Nick Verreos Figure Skating Fashion Blog UniversalSports.com: Grand Prix Cup of China

Go Figure China!!!

My New Love: Chinese Pairs Sui Wenjing and Cong Han

The Grand Prix of Figure Skating continues and this past weekend, we were (not I but the figure skaters!) in China for, yes, the Cup of China. The skating was of course, amazing but naturally, I'm here to discuss the lovely--and sometimes not-so-lovely costumes, for my Figure Skating Blog for UniversalSports.com.

One thing I need to get off my designer chest: After watching this past weekend, I am now in LOVE with the Chinese Pairs couple of Sui Wenjing and Cong Han. She's about 4' 7" tall and like EIGHT!!! (OK, I lie, she's 15, but still!) and they were the World Junior Champions last year and now are debuting in the Senior Grand Prix circuit. And did I mention I LOVE them! They were unbelievable. Those two are ones to watch! If they are that good now, huneyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! But I digress, let's get to my Figure Skating Costumes "Two Cents":

Chen Peitong Short Program

Mud and Yellow Fish Creature: I assume that Chinese Men's Figure Skater Chen Peitong's yellow and brown costume had something to do with the "Yellow River Concerto" soundtrack he skated to--that doesn't mean it worked! It was as if some already not-so-pretty fish got stuck in mud in that aforementioned Yellow River and out came this hybrid of a creature worthy of a bad Japanese Monster Movie. Icky Poo.

Faiella and Scali Short Dance

My Fair Skating: From the minute Italian Ice Dancers Faiella and Scali stepped onto the ice, their costumes had "My Fair Lady" written all over it, but in a subtle not overdone way. His: A dapper gentleman's 3-piece suit evoking tailored elegance and hers, an ivory with black-and-white striped dress was an exquisite representation of Audrey Hepburn's iconic costume from the movie. A perfect example of how costumes don't have to SCREAM to have a powerful effect and yet, can still put an exclamation mark on a sublime ice dance performance.

Pechalat Bourzat Short Dance

I Need a Shot of Vodka: “Dr Zhivago” never looked so intense, chic and oh-so-passionate. These outfits perfectly represent how costumes can enhance a performance when Ice Dancers get it right! The intensity of the fire red color juxtaposed against the jet black beading was a perfect contrast and evoked the style of the Early 1900’s. Her asymmetrical chiffon skirt was a great choice adding fluttery movement and drama to the overall look.

Miki Ando Free Skate

Figure Skating Red Carpet: I absolutely loved Miki Ando’s Free Skate Costume in which she skated to Piano Concerto in A Minor by E. Grieg. Miki usually goes for black-colored costumes so this wasn’t a surprise. What I admired was the demure elegance of the front combined with the captivating sexiness of the plunging low back. The beading was delicate yet expressive and she is even accessorized: Notice the “built-in” diamante necklace! A ten in my Figure Skating Costume Book!

And now we go from Miki Ando's "Figure Skating Red Carpet Chic" to Alena Leonova's Costume above...

Click HERE to read what I REALLY thought of this colorful Dingle Ball Explosion, as well as many other costumes from the Grand Prix Cup of China!!!!

Nick Verreos Figure Skating Fashion Blog on Universal Sports.com: Skate Canada Edition!!!

Miss Grand Prix Canada Is...

Sequin Trimmed Podium: The Top Three Ladies, Ksenia Makarova (Russia), Alissa Czizny (US, won the Gold), Amelie Lacoste (Canada)

I'm so excited to be back for another week of Figure Skating Fashion Two Cents for this Grand Prix Season. Last week we were in Japan (well, I wasn't unfortunately but they were!), and now...

We cross many, many time zones and arrive in Canada for the Grand Prix: Skate Canada edition. Let the Sequins, Asymmetrical Hemlines and Glue-Gun Begin:

Mandarin Evita: Figure Skaters and especially Russian Figure Skaters love a good asymmetrical costume. And Ksenia Makarova, skating to Evita for her long program, did not disappoint.

While she definitely was on the right track with the deep red color and very Eva Peron hairdo, the asymmetrical Nehru/Mandarin collar made the whole look literally askew--and also not "Country-appropriate" for the Argentine Muse.

Where's My Bayonet: Patrick Chan has decided to go "green" this season and recycle last seasons long program. He once again skated to Phantom of the Opera in this slightly period inspired all black costume.

Chan is one of those skaters that chooses simplicity over drama and although there is nothing wrong with this look, he definitely could have used an update. And he looked like he was doing a bad Civil War Reenactment as opposed to The Phantom!

Retro Chic: Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier were definitely one of my favorite skates across all disciplines. They skated to Eleanor Rigby, and although I must admit I am not a huge Beatles fan (sorry!) I am a huge fan of Christopher Dean. His choreography is breathtaking and always innovative. These costumes were a perfect match for this program. The simplicity and retro vibe they portrayed, allowed the program to speak for itself. They actually got me to like The Beatles...just for 4 minutes.

Cha-Cha 1986: When I first saw Gorshkova and Butikov hit the ice, I said “Oh Dear!”, I should have said “Ay Caramba!”. They skated to a Cha-Cha medley and their costumes, though bold and exuberant, reminded me of a cross between “Blades of Glory” and...

Some tacky dance show review in Reno—circa 1986.

Scheherazade Aerobics: Fumie Suguri of Japan skated to Bagoa's Dance from Alexander...in stretch velvet pants! Now, Fumie was one of the first skaters to bring back pants to women’s skating a few years ago: Several seasons ago she looked sleek in a black pant suit ensemble, but here she is just a hot mess.

She looks like my “kooky” Aunt from Boca Raton going to her Aerobics Class at the Marriott, headband and all.

Ole!: Cynthia Phaneuf was at the top of her game during the short program in this one sleeve gold beaded costume. She looked sleek and modern and I loved her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, very “fashion runway” in fact. Every detail accentuated her Spanish Theme perfectly—and not one Red Rose in sight (take note ladies!).

What did I think of Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein's "Cabaret" costumes above? Click HERE to read my Universal Sports Blog and see what I thought about them and many more of the costumes.

Nick Verreos Blogs from Universal Sports and the Grand Prix Figure Skating Costumes

Figure Skating is BAAACK!!! And so are my Costume Hits and Misses...

Yes, it's Figure Skating Grand Prix Season and you know what that means: I am looking at the Costumes!!! As you may know, I am a big Figure Skating fan (I love you Michelle!!!) and during the last Olympics, I had the pleasure of doing some TV Commentary on the Figure Skating Costumes for Universal Sports. They have invited me again to give my "Nick Verreos Two Cents" on their Universal Sports Figure Skating Blog. After every Grand Prix city, I will be posting my thoughts on the site HERE, as well as of course, adding a couple extra ones here on my blog---

Enjoy and let's hope for More Sequins, More Color and More Male Plunging Necklines!

Lilac Flower: Mao Asada at NHK Grand Prix

Mao may have shocked her hometown by not doing well in this Grand Prix NHK Trophy but I think that in terms of her costume, she’s still has some magic…fashion magic that is. This was a “Softer/Gentler Mao”; I loved the lilac color and light beading. New Coach…New Costume Attitude…but lackluster scores unfortunately.

Havana by way of Tokyo: Daisuke Takahashi at NHK Grand Prix

Daisuke did a Mambo-inspired Short Program and chose to go the "Ricky Ricardo" route with his costume. Loved the multi-colored sequined print shirt with a very plunging neckline and he kept it simple with the black pants (good choice). BTW: Figure Skating Trend Alert: Men's PLUNGING necklines (Jeremy Abbott also did it! JEREMY ABBOTT!!!!!)

Spray Tan Illusion Mesh: Carolina Kostner at NHK Grand Prix

Carolina Kostner won the NHK Trophy skating to “L’Apres-Midi D’un Faune” and she (almost) wins here in terms of her fashion. I’m a fan of the asymmetrical details and of course, the lilacs and pinks. I just wished her illusion mesh was lighter (was she tan when she had her fitting? No more laying out in Positano Miss Kostner!) and the colors of her costume were STRONGER!

Don't Cry For Me Finland: Kiira Korpi at NHK Grand Prix

Kiira is just a Nordic Princess; absolutely doll-like beauty. She could wear a Hefty trash bag and look GORGEOUS! She skated to "Evita" and evoked every bit of the DIVA in this violet Ombre side-pleated costume. An 8.5 out of 10 in my book.

Mummy Muscle: Kevin Van Der Perren at NHK Grand Prix

Kevin skated to "The Mummy Soundtrack". His costume was all a bit of a mish-mash, from the one-armed flutter to the "taped-up" accents. At the same time, those BIG muscles of his did make me forget that his costume was less Pharaoh more "Abbott and Costello Mummy" movie.

Plunging Passion: Cappellini-Lanotte at NHK Grand Prix

Italian Ice Dance couple Cappellini-Lanotte skated to a romantic soundtrack and therefore chose to keep their costumes on the sublime and "traditional" side. They were pretty standard and not exciting in terms of Ice Dance. I liked hers but didn't like the color of his shirt. Dirty Creme? Really? And once again, we see the Male PLUNGING Neckline! I told you it was a TREND!

Click HERE for MORE of my Figure Skating Costume Review, including what I thought of Jeremy Abbott, and Reed and Reed's "Addams Family" costumes!!!!

Nick Verreos AND Johnny Weir: Frozen Runway Part 2!- Review of the Olympic Ladies Free Skate Costumes!

2010 Olympics Figure Skating Red Carpet!!!
Bob Costas Who?: Nick Verreos anchoring the Universal Sports Desk in Westlake Village, CA

Fresh of the heels of my Universal Sports Commentary of the Olympic Ice Dancing Costumes, I was back for more! This time we were discussing the amazing Ladies Free Skate Finals and in the Vancouver Studio, joining in on the discussion was none other than....JOHNNY WEIR!!!

We had a great time discussing all the top ladies costumes and Kristi Yamaguchi and Peter Carruthers even presented me with quite a surprise finish to the segment!!! A perfect Figure Skating Costumes ending to mirror a most fabulous 2010 Winter Olympics Ladies Figure Skating Final!

Click BELOW to see the entire segment and make sure to not miss the ending:

Frozen Runway With Nick Verreos: Figure Skating Costume Controversy and Much More...

Live...From Vancouver California...

Hi Figure Skating Kids! Well, I had a crazy morning--good crazy! This morning, I was honored to have been invited as a special commentator on my new favorite show, "Figure Skating Review/Preview" on the NBC/Universal Sports Channel. I taped a live segment discussing the Ice Dancing Costumes--yes, including the CONTROVERSIAL Damnina and Shabalin "Aboriginies Gone Wrong" costumes--from the Universal Sports Los Angeles Studios in Westlake Village.I almost fell off my YSL "Johnny" Boots (not Johnny Weir boots!) when I found out that THE one-and-only Kristi Yamaguchi as well as Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Carruthers would be on hand (in the Vancouver Studios) to listen to my "Nick Two Cents". Host Terry Gannon introduced me as I tried to state my case for my "Designer" Best and Not-so-Best from last night's Original Dance from the Olympic Ice Dancing Competition. Kudos to pronouncing my name better than anyone has in the last FOUR YEARS Terry! My mom and dad thank you!

Click BELOW for my Ice Dancing Costumes Commentary segment on the "Figure Skating Review/Preview Show" on the Universal Sports Channel:

And in case you want more I will be back on Friday to discuss the Ladies Figure Skating Finals!!