Update: Lysacek wins Gold
What would Olympic ice skating be without sequins?
UPDATE: Evan Lysacek skated a flawless free skate program to win the Olympic gold medal Thursday night. He wore a black bodysuit with thick jeweled silver snakes coiled around the neck and chest. It was designed by Vera Wang.
Will Evgeni Plushenko complete a quad? Will Evan Lysacek's tender left foot inhibit his chances of winning a gold medal? Will Johnny Weir control his emotions and skate a clean program?
I'll be glued to the TV for tonight's men's figure skating finals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, but I really don't care about the technical merits and dramatic backstories of the leading contenders.
Instead, I'll be scrutinizing the costumes.
Figure skating is the only athletic event I know where sequins play such an important role — particularly in a men's competition.
In some ways, it's too bad that the costumes overwhelm the proceedings because figure skaters perform amazing feats of athletic prowess — all on a couple of thin blades.
But Tuesday night's men's short program featured an amazing array of costumes that looked like rejects from a long-running Broadway musical.
Plushenko, who led all competitors, wore a bodysuit dotted with crystals that Elvis would have coveted while Lysacek, in second place, skated in a Vera Wang-designed suit with odd swaths of fabric on the shoulders and long feathers at the wrists. Belgian skater Kevin van der Perren looked postively cadaverous in a skeleton-bones costume, while the Czech Republic's Tomas Verner channeled the little Dutch boy in a striped sweater, blue jeans and red muffler.
Italian skater Camuel Contesti wore form-fitting coveralls and a plaid shirt — surely a first in the annals of figure-skating costumes. "I thought it was very fashion forward and a very big risk," Johnny Weir told ESPN.com. "Even riskier than man-cleavage and a pink ruffle.''
Which is what Weir wore — along with a laced-up pink and black bustier. At least he ditched the fur after animal rights' activitists loudly protested.
Compared to such eye-popping attire, reigning U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott looked understated in simple gray slacks, a light purple shirt and dark purple vest. But Abbott skated dismally and is in 15th place.
I bet he wears sequins next time.