Why are Ladies figure skates White?

[ryanbfan]

I am doing a report on the color white. The report is on color psychology for a Color Fundamentals class. I picked white.

So my question is, why are Ladies skates white? Is there any specific reason? I have googled this and all I get are results to buy skates, so any info would be great.

[SwingDancer]

The answer to that goes back to Sonia Henie (sp?) Sonia was the first to wear white boots, before that all skates for both Men and Women were black.

[ryanbfan]

The answer to that goes back to Sonia Henie (sp?) Sonia was the first to wear white boots, before that all skates for both Men and Women were black.

I knew Sonia started it, but other than that did she have a reason for it? Sorry I'm being so nit picky - I want a really good grade

[SwingDancer]

I knew Sonia started it, but other than that did she have a reason for it? Sorry I'm being so nit picky - I want a really good grade

Sonia wanted to stand out, and thank to her considerablly wealthy family, she was able to. From costumes and outfits designed by her personal taylor.

[ryanbfan]

Sonia wanted to stand out, and thank to her considerablly wealthy family, she was able to. From costumes and outfits designed by her personal taylor.

Thank you so much for your help

[ks777]

Ladies skates should be pink!

[equatorial]

Maroon for the ladiezzzzzzzzzz skates color!

[skatepixie]

Sonia wanted to stand out, and thank to her considerablly wealthy family, she was able to. From costumes and outfits designed by her personal taylor.

That. I also heard that she wanted white to go with a white dress for The Swan. I don't know if that's just legend, though.

[Jot the Dot Dot]

The Kerrs should be plaid!

[BaileyCatts]

Ladies skates should be pink!

Maroon for the ladiezzzzzzzzzz skates color!

I liked Pasha's purple skates.

[briancoogaert]

I like it the way it is : black for men and white for ladies. I think it is so classy. And I thought it was natural ! So thanks to Sonja Henie !

[Frau Muller]

Sonja wore white for her skating version of Pavlova's Swan. The whiteness stuck.

[Iceman]

Ladies skates should be pink!

Prior to 1940 (at least the United States), it was pink for boys and blue for girls. No one seems to know why that changed.


Don't know, but Sonja may have wanted her skates to be the same color as the ice.

Interesting piece: Fashion Evolution of the Skating Dress
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beaut...g-dress-885813

[aliceanne]

I too had heard the Sonja Henie story. First she started wearing beige to be different, then when others copied she switched to white.

I can think of a practical reason. The leather underneath the polish is gray. I would think black and white would blend and cover gray best in addition to matching the most costumes.

Elite skaters probably pay up to $1,000 for a pair of skates. So having them in different colors is not cost effective.

Beige and soft pink are becoming popular for women because they blend with the tights and are also neutral colors.

As far as cultural reasons, aren't light colors usually considered feminine and dark colors masculine? I suppose women are supposed to be delicate, soft, graceful, and men strong and forceful.

I have seen pictures of John Curry in white skates. He was obsessed with the grace and flow of classical ballet. Some male skaters are uncomfortable with that and prefer skating as merely sport.

[Iceman]

According to an encyclopedia article (NOT Wiki), Sonja's skating version of Pavlova's "Dying Swan" was first seen in Milan, Italy in 1933. She was wearing white boots long before this, so it doesn't appear that The Swan played a role in her change of boot color.

[zaphyre14]

According to her autobiography, Henie started the trend of short skirts because she (and her father) wanted the judges to be able to see her feet and legs while she skated. As she was still very young, she could get away with wearing short dresses, while the older women she competed against were all wearing the long skirts considered decorous at the time. The short dresses also allowed her to do more tricks than the women hampered by yards of heavy fabric.

I thought I remembered reading that Henie favored white skates because she had tiny feet and the skates called attention to them. But I can't find that source now.

[julieann]

I just assumed white goes with everything. And if not wear boot covers, but puleeeezzzz stop pulling your tights over your boots.

[Yazmeen]

Tights over boots is often a coach's preference; it is with mine. She likes the elongated look it creates for one's leg. Also, it is necessary in synchro and group skating as not all skates look alike and not all skaters can wear the same skate brand. Please remember too that some of us perform/compete in boots that are rather beaten up but still work well for us, so tights over boots hide that. You cannot cover all dings with polish! Also, some skaters just want to have different colored or funkier looking boots; however, white or beige are needed for competition/testing. The tight over boot helps here.

I know a lot of fans hate the look, but many skater like me prefer to use it in performance situations.

[skatepixie]

Elite skaters probably pay up to $1,000 for a pair of skates. So having them in different colors is not cost effective.

Beige and soft pink are becoming popular for women because they blend with the tights and are also neutral colors.

It's also not a good use of time. Breaking in skates takes many hours, and sometimes hurts.

I personally think white skates are pretty, and I don't like boot covers and over-the-boot tights.

Tights over boots is often a coach's preference; it is with mine. She likes the elongated look it creates for one's leg. Also, it is necessary in synchro and group skating as not all skates look alike and not all skaters can wear the same skate brand. Please remember too that some of us perform/compete in boots that are rather beaten up but still work well for us, so tights over boots hide that. You cannot cover all dings with polish! Also, some skaters just want to have different colored or funkier looking boots; however, white or beige are needed for competition/testing. The tight over boot helps here.

I know a lot of fans hate the look, but many skater like me prefer to use it in performance situations.

I hate it, personally. I can understand for syncro, I guess, but otherwise I think it actually doesn't elongate the leg, but instead makes the ankle look lumpy and fat. This is even more the case with thinner girls -- it's holy giant feet batman! It doesn't bother me as much when it's actually the skate and it's obvious, but with the over-the-boot tights it just looks clunky as heck and makes no sense to me.

And polish and cleaning works wonders, especially if you do it a lot. I used to clean and polish my skates weekly or every other week when I competed. I paid for my custom skates myself as a high school student, and I got a bit obsessive, I guess? Coaches that weren't mine would always ask me if I got new skates and I was like, "well, two years ago, I just polish them." And I used to skate five days a week, too.

[FigureSpins]

Clean, shiny skates are more appealing to my eye. Someone once described the OTB look as "having hooves." ITA

I despise the way I look in OTB tights, which I had the joy of seeing this year for the first time. Not a good look for me or my skates - you could see them through the tights, like I was wearing curtains! In fairness, some brands/styles look better than others. My kids like the soft Mondor ones with clips more than the pullover-styles.

As a reformed Queen of Boot Rot, I keep our skates in good condition regularly and never let them look like they've been in a war zone. The kids' skates usually sell at skate swaps pretty quickly as a result. I get a comment about "New skates?" at every coaching conference. I usually just say "aren't they beautiful?" and let it go, lol.

However, many skaters feel that damaged skates are a badge of honor showing that they're better/skate more/do difficult things. To each his own.