The Beijing 2022 Olympic Games: An Ever-Evolving Skating Fashion Story

The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, China from February 4th to February 20th. While there is a lot of uncertainty about where one can watch and who can get into the venues to spectate, one thing is for certain—all eyes will be on the skating costumes, on and off the ice. Figure skating, also referred to as “ice dancing” has long-been one of the most watched of the winter events, certainly for the beauty and skill of the routines, but also for the drama of the outfits. Skating competition outfits have long had the reputation of being “over the top” and cheesy.

Who can forget former Olympic champions Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski’s dazzling routines and the costumes they wore when they made skating history? Johnny never disappointed when it came to his choice of costumes. Fashion designer Stephanie Whitmoyer describes Johnny as “A showman at his core, and a performer.  One of my favorites is the all-red outfit he wore for the 2017 Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park’s annual Tree Lighting Skate-tacular.  The head-to-toe look, including boot covers, was fiercely bold, a perfect refection of his personality and skating style.”

While Johnny’s TV partner Tara Lipinski is not as over the top, she can hold her own when it comes to her costumes. In line with many of Tara’s fans, Whitmoyer calls-out the cobalt skating dress the then fifteen-year-old skater wore when she won the 1998 Olympic gold medal. Says Whitmoyer, “Hands down, the cobalt dress she wore was the most impactful; the sheer rhinestone sleeves that appeared to glisten every so softly were a beautiful complement to her dazzling performance.” 

Let’s fast forward to the recent “Project Runway” challenge held in November 2021, in which competitors were tasked to create an outfit for Johnny and Tara to wear to the Olympics, when they will commentate for NBC as the network’s primary analysts. The duo has been working together since 2013 and have two Olympics under their belts working the commentary booth. The winning looks were created by Anna Zhou (Lipinski) and Brian “Bones” Jones (Weir). Both outfits are white and indicate a shift away from loaded-on sparkle to a more minimalistic and streamlined look for the category.  Whitmoyer also took this approach when Fashion Reverie asked her to sketch a few outfits for Tara to wear to the Olympics. Whitmoyer says that she is happy that fashion is finding a more meaningful place in the skating world. “Tara, Johnny, and “Project Runway” are paving way for this change. I personally would love to see an inclusion of outfits that are not so costume-y; maybe an elegant jumper or sexy romper.” The designer proposed three different looks for Tara: a white chiffon romper, a black jumpsuit and a Swarovski crystal wrap mini dress. The jumpsuit’s lace top is toned down with a triacetate/polyester bottom. Although the jumper is of a minimalist design, the rhinestone buckle belt gives it the requisite show-biz flash.

Johnny and Tara are outspoken about the costumes they wore while competing.  Says Johnny, “My favorite was my 2006 Olympic short program costume where I portrayed a dying swan. It is so special because my dreams came true in front of the world on Olympic ice for the first time in that costume. Also, I wore a red glove that was meant to resemble a swan beak.”

Tara’s “Walking on Sunshine,” yellow dress with a silver sunburst on the chest was a crowd-pleaser and one of her personal favorites, which she shared on a video for Cosmopolitan. The dress she wore when she won the gold in 1998 though, was the cobalt blue sparkler Whitmoyer mentioned earlier.  Tara revealed that she sewed on one of the glittery paillettes that fell off her idol, Kristi Yamaguchi’s costume onto her dress for good luck. While she is wearing a more minimalist look as of late, she confesses to “still loving a bit of sparkle.”

As for the performers in the upcoming Games, there is a clear divide when it comes to stylistic choices between Team ROC (Russia) and Team USA. According to www.olympics.com, ROC will bring eighteen skaters to the Olympics, led by world record holder Kamila Valieva. If Kamila’s past costumes are anything to go by, we can look forward to a lot of sparkle and drama from Team ROC.

At the other end of the style spectrum is sensation Nathan Chen, skating for Team USA. His outfit choices are a dramatic counterpoint to Kamila Valieva’s. He’s performed in a sleek unitard designed by Vera Wang devoid of sequins that gave him the clean athletic look of a speed skater. The New York Times’ Jere Longman wrote, “White lines on the chest and arms give form to his two quad jumps and powerful, angular movement” which further emphasize that skaters are athletes above all else.” Johnny Weir is on board with Nathan’s spare look. “It’s perfect for him. He’s passionate. He emotes all the way through,” “He can reach the top rafter of a building. Ultimately, that’s what an artist has to do; you have to sell to the cheap seats.”

What is for sure is that the “Project Runway” challenge has served to highlight the two distinct fashion directions we’re seeing in the athletes’ costumes. Add in the usual drama of intense competition and you get an extra dose of entertainment to look forward to when the skaters finally step onto the ice. Until then, we’re waiting with bated breath to see what these two talented athletes and the rest of their teams will wear in Beijing.

Endnotes: Although Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski will wear the winning outfits from the “Project Runway” competition on their Winter Olympics broadcast, the dynamic duo won’t be going to Beijing. Instead, they will be broadcasting remotely from NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.  On January 21, NBC announced that most of its commentators and hosts will not be traveling to Beijing due to China’s zero-tolerance policy toward those testing positive for the coronavirus and the rising number of cases.

—Vivian Kelly