Friday, February 19, 2010

Nick Verreos Reviews the Olympic Men's Figure Skating Finals

Golden Boy: Olympic Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek with Evgeni Plushenko and Daisuke Takahashi

So, of course, I couldn't let the Olympic Men's Figure Skating Finals slip by without a review of the Costumes! And, as always, in Figure Skating, their was DRAMA on the ice and in the costumes!

Congratulations to Evan Lysacek for delivering a Gold Medal worthy performance! Lysacek became the first American man since Brian Boitano to win the Olympic gold.

Though Lysacek is the world champion, it was a rare upset for the world of Figure Skating. Plushenko, who ended a three-year retirement with the sole goal of winning gold, hadn't finished anywhere but first since the 2004 European championships. He was the defending Olympic gold medalist and silver medalist in 2002, and a three-time world champion.

I was honored to be asked to comment on the Men's Costumes for the AP Associated Press alongside Hal Rubenstein the Fashion Director of InStyle Magazine and Jef Billings, one of the sports most famous Costume Designers.

Below are my comments on all the top Men's Skating Costumes, and click HERE to read all our comments.
Evan Lysacek: Dark and dramatic. Just like Evans artistic skate, Vera Wang created a masterful costume complete with Swarovski crystal-encrusted King Cobra Snakes. The costume was worthy of a Gold Medal in its own right!
Evgeni Plushenko: Liza Minnelli-shenko is what I thought when I first saw this bedazzled nightmare. It was a High School Musical costume that matched his High School Musical performance.
Daisuke Takahashi: Cirque de Soleil gone wrong! I give Takahashi points for always bringing us over the top costumes, but this one looked like a tablecloth from a cheap Greek Taverna.
Johnny Weir: I’m happy (and I’m sure PETA is too) that Johnny lost the fur. This silver, crystal embroidered costume was actually a toned down Johnny Weir. It showed his elegant restraint and maturity mirroring his almost flawless performance.
Stephane Lambiel: The Swiss may be famous for their couture laces and embroidery, but Stephane’s Tea Cozy shoulder pads were a definite miss.
Patrick Chan: Although the Phantom of the Opera has been done one too many times for my taste, his costume was a refreshing twist on an overused theme. A directional costume featuring an asymmetrical corseted waistcoat with gold button detail and (thank goodness) no Andrew Lloyd Weber mask in sight!
Nobunari Oda: Can you please give me a couple sequins?! I get the Charlie Chaplin reference but I was falling asleep until the lace snapped. Never before have I been so excited about a wardrobe malfunction!