only gets to wear it a few times, and by then, everyone is sentimentally attached to his old costumes...
 
Thank you for saying that alot nicer than i was about to @heyheyhey! :laugh:

There is nothing wrong with VW's costumes and I'm tired of all the hate. She has made gorgeous things for many skaters such as Kerrigan and Lysacek.

I also know for a fact that she involves the skaters greatly in the design process to Nathan had something to do with the costumes that are hated on here so much and often.

That said, he needs a more complex costume for Land of All than he wore in Sun Valley, etc.
 
sheetz said:
Here you go, Bonita
https://aboutnathan0505.blogspot.com/2018/06/chen-showcases-ability-to-overcome.html
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Haha, I am a sheetz fan now rather than Nathan fan. Thank you so much for the link. And huge thanks to aboutNathan!!!

Shine, did you find that sentence? it seemed that I paraphrased/altered his words little bit with my fading memory,

“Chen said -- unlike his plan in PyeongChang -- that there would be no altering his jump plan, even if something did go wrong. It didn't.”.

I need to go back modified the original post.
 
zebobes said:
I totally agree. I don't mind the free program costume, but the ill-fitted vest plus a ill-fitted shirt for the short program is so bulky and somehow even manages to make Nathan look chubby. :scratch2:

It also bothers me how he switches costumes throughout the season. If he is going to use a Vera costume, he should get it earlier in the year, that way he at least gets more usage out of it... when he saves it for nationals, he only gets to wear it a few times, and by then, everyone is sentimentally attached to his old costumes...
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Alot of skaters have costumes just for the second half of the season, or gradually change them throughout, look at V/M last year.
 
Figure skating costumes are not the same as fashion. Figure skating costumes need to compliment the theme of the program, adds to the overall character and mood the skater is trying to portray before the need to be fashionable and appeal to the masses. Figure skating is also intrinsically a different animal than any other sport, and the nature of it means it's destined to be less accessible than the mainstream sports so why are we trying to sacrifice the essence and beauty of figure skating just to win an audience that it might never win? I highly doubt simply hearing Vera Wang's name is going to turn a non-fan into a fan of FS. For these people, if they're interested in fashion they could, for example, simply follow fashion instead of figure skating. There's also a reason why skaters don't have a bazillion sponsor ads on their costumes.
 
shine said:
Figure skating costumes are not the same as fashion. Figure skating costumes need to and compliment the theme of the program, adds to the overall character and mood the skater is trying to portray before the need to be fashionable and appeal to the masses. Figure skating is also intrinsically a different animal than any other sport, and the nature of it means it's destined to be less accessible than the mainstream sports so why are we trying to sacrifice the essence and beauty of figure skating just to win an audience that it might never win? There's a reason why skaters don't have a bazillion sponsor ads on their costumes.
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Go talk to Vera, because she does actually get it.
 
shine said:
Disagreed.
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She was a figure skater herself, she consults the skater and much of the design comes from that vision they create together, whether as a fan it's liked or not doesn't really factor. Sorry.

There are many skaters that would consider it an honor to have her create for them.
 
Ic3Rabbit said:
Alot of skaters have costumes just for the second half of the season, or gradually change them throughout, look at V/M last year.
Click to expand...

That is true, but with V/M, it's not a change of designer/vision, it's an evolution and a surprise. With Nathan last year, it was a complete change of style that it was hard for me to get used to.

Also, Nathan seems to be more frugal than V/M in regards to costumes, so I would think that he would want to get more bang out of his buck (unless Vera sponsors him, which would also make sense...)
 
Ic3Rabbit said:
She was a figure skater herself, she consults the skater and much of the design comes from that vision they create together, whether as a fan it's liked or not doesn't really factor. Sorry.

There are many skaters that would consider it an honor to have her create for them.
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One fan's opinions might not matter very much, but the sport as a whole definitely needs a fan base to support its existence. So what you claim is not true. Also this is a discussion board, and we are all here to give opinions whether they matter or not.

And just because skaters may feel honored to have their costumes designed not just VW but any big name designers, it doesn't mean the designer is necessarily doing a good job. Do you like all the dresses you see on the red carpet?
 
shine said:
One fan's opinions might not matter, but the sport as a whole definitely needs a fan base to support its existence. So what you claim is not true.

And just because skaters may feel honored to have their costumes designed not just VW or any big name designers, it doesn't mean the designer is necessarily doing a good job. Do you like all the dresses you see on the red carpet?
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As someone at the level that she designs for, I'll agree to disagree with you, I've seen one of these sessions for myself so I'll just leave it at that.


Fans don't pay for skater costumes and until then, the opinion really doesn't matter that much, sorry.
 
Ic3Rabbit said:
As someone at the level that she designs for, I'll agree to disagree with you, I've seen one of these sessions for myself so I'll just leave it at that.


Fans don't pay for skater costumes and until then, the opinion really doesn't matter that much, sorry.
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We also don't pay for any of their training costs, does that mean we should just all quit talking about their skating?
 
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