Andrei Mozalev
- Thread starter Mariott
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- Feb 10, 2022
Hi everyone, towards the end of summer I finally decided to run a short ranking of Andrei's costumes last season to finally break up the previous season. In a skater's costume we care about aesthetics, originality and fulfillment of the task, i.e. presentation of the image. Also important is the reaction of the fans, whether they liked the costume or pissed them off during the season. These are the criteria I used to rank Andrei's costumes for the 2022-2023 season. Let's see how much my opinion matches yours! I hope to finish before the fall starts.
So here we go!
Unranked #6 #5
#4 
#3 
#2 
#1
So here we go!
Unranked #6 #5
#4 #3 #2 #1
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- Feb 10, 2022
Unranked
Uniform of a soldier of the Soviet army of the period of the Great Patriotic War.
For demonstration numbers on special Averbukh's show ("Old Soldier's Song", common numbers "Leningradtsy", "Kalinka" and so on)
Ice shows with this patriotic theme are definitely the thing for Russian figure skating. We don't really have a problem with it, movies, songs, poems, dance numbers on the theme of war, and not necessarily tragic, quite optimistic. Why shouldn't there be an ice show on this theme? Ilya Averbukh has been quite successful in implementing projects in this direction.
Anyway, in any case, the military uniform of the skaters is a theatrical costume that retains the attributes of a military uniform, i.e. it is unified and impersonal. In principle, it is impossible to determine to what extent such a costume allows to reveal the image. It is not designed to emphasize individuality, it unifies the persons who wears it. In principle, it allows to identify the skater as a soldier of a certain army in a certain era (conditionally). So it's more of a historical costume than a theatrical costume.
I've never been interested in the history of military uniforms and all sorts of reconstructions of battles of the old times, so let the professionals give their verdict how correct the epaulettes and the shape of the belt are. I can only note that this year Andrei was dressed in a uniform with epaulettes and was given a belt. It looks much more dignified than in last year's show, when he wore a uniform of one color, pants of another, and no belt. It was the image of a deserter under trial by court-martial, not a soldier.
Thus, I like Andrei's military costume this season much better. It looks dignified, and Andrei looks older and more masculine in it.
Andrei seems to be wearing Samarin's uniform or his belt in this photo. It doesn't matter, they can swap costumes however they want.
This costume does its job, that's all there is to say about it, which is why it's not included in the rating
Uniform of a soldier of the Soviet army of the period of the Great Patriotic War.
For demonstration numbers on special Averbukh's show ("Old Soldier's Song", common numbers "Leningradtsy", "Kalinka" and so on)
Ice shows with this patriotic theme are definitely the thing for Russian figure skating. We don't really have a problem with it, movies, songs, poems, dance numbers on the theme of war, and not necessarily tragic, quite optimistic. Why shouldn't there be an ice show on this theme? Ilya Averbukh has been quite successful in implementing projects in this direction.
Anyway, in any case, the military uniform of the skaters is a theatrical costume that retains the attributes of a military uniform, i.e. it is unified and impersonal. In principle, it is impossible to determine to what extent such a costume allows to reveal the image. It is not designed to emphasize individuality, it unifies the persons who wears it. In principle, it allows to identify the skater as a soldier of a certain army in a certain era (conditionally). So it's more of a historical costume than a theatrical costume.
I've never been interested in the history of military uniforms and all sorts of reconstructions of battles of the old times, so let the professionals give their verdict how correct the epaulettes and the shape of the belt are. I can only note that this year Andrei was dressed in a uniform with epaulettes and was given a belt. It looks much more dignified than in last year's show, when he wore a uniform of one color, pants of another, and no belt. It was the image of a deserter under trial by court-martial, not a soldier.
Thus, I like Andrei's military costume this season much better. It looks dignified, and Andrei looks older and more masculine in it.
Andrei seems to be wearing Samarin's uniform or his belt in this photo. It doesn't matter, they can swap costumes however they want.
This costume does its job, that's all there is to say about it, which is why it's not included in the rating
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- Feb 10, 2022
#6 Casual, or basic clothes for ice show
For show number "Gde ty?" ("Where are you?"), performed on the Tutberidze show.
Music: Tri dnya dozhdya (Three days of rain) - "Gde ty?" ("Where are you?")
Image: ordinary guy
Let's keep talking about uniforms. Yes, in a way it is also a uniform. In this case, the costumer can't even justify putting a skater in a real uniform, such as that of a military officer or a fireman. I have criticized this show number in terms of its choreography, but don't think that the costume won't be criticized as well. Despite the fact that I actually like the number.
At some point in the past, it became very fashionable to take to the ice in show numbers in clothes closer to everyday clothes, defiantly abandoning the ornate costume with its theatrical conventionality. Probably the idea is to create a contrast between the competition program and the show number. It should also, apparently, bring the skater closer to the audience, to show that he is an ordinary person like everyone else in the audience, but with special abilities and skills.
I have no idea how comfortable such a costume is for figure skating. Perhaps there is really no big difference whether to jump a quad tulup in jeans with a belt or in special elastic athletic pants, to perform a spin in a fitted blouse or in a T-shirt that is sure to scuff. Perhaps, in terms of comfort, this suit is not inferior to a training or competition suit. And such a suit does look non-trivial, at least at first it did.
The problem is that it stopped looking fresh as soon as many athletes started doing so. And this costume doesn't look interesting.
Of course, if you're portraying a regular guy, of course you're going to need a regular guy costume. I'm not a costume expert, but I'm sure any theater costume designer will confirm that portraying a regular guy needs a tailored costume. There's a very fine line between wearing a regular guy's costume and going out on the ice in what you normally wear on the street, as if your suitcase with the costume was lost at the airport and you had to improvise. Thus, I have to summarize that this suit did not do its job 100%.
In addition, the clothes themselves are not very successful: this model of T-shirt makes Andrei's torso look as if more massive, and jeans weigh down the lower part of the torso and make his legs visually shorter. Because of this, Andrew has gotten a lot of negative feedback about being overweight, which is not true in reality. Personally, I was pissed off by the pocket on his t-shirt..... Apparently, Andrei wanted to present us not just a guy in casual, but a guy in clothes he usually wears when he's working in the garage or loafing in his house.
I wouldn't say so harsh words about this costume, after all, it didn't offend anyone or cause outrage, except for those unpleasant comments about Andrei's excess weight. Perhaps those are my quibbles. But now I see that Andrei really liked this number, this music, and knowing his meticulousness and methodicalness, he really tried to present it 100%. But there were certain problems with the readiness of the program, and the choice of costume did not contribute much to making this number memorable.
If Andrei leaves this showcase number for the new season, I hope they will work not only on the program, but also on the costume.
I would really like to see this number in a more finished form.
For show number "Gde ty?" ("Where are you?"), performed on the Tutberidze show.
Music: Tri dnya dozhdya (Three days of rain) - "Gde ty?" ("Where are you?")
Image: ordinary guy
Let's keep talking about uniforms. Yes, in a way it is also a uniform. In this case, the costumer can't even justify putting a skater in a real uniform, such as that of a military officer or a fireman. I have criticized this show number in terms of its choreography, but don't think that the costume won't be criticized as well. Despite the fact that I actually like the number.
At some point in the past, it became very fashionable to take to the ice in show numbers in clothes closer to everyday clothes, defiantly abandoning the ornate costume with its theatrical conventionality. Probably the idea is to create a contrast between the competition program and the show number. It should also, apparently, bring the skater closer to the audience, to show that he is an ordinary person like everyone else in the audience, but with special abilities and skills.
I have no idea how comfortable such a costume is for figure skating. Perhaps there is really no big difference whether to jump a quad tulup in jeans with a belt or in special elastic athletic pants, to perform a spin in a fitted blouse or in a T-shirt that is sure to scuff. Perhaps, in terms of comfort, this suit is not inferior to a training or competition suit. And such a suit does look non-trivial, at least at first it did.
The problem is that it stopped looking fresh as soon as many athletes started doing so. And this costume doesn't look interesting.
Of course, if you're portraying a regular guy, of course you're going to need a regular guy costume. I'm not a costume expert, but I'm sure any theater costume designer will confirm that portraying a regular guy needs a tailored costume. There's a very fine line between wearing a regular guy's costume and going out on the ice in what you normally wear on the street, as if your suitcase with the costume was lost at the airport and you had to improvise. Thus, I have to summarize that this suit did not do its job 100%.
In addition, the clothes themselves are not very successful: this model of T-shirt makes Andrei's torso look as if more massive, and jeans weigh down the lower part of the torso and make his legs visually shorter. Because of this, Andrew has gotten a lot of negative feedback about being overweight, which is not true in reality. Personally, I was pissed off by the pocket on his t-shirt..... Apparently, Andrei wanted to present us not just a guy in casual, but a guy in clothes he usually wears when he's working in the garage or loafing in his house.
I wouldn't say so harsh words about this costume, after all, it didn't offend anyone or cause outrage, except for those unpleasant comments about Andrei's excess weight. Perhaps those are my quibbles. But now I see that Andrei really liked this number, this music, and knowing his meticulousness and methodicalness, he really tried to present it 100%. But there were certain problems with the readiness of the program, and the choice of costume did not contribute much to making this number memorable.
If Andrei leaves this showcase number for the new season, I hope they will work not only on the program, but also on the costume.
I would really like to see this number in a more finished form.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2022
@lariko here is not a new collection yet, but you can find something for your gadget's desktop.
Andrei's new photos from Igora are just what I've been missing during the last days of summer. Sorry, but this time there will be a lot of photos, I can't choose, it's beautiful all of them
Warm-up, part 1
Andrei's new photos from Igora are just what I've been missing during the last days of summer. Sorry, but this time there will be a lot of photos, I can't choose, it's beautiful all of them
Warm-up, part 1
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2022
My costume rankings continue, and in 5th place...
#5 Costume for the show number "Do svidaniya, mal`chiki!" ("Goodbye, Boys!").on the Averbukh show.
Music: Bulat Okudzhava - "Do svidaniya, mal`chiki!" ("Goodbye, Boys!").
Image: a civilian of the early 1940s.
Averbukh's show again. Here Andrei acts as a substitute worker. This number was intended for Matvei Vetlugin, but he was unable to take part in the St. Petersburg show, and the organizers invited Andrei Mozalev to perform in his place. I was worried that together with the number Andrei would receive Matvei's yellow and green costume, which didn't suit him at all, but fortunately it didn't happen. Thanks to Averbukh for his attention to detail.
This costume is very simple, but it does the job perfectly. We need to quickly create an authentic 1940s townie costume - fine, we'll take a knit vest and a shirt, and that's enough to set the mood. However, I don't see anything wrong with it, it's theater, convention. Special thanks to the costume designer for the elegant color solution. The burgundy vest as if from grandfather's closet looks much more beautiful against the background of a noble dark gray shirt, which goes to the gray eyes of a handsome guy.
Mozalev even outwardly creates a completely different image than Matvei. If Matvei plays a sad, carefree boy, Andrei looks very serious, solid and even tragic. Perhaps he is a leader of the komsomol, in any case, a youth leader. Putting on these clothes, it's as if he's getting older. I like this image - a mix of yearning Esenin and stern Mayakovskiy.
Anyway, it was a good costume, which was not particularly memorable, but it served perfectly to reveal the image on the ice and fulfilled its purpose. From the drawbacks - the vest is not suitable in size, it is too big, but on the ice it does not catch the eye. A worthy place in the top five.
#5 Costume for the show number "Do svidaniya, mal`chiki!" ("Goodbye, Boys!").on the Averbukh show.
Music: Bulat Okudzhava - "Do svidaniya, mal`chiki!" ("Goodbye, Boys!").
Image: a civilian of the early 1940s.
Averbukh's show again. Here Andrei acts as a substitute worker. This number was intended for Matvei Vetlugin, but he was unable to take part in the St. Petersburg show, and the organizers invited Andrei Mozalev to perform in his place. I was worried that together with the number Andrei would receive Matvei's yellow and green costume, which didn't suit him at all, but fortunately it didn't happen. Thanks to Averbukh for his attention to detail.
This costume is very simple, but it does the job perfectly. We need to quickly create an authentic 1940s townie costume - fine, we'll take a knit vest and a shirt, and that's enough to set the mood. However, I don't see anything wrong with it, it's theater, convention. Special thanks to the costume designer for the elegant color solution. The burgundy vest as if from grandfather's closet looks much more beautiful against the background of a noble dark gray shirt, which goes to the gray eyes of a handsome guy.
Mozalev even outwardly creates a completely different image than Matvei. If Matvei plays a sad, carefree boy, Andrei looks very serious, solid and even tragic. Perhaps he is a leader of the komsomol, in any case, a youth leader. Putting on these clothes, it's as if he's getting older. I like this image - a mix of yearning Esenin and stern Mayakovskiy.
Anyway, it was a good costume, which was not particularly memorable, but it served perfectly to reveal the image on the ice and fulfilled its purpose. From the drawbacks - the vest is not suitable in size, it is too big, but on the ice it does not catch the eye. A worthy place in the top five.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2022
You're always welcome!
Yes, he has very nice hands, we could see a lot of work being done on that aspect.
