2006 Skate Canada: Ladies' SP -- Unusual Choices Score Acclaim
I'm so surprised that Susanna Poykio of Finland is pulling off this costume that I had to post it. The mock turtleneck, the deluge of rhinestones on her bodice, the very Avril Lavigne-does-Vegas glittery fishnet armbands and the odd musical choice of a string re-interpretation of Metallica's "One" all would normally spell tacky disaster. However, especially from far away, this costume actually works for me. It somehow suits the music, and if I pretend I don't see the blinding glare of the massive rhinestones, I can't help but commend Susanna for an entirely appropriate costume choice, even if it isn't to my taste.
Meanwhile, Fumie Suguri, who is consistenly one of the best-dressed skaters on the circuit, makes a rare misstep, albeit a minor one. The design itself I quite like. The simplicity of the bodice is offset by the flare of the skirt - a pretty sheer black overlay with a splash of bright colour. Fumie definitely works subtle black lace well, seen here on the sleeves of the dress. I'm neither here nor there with the rhinestone design on the front, but the back has quite a cute diamond design that you can't see here. In fact, the more I look at this picture, the more I actually like the dress. It looked worse on TV. My only real issue here is with the Halloween colour scheme - it looked very jarring and garish, especially when you factor in her purple eyeshadow (which usually looks good, but definitely not with the orange). If only she had picked red instead of orange, or ditched the black in favour of a more tonal colour combo. Anyway, my criticism of this costume is collapsing on itself because I guess it's not that bad after all...demonstrating again how Fumie always manages to look elegant.
[Photos: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images]