Flesh colored material on costumes. Yay or nay?

[prettykeys]

yeah i forgot to add another user: Illusion fabric is also added to areas a skater would have no problem showing normally, but in the rigors of skating, that opening may shift around to show something that the skater would mind showing. Luckily, the fabric will be there and the skater will look like a toy doll instead.

rofl!

 

[Violet Bliss]

Probably saves some guys from shaving or waxing their chests as well.

 

[Serious Business]

Probably saves some guys from shaving or waxing their chests as well.

Samuel Contesti just needs to glue some between his eyebrows then!

 

[BackStage Barbie]

Jeremy Abbott definitely waxed his chest for that deep V short program costume this season...no illusion fabric there!

 

[Violet Bliss]

Jeremy also shaved his armpits last summer when he performed his short program in a black tank top!

 

[Johar]

OT but does anyone else find that photo hilarious?

The fishnets are not as immediately apparent as... well, other aspects of the shot.

I found it funny as well.

 

[SkateSkates]

OT but does anyone else find that photo hilarious?

The fishnets are not as immediately apparent as... well, other aspects of the shot.

Sorry I chose this pic! It's a little...interesting, but it was a close up of her legs so you could actually see the tights...

 

[sigrid]

I like the illusion fabric when it's similar to the skin tone, like in Alissa's costumes this season, for example. But I prefer costumes without it (like Sinead's FD costume this season)

About tights, it's horrible when they're too dark (Fleur Maxwell) I find it too distracting. But I think Tessa wears tights as you can see in this pic: http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/07l04Bg24q7Is/660x.jpg

 

[SeaniBu]

Yay, I am fairly certain that the stuff will keep clothes on skaters better.

As for preference I am still down with the practice wear solid or duel tone color unitard, pants and a basic top type myself - well in everything but Dance. Unitard of illusion fabric would be fine i.m.o although I do not think the Katrina Witt Rule would allow it.

I don't care how "sparklely" an outfit is, you can't add to beauty that is as great as these two have for example -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41725673@N05/4101859243/#/photos/41725673@N05/4101859243/lightbox/
Some of the outfits I have seen on them are just distracting - no matter how nice I think it looks as a costume I would still rather watch them as a skater and save the pageantry for the exhibitions.

Also the attention to the actual skating and positioning is greater. It helps coaches see true form and the other stuff just gets so distracting sometimes. Something like Alonia's Pink Panther was pretty good i.m.o, loose a few of the spangles, sparkles and "wicked plunging neck lines" and I would be even happier - "balance of." Good thing these events are inside or crows would be coming and pecking the skaters to death.

Like Lucinda's Gold minus the hood = That also would be kinda cool in illusion fabric too.

 

[Antilles]

I hate nude fabric for the most part. Small amounts that match skin colour are fine, but that's it. Outfits can and have been designed that don't cover ladies from head-to-toe, but also don't need the nude fabric. The designers just need to be more creative. The fake plunging necklines really aren't necessary.

 

[gkelly]

Skating costumes are more than pretty dresses. They are athletic activewear, very active-wear, which also needs to look elegant, or sexy, or airy, or almost nude........

Well, they don't need to look almost nude, or sexy or airy or elegant for that matter.

The skaters or their costume designers might choose that look for a specific program. If it's a choice between looking almost nude or actually being almost nude, the former is probably preferable for reasons of both comfort and modesty. As long as the flesh-colored fabric is close enough in color to the skater's actual flesh to sustain the illusion.

Personally I prefer a more sporty look and my second choice would be elegance, which wouldn't necessarily require flesh-colored fabric. For a faux-strapless top it would.

But some program choices call for different looks. So if that's what a skater chooses and it fits the program theme, in most cases I don't mind the choice, as long as the execution is successful.

I wouldn't judge the success by how it looks in a TV closeup, though. How it looks in the arena is more important for a competition costume. But the very top skaters know they're going to be shown on TV so they should give the possibility of closeups some consideration.

For a made-for-TV show, design with TV in mind should be primary.

 

[SeaniBu]

How much should the costume even matter anyway? I think it is the skating and the interpretation of the skater that should be the only factor in judging. The more you just see the skater than the more clearly it can be judged. ??? Sporty seems to make the most sense - although Ice dancing .....? I for one am still liking the idea we talked about a while ago regarding Team outfits, qualify for the exhibition and then wear whatever the costume designers want to come up with and express that side at that point. ... ah maybe just me who like the idea here. But it was something that you said ~ gkelly - that brought this thought on for me to discus here, that and a picture Toni had of Scottie. But some others "off forum" like the idea and others hate it. Let's have both I say

 

[aftertherain]

How much should the costume even matter anyway? I think it is the skating and the interpretation of the skater that should be the only factor in judging.

True, but costumes with material that is supposed to be flesh-colored (but isn't) can be a bit distracting. That includes costumes that are supposed to be glorified pieces of string.

Example: Mao Asada's neckline area for her SP costume in Vancouver. It's a lovely costume, just not the yellow-neckline bit. (It showed up a bit more yellow on my TV screen during the Olympics, but you can still see it here.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrEZgoPpCAI

-----

But I do think flesh-colored material is vital so long as it properly matches the skater's skin tone and doesn't look completely artificial.

Example: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2007/sp20071118a1a.jpg
You can tell that the fabric is there, but at least it's not discolored.

 

[colleen o'neill]

I thought I read somewhere that Meryl wears fishnets over panty hose..I think quite a few ice dancers shy away from skating tights and I like the look . I really dislike the tights over boots. If they don't want to have white boots , surely a nice snug set of boot covers would be a better option.
Personally I like white boots , but a flesh boot can give a longer leg line where needed , and I like them as well . However , tights over boots just give an awkward, sort of malformed look that I find quite distracting.

Serious Business..was it you who said you were the offspring of a costume designer ?
Because ,I come from a somewhat similar background and I find myself going " YES ! What She Said !" ( or he, if the shoe fits) to the points you've made.

Illusion fabric is a good tool , but....First of all, there's no point if you can't match the skin tone . Then..I like it generally as an aid to design ( as in looking strapless ,or to keep a low neckline from gaping , etc. )..But if it's mainly to allow the skater to appear next to naked..then the whole is this a sport or a spectacle question gets raised.

Isn't there an addition to the rules now , to the effect that at least 50% of the torso must appear covered? ( I guess the modesty clause would prevent that from being the wrong 50% )

 

[Violet Bliss]

I wouldn't judge the success by how it looks in a TV closeup, though. How it looks in the arena is more important for a competition costume. But the very top skaters know they're going to be shown on TV so they should give the possibility of closeups some consideration.

For a made-for-TV show, design with TV in mind should be primary.

True.

I wrote about the subject of arena vs TV presentation before, much like stage vs screen acting. The same difficulties in appealing to both arena and TV spectators apply to physical appearances of skaters as well, i.e. makeup and costumes. The illusion fabric can't stand the scrutiny of close up shots and photographs just as makeup meant to accentuate facial features from a distance can appear ghastly overdone in close-ups, though makeup for camera does require a heavier hand than live makeup so theatrical style looks less OTT in photographs.

Competators have to appeal to the judges first and foremost, as well as live spectators, to which group the judges belong as well. When arena performances and appearances don't come across similarly to TV/video viewers, they provide fodders for endless forum discussions and arguements. So it's all good, right?

 

[Serious Business]

Naw, I'm not the offspring of a costume designer. Just an amateur with an interest in design and too many opinions.

I admit I used to be a bit biased against illusion fabric, not that I'm against their use at all, but that I would rank outfits that don't use as much of them above ones that do. But the more I think about it I could see how illusion fabric is necessary for some skaters who want to portray characters within their comfort level.

However, it has to be said that using large patches of illusion fabric is a bad idea, for the simple fact that human skin is incredibly difficult to mimic. It's one of the hardest things to create convincingly in cgi, and that's in an environment where the creator has 100% control over everything! Human skin has a really unique texture that we are all instantly familiar with. We are all so attuned to it that any fake can be spotted by most people even if it's really close in color to the actual skin. And even when it's close it risks falling into the uncanny valley, that's the theory that things that look close to human but aren't repulses people (think of mannequins and bad cgi movies like The Polar Express).

And ladies, here's Evan Lysacek demonstrating how you can have a deep plunging neckline without using illusion fabric and without seemingly risking any exposure. Saucy.

 

[islandpaddler]

I don't like Evan's exhibition costume at all. The colors were shades of Rudy Galindo when he won nationals, but the style just doesn't work for me. Icky comes to mind.

 

[Mathman]

^ Plus, then Evan has to put that orange make-up on his chest as well as his face.

 

[Serious Business]

He was inspired by Ryan Bradley's Oompa Loompa music.

 

[blue dog]

Whenever I think of flesh-tone fabric, I think of these costumes, and I cringe:

http://www.universalsports.com/mm/Photo/Sports/General/39/77/08/397708_M23.jpg