Top-10 best costumes in pairs. Season 2018-2019
Annual fashion review, today I’m gonna discuss pairs’ costumes.
Unfortunately there weren’t many pairs this season, so we don’t have big choice of costumes.
10. Laura Barquero and Aritz Maestu
Such a cute polka dot sundress which reminds me the dress of Valentina Marchei. Artis wears classic set of “trousers, shirt and a vest” and a pocket square to match her dress. Costumes are nice and suit the style of the program.
9. Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc
When you have a program in the style of 20-30th, what could be better than a dress with a fringe?) Well and who cares that each season we have plenty of such dresses. Sorry, I’ll try to be more kind) Fringe, ruffles on the back and pearls – everything in the spirit of the times. But I would really prefer a deeper color.
Timothy choose a classic look trousers with suspenders. Striped trousers by the way, not just usual boring black.
I start to think that I should have included into the ranking leggings from the free program. At least there was some freshness of ideas)
8. Kirsten Moore-Tower and Michael Marinaro
Kirsten often showed us beautiful outfits. For example, that beautiful dusty lavender dress or the red dress. Therefore, this season I also expected something interesting, but we have only two nice dresses.
Simple, but pretty blue dress, with an open back, rhinestones and a light ombre effect.
The first dress for the short program was more interesting. I’m not sure that I like this shade of purple, but the coloring of the skirt is interesting and non-standard. Looking at it I want to say “Oh, this is something new.” I wish Kirsten have stayed with this dress just having reworked it a bit on the top instead of replacing it with new one nice but usual.
Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad
Michal didn’t deserve a change of costume) Okay, okay, just kidding. Just from the beginning he got a good one. Beautiful dark blue, well-fitting and without unnecessary details.
7. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov
It’s finally happened! For the second time in their senior career I don’t want to burn their costumes of immediately. Yes, somewhere we have already seen something similar. Yes, the signs on the back seem to me too much and too primitive, like “Ok, if someone don’t understand the libretto of our program will explain in the simplest way”. But still it’s a huge progress and a confident step forward into a bright stylish future.
Elie Saab and J.Mendel
Color and antique motifs in silhouette suits Evgenia. It looks nobly and favorably emphasizes her refined beauty. Slight neckline with massive jewelry look very nice. Vladimir has the absolute must have in the wardrobe of every male skater – a gray ombre longsleeve, ok “dark edition”. But after the red disco shirt, I’m ready to appreciate even this.
6. Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer
Almost every season I want to steal their programs together with the costumes and give them to some top pair…Yeah I feel guilty…but just a little) This season I liked the costumes for the free program. Firstly, I really like their laconic style. Secondly, we finally see deep color! Severin even wears not a usual black. Not some boring pale ombre which is so beloved by all the skaters now, but beautiful, deep, dark purple color. And everything would have been gorgeous and with a claim to a fashionable top if not the color of the sleeves which is too bright.
Ralph and Russo, Georges Hobeika
Ok, here I’ll try to explain the logic of my ranking. In the bottom of the rating there are those who in my opinion had one set of good costumes, above are those who got nice (unfortunately can’t say amazing) costumes for both programs.
5. Alexandra Boikova and Dmitri Kozlovski
Despite the fact that in the short program Dmitri looked like waiter in Russian restaurant on Brighton Beach (although … maybe it was the idea?), I want to include this costumes into the ranking because of Alexandra’s dress. It seems to me a very good finding. First and most important, it fits Sasha perfectly and creates a very beautiful, feminine silhouette. Secondly, it pleases with restraint, laconic finishing and overall elegance, which is not often seen in costumes for “Dark eyes”.
As for the costumes for the free program, I like Dmitri’s outfit more.Sasha’s dress seemed to me too pale and too “nude” (especially leotard). I understand that it’s still a trend in fashion, but I wanted something splendid and romantic for the Nutcracker. But Dmitri looked great! Beautifully embroidered black camisole on such tall and handsome guy! Prince no doubt.
Elie Saab
4. Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud
anadian pairs have a reputation to uphold. Probably, this is the only jumpsuit of the season, which I liked without any “but”. Taking into account the peculiarities of figure skaters’ bodies, jumpsuits suit not everyone and you need to be very careful with the proportions. But Evelyn has a beautiful figure and can totally afford wearing such an outfit. And I like the idea to step aside from the usual version of jumpsuit. Pants + short top looks fresh and more interesting. Despite the plunging neckline, it doesn’t look vulgar. Trennt’s neckline, of course, could have been less impressive) Although ladies in the stands probably liked it. The costumes are matched to each other, and I really liked that they made a real costume for Trenn, not just pants and some shirt.
They had Romeo and Juliet in the free program and this theme in one way or another obliges to beautiful, romantic costumes. Their variation is very nice, without cliches. Beautiful, delicate dress with ruffles falling of the shoulder. I won’t even grumble about the another ombre effect) But I’ll seriously think about writing to ISU suggesting implement a -1 deduction for ombre)
It seems that Trennt is a fan of translucent sleeves and plunging necklines) Well ok, at least he has what to show) I love it when a male partner wears a nice costumes and not just somewhere on the background of his beautifully dressed-up lady. Nice variation of doublet with a beautiful finishing on the shoulders. The image turned out very princely)
3. Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres
I seemed that it was a time for Vanessa and Morgan to take the position of fashion trendsetters in pair skating. Who if not them? They had so many great costumes! I still remember amazing costumes for “Angels and Demons” FP, which I still consider to be one of the most luxurious and gorgeus costumes in pair skating. Cool and super hot blue dress, which make all the commentators speechless. And, of course, the first appearance of Vanessa in the black jumpsuit. Therefore, the expectations were high…but unfortunately they didn’t reach that bar this season.
I quite liked Morgan’s semi-transparent costume of maroon almost black shade. Yes, he already has a lot of such longsleeves. But still he looks damn good. Surprisingly, I also liked Vanessa’s dress. Despite the richness of finishes and shining golden fabric, which usually looks a bit cheap to me. Surprisingly, but Vanessa can present even such design. I would also like to mention an attempt to bring crop tops on the ice and an interesting asymmetrical skirt design.
And I’d really like this costumes if not for one, but important, BUT. I didn’t get a complete picture, what did they want to say with these costumes for this program? The costumes were on their own, the program on its own.
In the free program Morgan also looked great! An interesting longsleeve with drapery the same as on her costume, and translucent part again. I like that costumes are matched and united with a common idea. Vanessa looks damn good in her jumpsuit … ..but … The trick repeated more than twice has stopped causing such a stunning effect. Well, Vanessa. Well in a jumpsuit. Well, she looks gorgeous. But did we doubt that? I think she’s stuck a bit in this costume direction. I want to see something new. Oh, and “rhinestinestone G-string” was distracting me the entire season)
Christian Diror
So it turned out that the most spectacular appearance of the season was training outfit at the European Championships. Vanessa took off her training jacket and remained in this:
The arena exhaled “Oh …”
2. Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim
Almost constant participants of the fashion rating and even its repeated prize-winners. At first they shocked me with their futuristic costumes for the short program. It turned out that there are things that can ruin even Alexa. But then they showed us this stylish and beautiful costumes. There are a lot of finishing, but everything was done with taste. Chris has a very nicely decorated neckline. And Alexa’s dress is a great example of how hot a little black dress can look.
Prada and Georges Hobeika
In the free program Chris wore this elegant dark blue long-sleeve with drapery on the neckline … which caused me bitterly sweet nostalgia for Patrick Chan’s Olympic costume.
Alexa has a gentle, romantic dress, with a flirty strap falling off the shoulder with a still fashionable multi-level skirt length. The color combination suits her a lot, fashion houses also approve … The dress is so lovely that I will even ignore the notorious ombre effect)
Ziad Nakad
1.Wenjing Sui and Cong Han
Let’s start with the costumes for the free program. Oh, they have everything I love: simplicity of design, minimalism in details and no ombre effect!) Just deep, beautiful color. Cong wears elegant, stylish, black shirt that will look great even with pants or jeans. Wenjing’s dress reflects the fashion trend on structured bodices in the linen style. She was the first who brought this trend to the ice, adding a “provocation” note to the image.
Elie Saab and Jаson Wu
Christian Dior, D&G and Ralph Russo
And I want to finish my fashion ranking with costumes for the short program. Mostly because of her dress) Cong, of course, also looked great in his simplified version of a tuxedo. Although, I think there’s too much finishing on it. But everything is fading near Wenjing’s dress. I fell in love with this dress from the first sight and immediately understood – that’s my winner.
Sophisticated gray-blue color, laconic silhouette and gorgeous design of the bodice! Chic, beautiful, sexy. And a thin belt in the best traditions of our beloved Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad as a finishing touch.
Ralph and Russo, Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad
And now our rubric “Take it off immediately” for the fashion victims. Let’s see whose costumes amazed us this season, but not in a good way.
I can not past by Mr. Tomato Morozov the disco dancer. The one who gave the redhead Vova this shirt has something personal against him. I see no other reason)
Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise. I still don’t understand how it’s even possible to make such an unflattering costume for Matteo who looks like ancient roman god. I also don’t have any explanation why her skirt is so short…Maybe the dress has shrunked in the wash.
This futuristic jumpsuit with golden armor bra has been making me speechless all season.
And the indisputable leaders of antirating Natalia Zabijako and Alexander Enbert. He wears tile and a velvet curtain, she has some kind of a tulle with a sign that from a distance above the 10th row looked like “High voltage”, or “Danger. Toxic.”
Related topics: Alexa Scimeca Chris Knierim, Alexandra Boikova Dmitri Kozlovski, Ashley Cain Timothy LeDuc, Evelyn Walsh Trennt Michaud, Evgenia Tarasova Vladimir Morozov, figure skating costumes, figure skating dresses, ice style, Kirsten Moore-Towers Michael Marinaro, Laura Barquero Artiz Maestu, Miriam Ziegler Severin Kiefer, Natalia Zabijako Alexander Enbert, Nicole Della Monica Matteo Guarise, Vanessa James Morgan Cipres, Wenjing Sui Cong Han
Yes, Brian Joubert is one of the few skaters who wore a medieval costume that didn’t look like a disaster ;)
I agree about Sasha Boikova. She’s young and beautiful, let her wear something fun!
I still have faith in James/Cipres when it comes to costumes though, I think they will have something amazing next year.
Great review of the costumes! Always love to hear your thoughts on fashion <3
After years of bumblebee-yellow polka dots and blue rags that I wouldn’t put on a house-elf, I was so relieved to see Tarasova/Morozov’s free program costumes. See, guys, it wasn’t that hard to dress like civilized people! The costumes aren’t anything we haven’t seen before, but they’re pretty and not distracting.
I adored Ziegler/Kiefer’s free program costumes. Such a stunning color and the style of the dress is simple and beautiful.
I admit I also thought of a fancy waiter when I saw Kozlovskii’s jacket for the short program, but I think it fits the theme; I picture him serving cocktails on the Titanic while jazz music plays in the background (and Boikova is a glamorous first-class passenger). Her short program dress is cute. I agree that the free program dress should’ve been darker – I’m picturing the purple dress from “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”. His costume is just stunning though!
Evelyn and Trennt’s bodysuits for the short program were actually my favorite costumes this year. They looked stylish and cool but not trashy, and there weren’t any unnecessary decorations. They looked a little like Black Widow and Hawkeye from the Avengers movies :) The free program costumes were also beautiful.
I like James/Cipres’ short program costumes a lot. She looks stunning, he looks nice, but somehow they didn’t look like a pair to me. I think her dress should’ve been a darker shade of red to match his shirt. I agree that the free program unitard was nice, but I think I still love the silver one from “Say Something” most. The practice outfit is just gorgeous though!
As a victim of Alexa’s crazy unitard for the first half of the season, you have no idea how happy I was to see her new dress at nationals. I love the unique cuts on the dress, they make it interesting and not just another black skating dress. It’s just such a shame we didn’t get to see it at more competitions. The free program costumes are beautiful and even though they’re ombré, the design is nice so it doesn’t look boring.
Sui/Han’s free program costumes are gorgeous. The color is so beautiful that they don’t need lots of embellishments, and they just look royal (because they are a king and queen). The short program costumes are ridiculously pretty; they look like a beautiful rich couple going to the opera. Whenever I look at them, I think they would be the perfect stars of the movie “Crazy Rich Asians”.
I also agree that Vladimir Morozov’s red shirt clashed with his hair. I thought Evgenia’s dress could’ve been cute and glamorous, but the metallic fabric looks a little cheap. The new costumes for the Rachmaninov program were better than the red bandages they wore last year, but I still dream of an amazing costume designer for them.
All season, I couldn’t figure out what was going on with Matteo’s costume for the free program. I guess they were trying to make him look like a medieval warrior? Maybe he can talk to Zabiiako and Enbert about the woes of making a medieval costume :) I like the colors of Nicole’s dress, but the skirt looks disproportionate.
I am eternally indebted to you for your reference to the “high voltage” sign on Natalia’s dress. To me it always looked like she was a zombie bride (the cuts on the dress remind me of an old coffin for Halloween). His shirt looks like the bricks of a medieval castle – a very cheap one – and the cape looks like a tablecloth tied around his neck. I seriously wonder if they bought their costumes at a discount Halloween store. What scares me is that their new short program is also a medieval theme, so I’m not sure if those costumes will be good either.
“All season, I couldn’t figure out what was going on with Matteo’s costume for the free program. I guess they were trying to make him look like a medieval warrior? Maybe he can talk to Zabiiako and Enbert about the woes of making a medieval costume :)”
I wish he’ve talked to Brian Joubert who new perfectly well how to look damn good in a warrior costume!)
I think Sasha Boikova is now in a perfect age when she still can wear something tender and girlish and look gorgeous. Sshe will have lots of opportunity to wear such “just pretty nude illusion dress”, so I expected something more “ball-gown” for Nutcracker.
Agree about James/Cipres’ costumes, looked good but I wish they had a little bit more connection with the program.
excellent post, I like that you posted the corresponding real-world dresses, definitely something to look into for my partner! saving this post to archive ;)
Love Laura and Aritz! A shame they split up! Sasha and Dmitri are great(she is so cute in the Nutcracker)! Love Evelyn and Trennt’s costumes but Kaetltyn may want to keep him under wraps next season! LOL
I think Kaetlyn may want to keep his costumes less impressive)))