ICE STYLE.....ISU 2013 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Finals Costumes Recap: Ladies and Pairs!

 Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia--ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Marine Messe Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan

This weekend the ISU 2013 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final took place in the city of Fukuoka, Japan at the Marine Messe Fukuoka indoor sporting arena. This is where the six highest point-earning skaters from each discipline (Ladies, Men's, Pairs, Ice Dance) from the Grand Prix season got to show their "stuff" and compete for the top Grand Prix of Figure Skating prize.

I have discussed most of the skaters' costumes this entire season (you can check my Recaps here in this blog searching under "Ice Style") so there's not much to say but, I felt I could highlight some that made it to the Final here. And to my surprise, there was still a Costume Change (!) from one of the Ladies skaters. In fact, the eventual Gold medal-winning one! Time for my Recap...

Adelina Sotnikova of Russia, Short Program: For her Short Program to "Habanera" from the "Carmen" Suite by Georges Bizet, Adelina wore a deep red costume consisting of an ombre-shaded skirt, one flutter sleeve, peek-a-boo front neck, and sequin detail. I liked this different, darker and a bit more "fashionable" take on the been there/done that "Carmen" costume.

Adelina Sotnikova of Russia, Free Skate: For her Free Skate to "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28" by Camille Saint-Saëns, Adelina wore this costume above. It featured a chocolate-colored sheer tulle layering with delicate sequins and a golden crystal-encrusted neckline. It was delicate, modern and right for the skate. I think it is incredibly unique and daring, my only hesitation is that she is just 17 years old! I wonder if it isn't just a bit too revealing for her age.

Ashley Wagner of the US, Short Program: My thoughts on Ashley's SP costume are HERE--and yes, I like it! The costume is elegant, just the right amount of "flashy" and compliments her. And I think the high ponytail is the perfect style for this look.

Julia Lipniskaia of Russia, Short Program: This costume was a "Costume Change" which she debuted at the Rostelecom Cup /Cup of Russia 2013. You can read my review HERE. Let's just say this was a very good costume change.

Mao Asada of Japan, Short Program: For her SP to “Nocturne” by Frederic Chopin, the Japanese figure skater changed her costume! She wore this ombre-shaded burgundy and lilac colored costume featuring a multi-layered skirt, nude illusion halter neckline with built-in sequin necklace and applique torso detail. I'll be honest here: I wasn't a fan. I liked this look below better:

 Mao Asada of Japan, Short Program Costume at NHK Trophy 2013

Mao Asada of Japan, Free Skate--Her Free Skate costume to Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, I did like and I have talked about it HERE. This costume was not the costume she wore for her first appearance in this season's Grand Prix of Figure Skating competition at Hilton HHonors Skate America:

 Mao Asada of Japan, Free Skate at Hilton HHonors Skate America 2013--Which one do YOU guys like best?

Throwing Skating Shade: (Left to right) Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia (Silver), Mao Asada of Japan (Gold), and Ashley Wagner of the USA (Bronze) pose with their medals in the Ladies Free Skating Final
victory ceremony--ISU Grand Prix of Figure
Skating Final 2013/2014 at Marine Messe Fukuoka,
Fukuoka, Japan

Pairs: I want to highlight these Pairs Costumes seen at this weekend's ISU 2013 Grand Prix Final...

Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang of China, Free Skate: For their Free Skate to "Yellow River Concerto", Peng and Zhang wore these costumes above. I really liked them--read my review HERE.

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany, Short Program: For their Short Program to "When Winter Comes" by Andre Rieu, the German pair wore these costumes. While I liked the "watercolor"-like blue and sequins effect, there was also something I didn't necessary like. Read my full "Costume Critique" HERE .

Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia, Short Program: For their Short Program to "Masquerade Waltz" by Aram Khatchaturian...HERE are my thoughts of these great costumes.

ICE STYLE.....Yuna Kim, her Free Skate Costume at ISU 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb + Miki Ando's Costume

Mock Neck Yuna: South Korean skater Yuna Kim skating to her Free Skate--ISU 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb

This weekend, Olympic and world champion Yuna Kim won Gold at a minor event in Zagreb, Croatia--the ISU 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb--with a score of 204.49 points. This total score was only beaten by one skater during the Grand Prix of Figure Skating season.

 Yuna Is Back: Yuna Kim fans--ISU 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb

Now, let's get to the really important stuff: her costumes! I discussed Yuna Kim's Short Program Costume HERE so now, it is time to talk about what she wore for her Free Skate...

Tango Kim: Yuna skated her Free Skate to "Adios Nonino", an Argentine tango composition. Her stretch jacquard costume featured a black mock-neck, very fitted long sleeves, a slit-skirt and silver-and-gray sequin detail at the torso. It was quite classic and certainly stayed within the tango theme without using any predictable red color (except for her great red lips!). While the front was very covered...

Yuna Reveal: The back was very open as seen from the pictures above. I liked this costume but wished it had just a little more "luxe" appeal; it seemed a bit too "store bought"-looking for me. I'd love to know what YOU guys think? Did you like this costume? Yeay or Nay? Let me know below in "comments".



Now, let's discuss Japan's Miki Ando and her Free Skate Costume:

Miki Ando of Japan, Free Skate: Ando skated her Free Skate to "Firebird by Igor Stravinski" in this costume above. It was a midnight blue costume featuring a multi-paneled skirt, stretch illusion with sequined top and...

Multi-colored leaf-and-feather applique (as seen in above photo). It was quite a costume, impacting and somewhat representative of the music. It was also two seconds from being a tad bit "Carnival".

Congrats Yuna and Miki--(left to right) Silver medalist Miki Ando of Japan and Gold medalist Yuna Kim of Korea-ISU 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb

ICE STYLE.....Yuna Kim Returns! Her Short Program Costume...aa well as other Ladies from the ISU 46th Annual Golden Spin of Zagreb

Chartreuse Queen: Yuna Kim of Korea, Short Program Costume at 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb

Yuna Kim--or Kim Yuna--the Olympic and World Champion; skated in competition today at the 46th Annual Golden Spin of
Zagreb in Croatia. She got the HIGHEST SHORT PROGRAM SCORE for all Ladies competitor
during this 2013-2014 season. The Golden Spin of Zagreb, by the way, is a senior international figure skating competition. A lot of lower-level skaters from many countries usually show up but in this edition, the Olympic champion made an appearance much to the delight of figure skating fans.

 Yuna Kim of Korea--2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb

So far, she's only skated her Short Program so I want to discuss--naturally--her costume for that. Kim skated to “Send in the Clowns” in a chartreuse colored costume featuring stretch lace over nude illusion mesh and covered with multicolored crystal top section, long chiffon sleeves and chiffon multi-layered skirt.

Chartreuse Covered Up: From the photos above, it's obvious her costume is very well made and has a lot of intricate sequin detail. The color is a very difficult color to pull off--remember Julianne Moore in the Dior Haute Couture sat the 64th Annual Academy Awards:



 

But Yuna Kim was able to pull it off...I do like the costume and the color on her, I must admit. If I had any critique, it would be the "mumsy" aspect of the silhouette. I know that Kim is not known for anything too plunging or skin revealing but perhaps this style just seems a bit covered up and "older". I would love to know what you guys think?



Also, I must add...Yuna Kim's costume reminds me of what Nancy Kerrigan wore for her Short Program at the '92 Olympics:

Other Ladies' Short Program Costumes at the 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb:

Miki Ando of Japan: Miki also skated at the 46th Annual Golden Spin of Zagreb. She wore this costume above for her Short Program to "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. In terms of her skate, she is in second place (Yuna Kim is in first of course). I like this light blue and dark navy chiffon and sequins costume for its "color-blocking" design and how the navy sequined panels wrap around her body in flattering ways. I just wish the skirt was shorter and there were several layers of it so I couldn't see her leotard underneath. But we must not forget, she just had a baby in APRIL!!!!

Anine Rabe of Norway, Short Program: Pretty color, pretty costume. I like the heavy-to-delicate crystal detail in the torso especially.  Her hair pulled back severely adds a touch of elegance as well.         

Ema Lipovscak of Croatia, Short Program to Tara's Theme (from "Gone With the Wind" soundtrack) by Max Steiner: First off, let's add Eva to my "Figure Skating Costume Trend: Gloves" blog posting, because, yes, kids, she's "rocking" the trend. For her Short Program here, she's wearing a black and bubblegum pink costume with gold applique front top detail and multicolored sequins. I am a bit "on the fence" in terms of whether I like it or not; it's a bit Cirque du Soleil and a bit Baroque in its styling details. I am guessing that the "corset" look is supposed to be a reference to her "Gone With The Wind" music. It seems more Mozart than Vivien Leigh.

Isabelle Pieman of Belgium, Short Program to "Crimson Wings": Isabelle's Short Program costume here is a bit "retro" to me; it seems rather late 90s in its mock-neck halter styling and sheer sleeve styling. I do think the crystals in the torso/bodice and sleeves are fine and work with the overall look.

Valentina Mikac of Croatia, Short Program to "Two Guitars by Paul Mauriat": Nude illusion, black jagged panels and thick deadlock-looking fringe...oh, and yes, it's a bodysuit with black attached leggings. 

**Stay Tuned for Yuna Kim's Free Skate Costume at the ISU 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb!

ICE STYLE.....Grand Prix 2013 Figure Skating Costume Trend Alert: Gloves!

Glove Happy: Russian figure skater Elena Radionova Hilton HHonors Skate America 2013 and Peter Liebers of Germany at Cup of China 2013

This past season of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2013-2014 was an exciting one, especially in regards to the costumes. If you've been keeping up with my blog here, you know I LOVE Figure Skating and yes, more importantly, discussing the Figure Skating Costumes. I've talked about all the Grand Prix--Hilton HHonors Skate America, Skate Canada, NHK Trophy, Lexus Cup of China, Trophée Eric Bompard and the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia and the Finals are coming up this week/weekend in Fukuaka Japan.



In advance of the Grand Prix Finals, I wanted to discuss a certain costume trend I noticed this season: It was all about gloves as THE accessory DE RIGUEUR for Figure Skating Costumes, more so than ever it seemed. Whether it was just to keep your hands warm or as some skaters have mentioned, to keep them from cutting their hands on their blades, gloves were "featured" as part of the costumes in all the disciplines but primarily in the Ladies, Men, and Ice Dance. So, with that in mind, I wanted to do a Trend Alert for GLOVES in the Grand Prix 2013-2014. I am sure that I missed some skaters that also wore gloves (besides the ones below) but I could only fit so many in one posting so my apologies if I didn't include any that you--the faithful NICKVERREOS.COM reader--might have also remembered...



Let's begin with The Ladies:

Viktoria Helgesson of Sweden, Short Program: Viktoria skated her Short Program Mystery Waltz by D. Shostakovich--seen in photo above at the Hilton HHonors Skate America 2013--wearing this pink and black applique costume and black gloves with a bit of bling bling added for fun.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia, Short Program: Elizabeta skated her Short Program to a Latin Medley this season in this "one-shoulder" black and silver crystal costume (seen in photo above from the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia 2013) with...black gloves. To me, this "glove addition", didn't work so well. It cuts the line of her arms and makes her look a bit cartoony.

Kanako Murakami of Japan, Short Program: In the photo above--from her Short Program skate at the Rostelecom Cup 2013 to "Catgroove," "Libella Swing" and "Swing Bop", she wore this black and white costume with diamante crystals as well as black and crystal-encrusted gloves. These work a bit better than Tuktamysheva because they seem to go better with the "theme" of the costume.

Anna Pogorilaya of Russia, Free Skate: For her Free Skate to "Mermaids" from the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack by Hans Zimmer (in the photo above from the Lexus Cup of China 2013), she wore this sea-inspired blue costume which featured one glove. I actually like this!

Anna Pogorilaya of Russia, Short Program: Anna skated her Short Program to "El Choclo" (Kiss of Fire) performed by Ikuko Kawai in this neon coral colored costumes with matching long gloves. Wow! That is a LOT of glove! I do appreciate how it gives her a complete look.

Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada, Short Program: Kaetlyn wore long white ones for her Short Program to "Big Spender" and "Rich Man's Frug" as seen above at Skate Canada 2013. In contrast to Pogorilaya, this takes away from her look and is distracting. I feel the costume is too basic for such formal gloves.

Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia, Free Skate: For her Free Skate to Schindler's List by John Williams, Julia, wore this red costume "hinting" at the famous red coat in the film. And yes, she also donned black gloves.





Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia, Short Program: For Julia's Short Program to "You Don't Give Up on Love" by Mark Minkov this season, at Skate Canada 2013, Julia wore this blue costume above with matching gloves. This look didn't last long, however, since she changed her costume for the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia 2013 later. And there were no gloves in that costume look, which I think works much better.

Alena Leonova of Russia, Short Program: Alena skated her Short Program to Music from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt in this costume above (at NHK Trophy 2013), which she had worn in a previous season to the same music. And naturally, you can't "give" a Pirates of the Caribbean look without gloves, so the gloves are there! Funny how these gloves are a mix of dish-cleaning gloves and ones that would come with a "Pirates" costumes from a Hollywood Costume Shop!

Natalia Popova of Ukraine, Short Program: Natalia skated her Short Program to "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo performed by Edvin Marton (seen at Skate Canada 2013 in photo above) in this black and silver crystals with nude illusion costume above. The look also featured sheer black gloves. I like the costume and the gloves. Very Chic!

Elena Radionova of Russia, Free Skate: Elena skated to Music from the Frida soundtrack in this red, white costume above that had long red gloves. She wore this at Hilton HHonors Skate Amercia 2013 but at the NHK Trophy 2013 we see that she was able to make them fingerless for the medal presentation:

The Men:

Misha Ge of Uzbekistan, Short Program: Misha skated his Short Program at the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia 2013 to I Still Got Blues, Still Got Rock by Gary Moore in this "Blades of Glory"-looking costume above that featured finger-less, and studded, black gloves.

Misha Ge of Uzbekistan, Free Skate: For his Free Skate to World Dance Collection including Neo Tango; Rhumba; Electro; Jive; Rock'n'Roll (seen in the photo above from the Rostelecom Cup/Cup of Russia 2013), Misha wore another eye-catching costume that included black gloves. The looks are both Cray-Cray, but the gloves certainly add to the entire ensemble.

Konstantin Menshov of Russia, Short Program: Skating his Short Program to "Coultergeist" by Phil Coulter, Konstantin wore this Michelangelo-inspired printed top and black pants costume with white/sheer gloves. Just a note: the gloves are a bit "clinical" looking.

Sergei Voronov of Russia, Short Program: Voronov skated his Short Program to "Two Guitars"--at NHK Trophy 2013 above--in this white and black costume, with black gloves. These gloves actually work quite well and are quite stylish.

Max Aaron of the USA, Free Skate: Max skated his Free Skate to Music from Carmen performed by Rodion Shchedrin and the Boston Pops Orchestra (photo above from Hilton HHonors Skate America 2013) in this plunging neckline black costume with...black gloves. These make him look a bit like a Cat Burglar to me.

Florent Amodio of France, Short Program: Florent skated his Season 2013-2014 Short Program to "La Cumparsita," arranged by Sebastien Damiani and Faf Larage in the black costume above (from Lexus Cup of China 2013). He also donned black gloves.


 

Peter Liebers of Germany, Short Program: For his Short program to "Clocks" by Coldpay, performed by 2Cellos featuring Lang Lang, Peter wore this costume above (from his skate at the Lexus Cup of China 2013) with gloves (one of which was color-blocked to blend harmoniously with the rest of the costume).

Maxim Kovtun of Russia, Short Program: Maxim Kovtun wore this costume for his Short Program to Flamenco by Pepe Romero (photo from the Lexus Cup of China 2013) that featured fingerless sleeve-gloves that went with the rest of the España-inspired costume. I like this unique take on the glove/sleeve.



Ice Dance:



Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA, Short Dance: US dance team of Chock and Bates skated their Short Dance this season to "Hollywood" by Puppini Sisters, "There's No Business Like Show Business" by Irving Berlin (photo above from the Lexus Cup of China 2013). The beautiful Madison wore long white gloves with her shimmering and fringed costume. Fantastic!

Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia: Elena and Nikita skated their Free Dance to Music from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky. For their skate at NHK Trophy Japan she wore the black gloves but those were gone, however, at their next skate--at Trophée Eric Bompard 2013. I'm still undecided whether I like the costume with or without gloves? What do you think...

Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khavalian of Russia, Short Dance: For their Short Dance this season to Quickstep by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, "L-O-V-E-" by Nat King Cole, Monko and Khavalian skated to these costumes above. Ksenia wore royal blue gloves that perfectly color-matched her costume.



Happy Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2013-2014 and...If you can find other Costumes from this Season's Grand Prix of Figure Skating where GLOVES were featured, let me know here!