ICE STYLE.....Prudential U.S. Championships of Figure Skating: PAIRS Costume Recap

Pairs GLITTER:











Gretchen Donlan and Andrew Speroff--The Pairs Team of Donlan and Speroff finished 6th overall. For their Short Program to "Nocturne" by Ennio Morricon, they wore these costumes above designed by Bobby Pearce, Paul Ginandes and Yumi Barnett-Nakamura. I liked the black/gunmetal silver/gray colors and I especially enjoyed the "nocturnal sky" beading in her neckline. It was also a great idea to line the skirt with the contrasting gray. Now, in terms of his look, it was OK, but...I would have liked a variation on her sequined sky on his shirt--as opposed to wearing a shirt that could have been bought from Macy's.






Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier--I liked these costumes they wore to their "Malaguena" by Ernesto Lecuona Short Program.The costumes designed by Joey Santos reflect the theme of the music and give a subdued España vibe. I also like the fact--unlike Donlan and Speroff--the male here looks like he really belongs with his female partner. Both of their costumes finish off the total presentation.





Tiffany Vise and Don Baldwin--Vise and Baldwin ended up in 10th place (last) overall at the 2013 U.S. Nationals in Omaha. The costumes in the above photos are for their Short Program to...







I like the purple and black colors of the costumes, designed by Erin Ovens-Scalzitti and Mare Talbot. I thought Tiffany's look reflected a sexy Latina-esque beauty but there were some details I was confused about such as the white bra/bandeau top peaking out from the plunging neckline and maybe too much criss-cross straps with less-than-expensive looking diamante trim. I think her costume needed some editing and revising.




 On a good note, I especially LOVE his "Mariachi" metallic hardware on the sides of Don's pant legs.




Felicia Zhang Nathan Bartholomay--Zhang and Bartholomay got the Bronze overall. They skated their Short Program to...









Kudos for that. I liked that they brought in the pool water into the colors of their costumes (smart!) and I also enjoyed (naturally) a little bit of the sparkle seen in both their looks. I will say this however: I am NOT a fan of the "Ross Dress For Less" belt I see on a lot of these men--both Singles, Pairs, and some Ice Dancers. And here, it just distracted me from the rest of the look. Everything else looks put together and costume-y...but then, there's that belt. If I were a Costume Designer I just don't know what I would do; I just know it wouldn't be that.






For their Long Program/Free Skate to Music from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, these costumes were just right. Felicia went fuchsia colorful and pretty but not 60's period while Nathan kept to the 1961 "movie/musical" script and looked just like one of the Jets or Sharks. Now, for Nathan, the belt which I normally HATE--works here. Because it is part of the outfit/costume and theme. PS: two belt looks for Nathan,...I guess he really loves himself a belt! Both the Short and Long Program Costumes, by the way, were designed by Dawn Imperatore and James Peterson.





Alexa Scimeca and Christopher Knierim--Scimeca and Knierim got the Silver overall at the 2013 U.S. Nationals. These two have only been skating together since April 2012 and so far so good! For their Short Program to "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven, they donned what I call "Figure Skating Classical" ensembles which I liked. Alexa looked elegant and pretty in white with strewn crystals throughout. The criss-cross back straps were great as well as the bust section with chiffon inset. My favorite part was her hair accessory:  a sequined "side crown". Oh, and yes, Christopher's costume was an A+ in terms of being in synch with hers. The ombre white-to-black deep v-neck with convertible collar and three-quarter sleeves was nice and still sparkle-y enough to make an impact during their skate.





Speaking of a costume impact...For their Free Skate to "La Vita E Bella (Life Is Beautiful)" by Nicola Piovan from the 1997 comedy-drama film which garnered director and actor Roberto Benigni a Best Actor Academy Award, Scimeca and Knierim went Crystal Crazy as you can see above. Christopher stuck to his love of a  three-quarter sleeve but this time, it was a button-down. In addition, he donned a bedazzled vest that looked two minutes away from something one might see the piano player wearing at "Musical Mondays" at your local gay bar! I liked Alexa's red costume because of the bright red lipstick color juxtaposed with the nude illusion and the asymmetrical details kept me interested.





Marissa Castelli Simon Shnapir--The Gold-medal winning pairs team of Castelli and Shnapir skated their Free Skate/Long program to "Payadora" by Julian Plaza, an Argentinian Tango.  He's 6' 4"and from Russia and she's 5' 0" and from Rhode Island. Yes: A FOOT and FOUR inch height difference! But I digress, let's discuss the costumes. They were designed by Yumi Nakamura, Julie Marcotte and Paul Ginandes. I liked Marissa's red and violet lace and sequin applique costume and thought the asymmetrical illusion detail was interesting. However, I still felt that it could have been slightly more impacting and directional, in terms of it's Tango Diva theme. I liked Simon's look--especially the shirt with its satin-and-crystal front yoke. But, it would have been nice to carry over some of her red--or violet colors into his costume.