Figure Skating Costumes through the Years: The 30s- Competitions and the Rise of the Ice Shows

Throughout the 30s, you will see some changes throughout the decade. In the early 30s, there are still remnants of the 20s costumes, particularly for the men.

As you can see, the tighter pants look was still worn for competitions. For ladies, the competition dresses remained fairly conservative, and hats were worn, as competitions typically took place outside. At the start of the decade, the skirts were almost at knee length.

Most of these pictures were taken from the 1932 Olympics. Fast forward to 1936:

The ladies' skirt length got shorter and men switched to a more trouser-type pant. And then we have Sonja Henie receiving her gold medal from the 1932 Olympics.

That coat is fabulous on epic levels. They do have a lot of her memorabilia in the museum at Lake Placid. Unfortunately, the coat is not there.

Now, it is SHOW TIME!!!

After Sonja Henie's victory in the 1936 Olympics, she decided to become a professional figure skater. That really doesn't seem like a big deal now, but she was the first one to do it. What would a professional skater do? It turns out for her, it was a combination of ice shows and movies where she skates.

As you will notice, the show costumes are much more flashy and garish than the competition costumes, and had a lot less coverage. Figure skating was no longer just an Olympic sport, it was an attraction for the public to see, similar to a play, concert or film of the time. During this time, indoor rinks became more popular and common around the United States and other parts of the world. For the movies, a temporary rink was placed on the set. These shows and movies began around 1937, and the popularity gave rise to other competitors. More acts were added to the shows, such as these stilt skaters.

Even Joan Crawford threw her hat into the ring with the movie "Ice Follies of 1939", where she co-starred with Jimmy Stewart.

This is another fabulous costume that I greatly covet. She didn't really skate in the movie, but it was a fun film. I'm still working on watching the old skating movies, which I will review on the blog.

So long until next time!

Figure Skating Costumes Through the Years: The Roaring 20s and the Winds of Change

Welcome to the second post in this series, covering the 1920s. Much like the changes in attitudes and style throughout this time, there were also a great deal of transitions in the figure skating costumes in this period. We will start with the beginning of the decade.

In the earlier part of the decade, we see a lot of similarities and carryovers from the 1910s. There are still long skirts for the ladies and legging-like pants for the men. You also see the sweaters representing their country and everyone in black mid-calf boots. This would soon change in the middle part of the decade.

In the 1924 Olympics, we started to see more women wearing white boots and shorter skirts. Not only was this a reflection of the raised hemlines of the time period, but it also allowed the female skaters to try new and daring elements. Then one young lady came on to the scene and changed the landscape of the sport forever.

1924 was Sonja Henie's Olympic debut. She was 11 years old, and still looked very much the little girl. Then this happened.

Makeover! Sonja returned to the Olympic Games in 1928 at 15 years old. She had a much more ladylike appearance, as well as wearing the white boots that the other ladies had worn at the last games. This Olympics was where she received her first of 3 gold medals. The dress with the Norwegian flag for figures is one of my favorite looks of the series.

After researching the 1920s costumes, I was left with two takeaways. First, I had always thought, as did many others, that Sonja Henie was the first woman to wear the white skating boots. As you have seen, that was not the case. I'm assuming she was credited because she brought the appeal of skating to the masses. There will be much more on this in my next post.

The second takeaway is kind of a rant on my part. My husband is a big history buff and frequently gets frustrated with things that are historically inaccurate. I didn't really think that much of it until I was researching 1920s figure skating costumes. What will come up first in the search are modern skaters in flapper costumes doing a "Chicago" themed program, or you see lots of flapper skating dresses for sale. Obviously, you are now all better educated, and know that not everyone went out dressed like that in the 20s. I get the whole "historical accuracy" thing now. Unfortunately, this will not be the only decade where this is the case.

Stay tuned for my next post on the 30s, where you will again see a major shift in costuming!

Figure Skating Costumes Throughout the Years-Early Modern Figure Skating

Today's skating costumes are beautiful, aren't they? Any time I get to visit a skating museum like the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, or the Lake Placid Olympic museum, I gush over the beautiful works of art. However, the glitz and glam of today's skaters is not always what was worn for the sport. This post will take you through a little bit of history on skating wares. This will be broken up into several posts by decades and/or similar themes.

Early Modern Figure Skating: Victoria Era through the 1910s

During this time, all skating was outside, so costumes were primarily focused on one thing: warmth. There is more fur in these costumes, as well as hats. You will also notice that both men and women are wearing black boots, and they come up to the mid calf. Stay tuned to watch that transition through time.

 Here is Jackson Haines, the founder of modern figure skating, and inventor of the sit spin. Men's costumes consisted of a jacket and tight pants resembling leggings.

 Womens' skirt lengths were much longer as well, keeping in tune with the fashion of the period.

 It was acceptable for the younger girls to have a slightly shorter skirt.

 I really enjoy these country-themed sweaters worn for figures. There will be more throughout these posts.

Edgar and Madge Syers. Madge also competed in singles skating, and here was her competitor:

Yes, that's right, it was Mr. Ulrich Salchow, inventor of the salchow jump. She came in second, and some of the judges placed her first! Pretty damn impressive! After the 1908 Olympics, the singles figure skating event was split to have separate men's and ladies events.

There was another Olympic event in 1912, and then none for the rest of the 1910s due to World War I.

Icy Trails Presents: Bloopers on Ice!

While compiling pictures for my next post, Figure Skating Costumes Through the Years, I stumbled on some bits of comedy. Here is my fluff piece with some dialogue thrown in:

Scenario #1: The Victorian Squads

"We must stick our noses in the air, and show we are better than all these peasants!

"Ugh. Look over there. They are the ones I was telling you about. They are such bitches..."

Scenario #2: When You Have to Pose with Your Sworn Enemy

No picture with the girl that stole your boyfriend, the backstabbing coworker, or even crazy family members you might not like, will ever be this awkward. Ever.

Scenario #3: Who Wore it Better?

"I am Sonja Henie, Queen of the Ice. And World. Everyone loves me! I can wear all the big ass feathers I want!"

"Bitch, please. This is Gloria Nord here. My feathers are way bigger, and I'm doing this on roller skates!"
"Well, we both look better than this couple..."

Poofy sleeve, shoulder pads, and lamé mania!!!!

Johnny Weir advises them all to talk to the hand, because he knows he wore it better.

Scenario #4: Handling Competition

"Hey Karl! Check my glide out. This is me gliding back to the top of the podium! Hahaha!"

"Dammit, I am so sick of his trash talking..."
"How do you like me now Gillis? Yeah, check this out!!"

Scenario #5: The Epic Comeback
As illustrated in this photo featuring Yuzuru Hanyu:

Hope you enjoyed this little blip of humor! I'll let Tanith Belbin close it out:

This will now be known as the "Bye Felicia" Wave.