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!
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