Well, it has been an absolutely thrilling winter Olympics thus far, exceeding my expectations and making for lots of dramatic and exciting moments. Every event has it's story, and none have disappointed. It has been especially exhilarating for the United States, as we are well on our way to smashing our winter Olympics medal record (please excuse the snobbish chuckle ;).
But down to the fashion of the event, in which figure skating rules as supreme fashionista. No other sport is as artistic and theatrical... or well dressed. Of course, there is a fair share of ugly and immodest skating apparel, but there are also beautifully designed and crafted pieces from which we can draw inspiration, ideas and more.
The pairs competition was an exciting one, with Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao finally capping off their fourth Olympics with the gold medal. It was also a historic moment for the real-life couple, being the first time the Chinese have won the title and breaking the clutch that the Russians/Soviet Union has had on gold for over fifty years.
And Shen and Zhao deserved it. They were beautiful, expressive and full of power. I am so happy for them.
Unfortunately, the fashion in the pairs department was pretty blah. I feel like this discipline lacks creativity fashion-wise; most outfits were tacky and way too matchy-matchy. Especially the men. I automatically awarded a gold medal to any gent who was smart enough not to wear a unitard. Those are so ugly. :P
If the pairs event didn't turn you into a bundle of nerves, along came the men's competition, which was a real nail-biter for me. I can't tell you how thrilled I was with Evan Lysacek's gold-medal-winning performance - it just made my day. He worked so hard, has proven that he is the best on every level, and turned in the skate of his life. I know that there is still controversy surrounding his win (due to the quad-armed silver medalist Evgeni Plushenko) but, from someone who is pretty familiar with skating and has been listening carefully to the experts ;) , I believe his win was totally, one-hundred percent deserved.
Of course, the men's event is another fashion flop-fest, so kudos to Evan on his costume choices. His earlier free skate outfits were really ugly, so I'm glad that the worst he wore was a couple of huge snakes wrapped around his neck. I actually really liked his short program outfit, but my sisters assure me that it was terrible. Your thoughts? ;)
Plushenko, on the other hand, was not dressed so nicely. Stephane Lambiel looked like the hero of a ballet (and I don't mean that positively - lol). Johnny Weir (who skated brilliantly, BTW) was clearly the most "out-there" in the building. It was quite a night.
And that brings us to Ice Dancing, which is by far my favorite discipline in the sport. It also makes for some interesting fashion moments... including pretty much the best and the worst. The Canadians, Virtue and Moir (who are my favorite non-US team) had pretty much the only great outfits in the Compulsory Dance event. I though that Tessa's burgundy dress was a show-stopper, with the striking black embroidery, tulle and ruffles. It was one killer Tango Romantica and Virtue and Moir placed second after the compulsory.
I was disappointed that Meryl Davis didn't wear the dress she sported earlier in the season for the Tango Romantica. Her new dress suited her well, but just wasn't as pretty. Tanith Belbin's outfit looked like a spin-off of her new (ugly) free dance outfit. And Oksana Domnina was decked out in what looked like a red tuxedo jacket... worn backwards. :P
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto sported new outfits in the Original Dance segment, which were supposedly more authentic for their Moldavian dance. I loved the use of trim, accents and details, but I felt that maybe it was all just a tad overpowering. The heavy coins decorating Tanith's bodice, while stunning, looked rather heavy, and I thought the full sleeves on her dress made her arm movements less precise. But a great look overall. Of course, Tanith looks adorable in anything. :)
Meryl Davis and Charlie White sported their fabulous Bollywood costumes (which I already discussed during the recent US Championships) and were the best they've been all season. Virtue and Moir's flamenco dance was on fire (they soared to first). Domnina and Shabalin dropped from first to third with their controversial Aboriginal dance. The costumes were toned down from their previous competition, but I still found the whole thing a little wacky.
Two couples whom I loved in the free dance were Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates of the USA and Nathalie Péchalat & Fabian Bourzat of France. The young Americans finished a strong eleventh in their first Olympics and blew me away with their beautiful free dance. They definitely have a bright future ahead of them. I was also pleased that Emily changed her free dance dress for this competition. She tends to wear purple and lots of "transparent" lace (of course it never really is transparent), which just didn't suit her best or look modest. But this dress, in a combination of maroon and gold, was perfect. The bodice detail was pretty and I love the breezy, handkerchief hemline. Really looking forward to what this team will do at the World Championships.
The French team had one of my favorite programs, representing "time" and I really liked Nathalie's dress. Originally it had a yellow skirt, but I find the combo of the light blue bodice with the periwinkle skirt is equally stunning. Of course, it's lower cut than the best dresses, but the embroidery and details are fantastic.
The top two teams put in amazing "through-the-roof" performances. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada carried away the gold and Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the US soared high to silver. It was a special night for the friends and training-mates... and I am so happy for them both.
Meryl and Charlie were dressed in their great "Phantom" costumes (which I wrote about during the US Championships) and Tessa and Scott looked beautiful in white. Tessa has actually worn four other dresses this season and, while the first one was my favorite, she looked gorgeous and angelic, as always. With the exception of Domnina and Shabalin (whose costumes were just plain weird :P), it was a beautifully dressed podium. ;)
Images: Zimbio.com
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