Shoesday Tuesday- Olympic Skating Fashions

I've been watching the Olympic ice dancing competition tonight- all the figure skating and ice dancing competitions are my favorites to watch because they offer not only amazing athleticism, but incredible artistry as well. For as long as I can remember I've loved watching figure skaters- Olympic or otherwise. I'll always vividly remember the days of Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding, and Oksana Baiul, not to mention Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano. Ice dancing is something I've only recently gotten into, but I adore it. There's something exciting about figure skating and ice dancing- maybe it's the sheer velocity of the athletes, or the fearlessness with which they fling themselves and their partners through the air and onto the ice. Whatever it is, I'm addicted. Bring it on.

Oksana Baiul

"What does all of this have to do with Shoesday Tuesday?" you ask? At some point, I'm sure you expected me to chime in on the costumes of the figure skaters, or the uniforms of various countries, particularly since both have been featured challenges on my favorite show Project Runway, but the shoes? Well, I'm not even really commenting on the shoes, except to say that one of the major things I've noticed is the womens' choice of skate color. Basically, there are two predominant choices: white or beige. It seems to me that unless you are making a conscious color choice based on your costume, that you'd go with beige, but so many of these athletes/performers choose white. I just don't understand it. First of, all, what they have on their feet is bulky and incredibly stiff. Dancers off the ice are able to wear sleek dance shoes that bend and allow the performer to point his or her toes, creating a long leg line. Since ice dancers and figure skaters are immediately at a disadvantage visually due to the bulk and stiffness of ice skates, you'd think they would ALL choose beige or nude color skates, or wear those ice skating tights that go over the boot. If anyone out there knows a professional figure skater who can explain this to me, I'd love to hear the logic behind wearing a clunky white boot while you seem to soar and glide with the greatest elegance and grace imaginable.

Kristi Yamaguchi

How does this relate to fashion and this blog in particular? Well, I thought it was worth reminding all of you  of the importance of having a great pair of nude shoes in your closet, particularly since spring is approaching and soon we'll be able to rid ourselves of the thick, dark tights we've been donning all winter. For a reminder as to why nude shoes are so essential, click here for my original post on the subject.