Grand Prix Figure Skating Costumes: Nick Fashion Police

Grand Prix Figure Skating "red carpet"...Another Project Runway Figure Skating Costume Challenge? The Medal Portrait from Cup of Russia, ISU Grand Prix

Over the weekend, the ISU Grand Prix Finals were held in Tokyo, Japan. As a fan of figure skating of course, I was watching all weekend! Besides the amazing athleticism and beautiful artistry, naturally, I was looking at the costumes. Here are my Highlights from the Grand Prix Finals--it's like a mini version of my "red carpet" review--figure skating style!

Best Cleopatra Diva:At this weekend's ISU Grand Prix Finals, Japan's Miki Ando, finished the competition in 2nd place. But for me, she came in FIRST, when it came to style. She skated to Highlights from "Marco Polo" Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, "Rome" by Jeff Beal, and "Mission Cleopatra from Asterix and Obelix" Soundtrack by Philippe Chany. As a result, her costume was very Nubian Princess if John Galliano had been commissioned to design it. Turquoise blue, bejeweled neckline, gold and crystals galore. She even wore a headpiece worthy of Tutankhamun! It was definitely my favorite.

The Classic Costume Award Goes To:
Kim Yu-Na (also goes by Yu-Na Kim), from South Korea. She is the reigning Ice Princess and after winning the Gold at the GP Finals and the 2009 World Championships she is the one to beat at the 2010 Olympics . After seeing Miki Ando's costume, everything else was a yawn for me, but I must give "pretty points" to Kim Yu-Na for wearing something that was classic and elegant. Again, it was in the turquoise/royal blue color and featured a high jeweled neckline and back detail mimicking crystal back-straps. Pretty as pretty can be.

I Was On The Fence about...American Ashley Wagner's costume for her Grand Prix Free Skate. The color was muted and not as exciting as Miki or Kim's and it featured a lot of re-embroidered lace with crystals. It looked almost as if she had extra of that embroidered lace and then made a headpiece out of it. It wasn't so much the lace and the over-use of it but more the color. It lacked a "wow" factor, especially when placed next to the above girls.

And Now The MenWith male figure skaters , you either get the ones who "Queen Out" when it comes to their costumes or the ones who want to just look as if they are meeting their girlfriend's parents for the first time. Safe and oh-so boring. On the safe route, Japanese Figure Skater Nobunari Oda did a "Charlie Chaplin" rendition for his Free Skate and therefore his costume reflected this: Shrunken jacket, pleated pants and bow tie. No frills, no nothing. Then again, that WAS Charlie Chaplin's "look". But as a designer and knowing that for "stage and performance" you need to turn it up a notch, I felt his costume was lacking something. It just needed a Swarovski crystal studded lapel on his jacket or a sequined tie. Or just a small red rose lapel boutonniere. Nobunari has "queened out" before (with his costumes) so maybe his people just felt that this time, he would keep it simple.

On the Other Hand...We can always count on Japanese Figure Skater Daiksuke Takahashi for some glam. And he delivered. He's like the Adam Lambert of Male Figure Skaters when it comes to his costumes and I, for one, love it. For the Grand Prix Finals, he wore a fitted cropped jacket, black and white checkered neckscarf and sleeve accents, and a crystal-studded "vest". Sometimes his fabric and color combinations make you scratch your head in wonderment, but at least it gets your attention. I'm all for it, keep doing it Daiksuke!

Then there's cutie Evan...Vera Wang and Evan Lysacek

Evan Lysacek is one of those male figure skating "hearthrobs". He is a Poster Boy in the skating world and he is the perfect blend between athleticism and artistry and this is definitely reflected in his costumes. For this Grand Prix round, he collaborated with designer Vera Wang. Wang, better known for her $20,000 wedding gowns, is also famous for designing Michelle Kwan's iconic figure skating costumes (as well as Nancy Kerrigan). She's at it again with Evan. For his early Grand Prix Free Skate performances, he wore a stunning Wang-designed black costume which focused on a very unusual top: It had sequined shoulder details with feathers and (wait for it), a see-through black mesh torso inset which showed every ripple of his six-pack abs and defined chest. Crazy I know. But it was hot! Go Vera and go Evan.
Which One Do You Like: Shoulder Feathers and Torso Mesh or Snake Neck-Charm?

Unfortunately, someone must have thought it was too risque because, over the weekend, he changed his costume--or at least the top. The mesh was gone and so were the shoulder feathers. The crystals stayed but in place of the see-through ab-defining mesh was a sequined snake swirling around his neck. I liked the first top better, I have to say. Maybe it will make another appearance in the future, who knows?
Until Next Time Kiddies. Nick Verreos Figure Skating Costume Watcher, signing off.

Click Below for Miki Ando's "Cleopatra Meets Rome" Free Skate at ISU Grand Prix Finals:

Fashion Week Jewelry: Take 2

With one more day left of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York, my head has been spinning trying to keep up with all the top designers and their Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear creations. The week started slow, with not a lot of new trends to get excited about - and even less jewelry to gawk at.

Designers that usually offer up at least a little sparkle - Carolina Herrera, Thakoon, Narciso Rodriguez - opted out of the usual statement bling this season. But never fear - Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang and Diane von F came to the rescue.

Marc by Marc Jacobs:

Bold color, tribal influences and beads, beads, beads were the jewelry looks the 'chosen one' offered us for his little sister signature line (his Marc Jacobs collection offered up no jewels to speak of). Clearly, turquoise will be big for spring and layered bangles are still the best way to add color and style to any outfit.

Zac Posen:


Party wear is Posen's specialy, and he returned to what he knows best in what was arguably the critics' favortie collection this week. Primary colors ruled his catwalk as funky brooches and colorful statement necklaces in blues and pinks added sparkle.

Vera Wang:


Known for using jewelry creatively in her shows, Vera Wang did not disappoint this year as she sent her models reeling down the runway in lobster bib-sized chain mail pieces and lots of layered metal that gave an edge to her otherwise romantic collection of blacks and whites.

Diane von Furstenburg:

The First Lady of Fashion is still as ecclectic as ever, with yet another wearable ready-to-wear collection of boho chic garb. Layered bangles elbow deep made each look leap off the stage with a cornucopia of color. Seems to be the must-have accessory for next season, jewelry hounds. And the good news? You can find 'em cheap and plentiful just about everwhere - from Old Navy to Nordies.

So what do you think of my jewelry selects? Did I miss a designer you've been dying to see? I'd love to hear your thoughts. In the meantime, I'll continue to collect my thoughts and give you an overall rundown by week's end.

NY Fashion Week Spring 2008

Fashion Schmashion

Last week was NY Fashion Week, and I spent it in Los Angeles. Much to the contrary of what had been rumored, I did not show at the Bryant Park Tents . Let me explain: I received many emails and calls here in LA from friends and industry people saying, "Did you know you are showing?". I was like "No, I ain't". Well, a line called "Nicholai" is on the roster, they would tell me. Sorry guys, my line is NIKOLAKI. Nicholai is the brand-new line by Nicky Hilton, and while yes, the names sound familiar. They are not the same. You can see of my recent gowns from Spring 2008 above and to the left.

I stayed here in LA, because I was working, teaching and filming segments for MSN.com/Style Studio for the Emmy's. So, to get my NY Fashion Week style fix, I turned to various fashion sites I love , such as Style.com, Cathy Horyn's blog for the New York Times and the fabulous Frillr.com site. This site had most of the NY designer's full runway videos up the next day, if not the same day. So I felt like I was there--without the rude people pushing, shoving and trying to get into a show, pretending they were "somebody".

Speaking of videos vs photos, I would first look at the photos and my immediate reaction with some of the collections was a very Michael Kors meets Nina Garcia "I am underwhelmed". However, after I looked at the full runway video, with the models moving, seeing the backs of the gowns or dresses, plus the music, my view would change 360 degrees. This is a lesson in how photos DO NOT translate exactly what the clothes really looked like or what the designer had in mind in putting forth their "vision". I argue that a photo from Style.com cannot portray this accurately, but seeing the full-on video can. And in several instances, it changed my mind. Particularly, after seeing Vera Wang's Roman-inspired collection and Ralph Lauren's ode to "My Fair Lady". At first I wasn't moved but after watching these videos, I actually loved them. I was especially thrilled to see Vera Wang do a Grecian/Roman inspired collection, since that was essentially the theme for my recent NIKOLAKI Spring 2008 show at the W San Diego. Her take was less glam, but serenely beautiful. The draping was on-mark!

My other favorites were the controversial Marc Jacobs collection and Diane Von Furstenberg, among others. Marc Jacobs' show began 2 hours late and was shown backwards (Marc took his bow at the beginning and the models came out from last look to first. ) Few fashion journalists and bloggers I read even commented on how the amazing Viktor and Rolf had done this "backwards show" several seasons before, as well as the illusive Martin Margiela. Jacobs' collection, at first, looked a mess. But after much viewing and thought, I thoroughly understood it. His take on sex, society and wearing your underthangs a la Britney and "Grey Gardens" meets Madonna circa 1985 was on a whole other level. People loved it or hated it. The argument I keep hearing towards Marc Jacobs is that we (Americans) need our own Galliano, or Viktor and Rolf--someone who goes "out there" and tantalizes, polarizes--and Jacobs, is the closest thing.

Diane Von Furstenberg's show was Tahiti-Meets-Hawaii-in 1982. The French Disco soundtrack was sexy-hot and so were the flowy dresses shown on the runway. The bold colorful prints, sexy mumu's (I would never think those two words would go together!). The fact that she used so many models of color: HOT!!! After looking at her collection, I wanted to go to Hawaii and bring every single DVF mumu with me! Tres Chic.

Click HERE to view the Ralph Lauren show.
Click HERE to view the Vera Wang show.
Click HERE to view Marc Jacobs show.
Click HERE to view the Diane Von Furstenberg show.