Figure Skating #fashionfriday

In honor of Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski calling out Derby fashion this weekend, I too will be delving into the fashion of figure skating.

First a disclaimer--there is no way on earth I can claim to be any sort of authority on the topic of fashion. My fashion sense has always been conservative, comfort-based and highly suspect. I am not a trendsetter, and I tend to scoff at runway fashion every season as being ridiculous. ("What the hell is that??" is a frequent response.)

So, figure skating fashion. I'll kick off this weekly roundup with a review of the fashion in Sochi.

LOVE: French skater Mae Berenice Meite's short program dress this season. It's elegant and conservative, but has a little edginess to it at the same time with the one sleeve and the bust line. I love the color and the applique patterns too. Neither is obnoxious, and they pop really well with her skin tone. And, they're catchy enough to keep eyes on her all over the arena.

DON'T LOVE: South Korean Olympic silver medalist (and Vancouver gold medalist) Yuna Kim's short program dress. I cannot STAND the color, it makes me want to avert my eyes. It clashes with her skin tone and the applique pattern makes it look reptilian. It also made her look a little sickly, and amplified the visible anxiety she was experiencing at the time.

LOVE: Jeremy Abbott's short program ensemble this season. As far as men's figure skating fashion goes, I've always been a fan of the simple and elegant (sorry Johnny Weir). Something with a little contrast and maybe a hint of bling I think works best for dudes on ice, like what Jeremy was wearing. And it even looked great as he wiped out!

I do want to be clear though that I absolutely do not have a problem with frilly and fluffy (or feathery) and feminine on a male, and I think one should have the freedom to express themselves on ice (and in life) howsoever they choose. I just tend to think that outfits that are too busy detract from the awesome athleticism that men's figure skating can deliver. I also think gimmicky--on a male or female--distracts too much from the actual skating, which is the very thing I want to watch!

And, because it's also #fbf (Flashback Friday), here's one for laughs...

DON'T LOVE: My short program dress from my intermediate ladies season. It was a cheap getup I got it at a dance shop, I think, and while the color popped, the fabric was thin and SUPER absorbant, resulting in some seriously embarrassing sweat stains.