Fashion Files - Light and Shade

Its that time of year again. Figure skating is back and the Grand Prix series is upon us. It may be the early stages of the season but already the fashion stakes have been raised. There have been some big, bold costuming statements made this season so let's jump right in fashion fans.

We begin with Michal Brezina, demonstrating the old adage; girls love a sharp dressed man. The theme for this program is Justin Timberlake's 'Suit and Tie.' He starts off with the full shirt, jacket and hat and boy does he look suave with it. The hat in particular really suits him and creates some brilliant strong lines. But wait, it gets better. We go from dapper buttoned up Micha to sexy undone Micha. An unbuttoned white shirt, simple but effective.

We move on to Sui Wenjing and Cong Han, giving us a perfect demonstration of 'light and shade.' These two looks are diametrically opposed yet they manage to pull off both of them with aplomb. For the 'light' half of this combo, Sui Wenjing and Cong Han have gone for old school figure skating styling at its very best. These outfits are bright, fun, embellished and best of all fit with the fine tradition of national folk dress in figure skating.

Now the 'shade' half of this combination is possibly my favourite program of the season so far. This routine is danced to 'Painted on my Heart' by the Cult, which is awesome enough as it is. Then we have this stroke of costuming genius. I love everything about this concept. I applaud them for picking something completely different, for completely embracing their theme and making it their own. The song and routine are already great and these outfits are the icing on the cake, they tie it all together beautifully

Next we have Denis Ten also demonstrating the light and shade principle. First on the 'light' side of the equation his outfit for his long program. I love this outfit. I love the softness of the lines. I love the sparkly undertones. And most of all I love the colour. All these shades of purple remind me of Prince and his music videos. I'm not sure whether its an intentional reference but its a very good one nonetheless. And its a palette that suits Denis down to the ground.

Then we have the 'shade' aspect of the equation. This doesn't really need a lot of explanation. Its pinstripes and wet look leather. Its a straight up classic.

We end with Natalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat and another fine example of concept dressing. As soon as I heard that their new program was 'The Little Prince' I was majorly excited, it seemed a perfect fit for them. And it did not disappoint. Natalie's dress is a dreamy little delight, those little tutu layers are just perfection. And Fabian's outfit is true to the spirit of the original without being cartoony. The little flicked out scarf is a really charming touch.

source