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!