Just wondering randomly..around what time did ice dance costumes stop looking like rags and start looking cleaner.. looking at 2007 Worlds and before, just so many hideous costumes and sometimes styling, I feel like it's the 80s and not just 10 years ago? Did the change from "full on drama" programs have something to do with it?
Oh, this one is easy.
It started in 2004 with the apparition in junior ice dance of Zoé Blanc and Pierre-Loup Bouquet and the school of Villard de Lans.
The costumes of the dancers of Villard are designed by their coach / choreographer Karine Arribert. At the time, they looked like no one else's (they are still very distinctive but less than they used to, because ice-dance has played catch up a little bit), very modern, often tight on the upper male body (Cizeron's costumes often make me think of a more classical take of Villard's costumes), with a play on different types of fabrics, diagonal cuts, different forms, very graphic, very similar between man and woman (Villard dancers don't skate as opposites or male / female characters in a story, the same way Papadakis / Cizeron have done in large part, except that Villard's costumes follow that rule too ; if Arribert could have a couple dressed both in sarouel trousers, she would but ice-dance is pretty adverse to this kind of thing)
The first to notice that was the school of Lyon. And most of all, Péchalat / Bourzat who were young dancers, ex-clones of Anissina / Bourzat and were trying to find a personality and direction.
They found a stylist in 2006, Marlene Weber, who would work on new fabrics, new cuts. The change is obvious for them between
2005-2006 and
2006-2007. They started to make
strong artistic propositions, far from what was the norm in ice-dance, costume and music-wise, which helped legitimize the trend.
What is funny is that there are 2 ice-dance schools in Lyon. One who moved on quickly from the russian styles from 2006 to something much closer to Villard (Zazoui's school) and one who did only after quite a long period of time (Cedric Pernet's Baraban school). So watching the french juniors was quite the stylistic contrast for a few years.
Because they had 0 stylistic complex, Villard broke the inhibitions linked to the russian dominance while Russia was still the powerhouse. All the dancers who grew up with Zoé and Pierre-Loup started to make stylistic changes as their career went on.
Villard had the same effect on musical choices.
If anyone is skating on anything remotely "modern", that's because Villard did, without complex and without asking anyone's permission. And they paid for it dearly. They were litterally depressed by their discipline when they left ice-dance in 2011. They didn't have the level to be respected and ice-dance powers spent their time trying to force them into something more "acceptable".
As Arribert is the goddess of the discipline of ballet/theatre on ice, one can also say that ballet / theatre on ice rejuvenated ice-dance through its best representative. And OMG how much modern and interesting ballet / theatre on ice looked then compared to ice-dance (still does). It was looking young and fun as ice-dance was looking so old and tacky.
Blanc Bouquet 2004-2005 (their 2nd music would still be fabulously modern today)
Blanc Bouquet 2005-2006 (yes, their hair are blue)
Blanc Bouquet 2006-2007 (can't find this one, it was on the superb
It's a man's man's world by Sekouba Bambino)
Blanc Bouquet 2007-2008, also
their SD as they were the first to skate on Bollywood music. No actually they did that 3 seasons before, but not for an indian folk dance. 1st year senior.
Blanc Bouquet 2008-2009
Blanc Bouquet 2009-2010
Blanc Bouquet 2010-2011
They were aliens from another planet.
I miss them. A lot.
Begone with ott ornaments, baubles, bangles, beads, and bric-à-brac ! 
