Simple costumes, elegant skating

[Vash01]

We have seen some crazy costumes and some beautifully designed, sequined/lacy/multicolor costumes in figure skating. Sometimes though a very simple costume really adds to a program, by focusing on the skating and the elegance of the skater, rather than on the costume. There are many skaters that used the simplicity to emphasize their lines and elegance in their skating, and it worked very well to have simple costuming.

Gordeeva-Grinkov:

Vocalise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrZXFOXZdrE

Reverie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GudIi_e77OY

Moonlight Sonata (I love the contrast- navy vs the white strip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y42ZBuhPNts


Berezhnaya-Sikharulidze

Lady Caliph
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB2lyUWrEcE

Swan Lake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AydZTd-ZR7w

Lady Caliph at Trophee Lalique:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYnE9JvV_7w

Concert for coloratura- worlds 1999
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loU8JtFllqo

Michelle Kwan:

1998 Lyra Angelica
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI45Qm3YoDw

2000 Red Violin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptj_tO7tIXg

Oksana Baiul: at Celebration of Sergei's life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lnAVP3ZOaI

Ekaterina Gordeeva (pro)- Peer Gynt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CdljxyH-U

Chen Lu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gh9w2ZyODo

It's difficult to find simple costumes in ice dance, but here is one by the Duschenays at the 1992 Olympics FD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h_GzLX7ofo

Annenko & Sretenski often used very simple and elegant costumes to emphasize the purity of their skating

Thanksgiving:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHBm_IcqEjc

Summertime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITYvFGQGjoQ

Men often have simple costumes.

For example,

Jeremy Abbott at 2012 US nationals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbT2P9n5Hsw

Rudy Galindo 1996 US nationals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lH9mg_ZneA

[falling_dance]

John Curry, 1976 Olympics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z79TMsYRnEc)

Takahiko Kozuka, 2008 Skate America (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RZ8Xoh1ghw)

Takahiko Kozuka, 2011 Worlds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZb1gr5g61g)

[Zemgirl]

Takahiko Kozuka, 2008 Skate America (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RZ8Xoh1ghw)

That was the first example I thought of. I remember at the time that he/Yuka Sato said that it was indeed meant to focus attention on his skating.


It's difficult to find simple costumes in ice dance
I'm not sure what the goal was with V/M's second set of costumes for their Pink Floyd FD in 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7vsQKRIP2M), but they are about the plainest ice dance costumes I can think of.

[Vash01]

I'm not sure what the goal was with V/M's second set of costumes for their Pink Floyd FD in 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7vsQKRIP2M), but they are about the plainest ice dance costumes I can think of.

Strange that I forgot this. I saw this in person, in LA. These could very well be the plainest/simplest ice dance costumes in the modern era.

[paskatefan]

Most of Paul Wylie, Todd Eldredge's, Yuka Sato's costumes & skating fit this description. ;)

[kwanatic]

Mao's Ballade. Simple, long white gown and some of the most breathtaking balletic skating I've ever seen...

[Zemgirl]

I'm not sure what the goal was with V/M's second set of costumes for their Pink Floyd FD in 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7vsQKRIP2M), but they are about the plainest ice dance costumes I can think of.
Strange that I forgot this. I saw this in person, in LA. These could very well be the plainest/simplest ice dance costumes in the modern era.
Speaking of that season's Pink Floyd programs, Olivier Schoenfelder also wore a very simple costume in the FD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ChPXvaV01A), and while Isabelle didn't, it wasn't particularly gaudy, either. Their Bonnie & Clyde (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjq-N4WRsZI) costumes were also fairly plain for ice dance.

[pani]

Marie-France Dubreuil- Patrice Lauzon. For example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwxIKt_UnE8

[edonice]

Virtue and Moir's free dance costumes at the Olympics were definitely spare and clean for ice dancing, and the sequins on her top didn't detract from their skating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiHKNVQWis4

[lulu]

I immediately thought of Gordeeva & Grinkov's Vocalise costume when I saw this thread. In addition, Gordeeva & Kulik's costume for their duet (http://youtu.be/oFbUBc2InfA), and Katia's Brazilian Bachianas (http://youtu.be/QdkFS3R30-8) costume as well.

[Jenny81]

Simple costumes, elegant skating : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=L7MiDoHzajk

[victoriaheidi]

Ilinykh/Katsalapov can tell us all about simple costumes. If only that program were "elegant..." :shuffle:

Alissa Czisny's dresses from 2010-2011 were relatively simple, but they looked great on her and definitely didn't distract from her skating. IIRC, her mother hand-painted them. This (http://web.icenetwork.com/images/2012/08/20/7SKXTp7B.jpg) is the SP dress, and here's her LP look (http://www.toledoblade.com/image/2011/01/31/800x_b1_cCM_z/Alissa-Czisny.jpg).

[crawall]

Gordeeva-Grinkov's Moonlight Sonata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y42ZBuhPNts
Still my all time fave....

[screech]

I always found Jeff Buttle to have simple, elegant costumes. Even his Naqoyqatsi costume (http://www.northernontario.org/FigureSkating/images/JeffButtle2005.jpg), with the bizarro shirt, was still very simple. Still my absolute favourite program of his.
2004-2005 Rach SP costume (http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Jeff-Buttle-ice-skating-1003045_646_754.jpg)
2002/2003 LP costume (http://www.iceskate.net/skater%20pix/buttle/jeffrey_buttle_2003worlds_qual2_by_paul_chiasson_a pphoto.jpg)
2008 Ararat LP Costume (http://www.skating.nf.ca/eveningchamps/images/BUTTLE_9923.jpg)
Sing Sing Sing 2005/2006 SP Costume (http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Jeff-Buttle-ice-skating-1003042_400_600.jpg)

[skatak]

Chen Lu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gh9w2ZyODo



my example of elegance.