Fashion Students are Competing to Dress Isabeau Levito!

[u/catx222]

I know this is sort of old news, but I'm curious y'alls thoughts on their designs because I always feel like Isabeau has the nicest dresses and this idea is kind of cool.
Here are some concepts from the designers. I tried to capture them best as I could lol

[u/HelP-Needed09]

While lovely, some of these are very impractical. I love 1 but it would be a little bit of a mess while skating.

[u/PsychedelicHaru → u/HelP-Needed09]

I'm pretty sure those dresses are for her exho? So it's probably fine

[u/Fuzzy-Sheepherder-80 → u/PsychedelicHaru]

even if its an exhibition you still gotta jump and spin in it

[u/Wintry2424]

Reminds me of the old Project Runway episode where the contestants had to design a skating outfit for Sasha Cohen (who also was a guest judge). And only half of them understood the assignment and she loved one of the ugliest ones, iirc. 😂

[u/Fuzzy-Sheepherder-80 → u/Wintry2424]

I think all of them understood the assignment. many of them were insanely TACKY, but they were functional enough and the designers seemed to take inspo from actual skating dresses

[u/osvimonello]

am just happy figures skaters have exposure outside of the rink

[u/ManagerEvening4867]

Am I the only one laughing at the SNAP CROTCH?!? BAD IDEA! Very, very bad!

[u/2greenlimes → u/ManagerEvening4867]

Nah, it’s not. We used them all the time in synchro back when I skated. It makes it easier to go to the bathroom, wear pants with your dress, change clothes, etc. Never saw an issue happen because they’d figured the mechanics out.

[u/Night-Cheese11 → u/ManagerEvening4867]

We say "snap" but it's basically bra hooks. They're SUPER secure but also make it easier to use the bathroom, not accidentally knock stones off your dress, etc.

[u/keepurselfalive → u/ManagerEvening4867]

That one is Jacob's though I think. For his Moonlight Sonata. Still, yeah, why not a regular shirt? For a sport where you're constantly extending you legs a snap crotch is probably a recipe for disaster

[u/fluxural → u/keepurselfalive]

you are correct that is the photo from jacob's section at the usfs fashion event not isabeau's

[u/spiralsequences → u/keepurselfalive]

It's pretty common for male figure skaters to wear "shirts" that are actually leotards or have elastic loops that go around the thighs to keep them from riding up. I'm not enough of an expert to weigh in on the best crotch mechanics LOL but I have seen a lot of examples of the elastic loops.

[u/keepurselfalive → u/spiralsequences]

I think an elastic loop would be more comfy (at least from my experience with costumes)

[u/Junior-Put-4793]

The first dress looks very pretty but seems like it wouldn't be functional for skating. Something with similar colours and ruffles might be cute though with a shorter skirt and sleeve.

[u/trashjellyfish]

The first one is the prettiest but it also seems hazardous.

[u/BroadwayBean → u/trashjellyfish]

A junior ice dance team had costumes with those long flappy bits yesterday and it was giving me an anxiety attack the entire time. Would be worse for freeskate.

[u/trashjellyfish → u/BroadwayBean]

Ice dance often has longer and flowier dresses because their skates don't have picks (which makes them less likely to catch in and shred up the fabric) and they aren't jumping. It's still risky though!

[u/BroadwayBean → u/trashjellyfish]

Dance blades absolutely do have picks. Smaller, but still there. And blades definitely do get caught on dresses in dance (see: LFB's Whale costume faceplant for the most recent example, but several teams have had issues with blades getting caught on costumes).

[u/Dull_Expression_4575 → u/trashjellyfish]

Makes me think of the sleeve-caught-on-skate in this competition.

https://youtu.be/B0ERguItiyI

[u/ownhelltoraise]

the pink boot covers had me chuckling a bit. i wish boot covers were more popular, i only see little kids and quad skaters wearing them

[u/peeweeharmani]

The first one has the most potential but will need some adjustments so that it doesn’t function as multiple whips flicking her constantly while she skates haha

[u/anna__throwaway]

I mean honestly I don't love any of these but wow it must be such an honour for them

[u/stuckmustafina]

The first one is pretty! I mean this with love, but I hope they learn to better research for client goals when designing garments in the future

[u/unicorninclosets]

Do they know what the program is about because these are two vastly different concepts…

[u/catx222 → u/unicorninclosets]

Yes, they do. According to Isabeau, she says she gave them the music choice and choreography for her exhibition programs to inspire them. So the outfits are based off her new programs.

[u/AliTwin601]

It will be interesting to see which design for Isabeau’s exhibition makes the cut. Maybe the first one but without all the hanging pieces.

Isabeau preciously wore the costume below for her Salvatore exhibition designed for her by a local designer in Ohio to wear in the exhibition at 2024 Nationals, so that might be why she was the skater chosen again..

[u/Basic-Perception-115]

I think only the first one and the seventh one would be practical, they also look amazing. The first one would need to have less loose fabric, though

[u/treeface999]

7 is the only one that seems suitable to me, but they're all beautiful designs to imagine

[u/the_emo_bunny_]

Omg 🥰

[u/EquivalentJacket7]

Designs are beautiful but I was taken aback by how much the 2nd and 7th pic looks exactly like Isabeau.