THEhe Olympic uniforms are always the center of attention, designed by the greatest designers from around the world, they are the protagonists of the opening ceremony. But during the competitions, who designs the costumes for the performances of figure skaters and figure skaters?
Skating costumes that make the difference
The right costume, paired with the right music and the excellent performance of the athletes is capable of make the difference between a beautiful performance and entry into the collective memory.
A timeless example is the free dance of Marina Klimova and Sergey Ponomarenko which earned them the Olympic Gold in Albertville in 1992. For their free program, entitled “A man and a woman: from the banal to the sublime“, Klimova and Ponomarenko were both in black. She was wrapped in a onesie with light gray chiffon wings, her hair was red, curly and loose, and he was in a tunic with wide trousers, with gray inserts. All to the notes of JS Bach. An unforgettable program thanks also to those costumes that were so innovative for the time.
Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko Gold for Dance in figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France, February 22, 1992. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
The queen of costumes of Milan Cortina 2026
At the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics, during the competitions Team figure skating and that of Dance Couples we saw the athletes showing off outfits original and energetic. The theme of Rhythm dance in the short program it was the 90s, giving athletes the inspiration to retro look. While for the free program, more dreamy, ethereal and elegant outfits conquered the podium.
But who designs these racing clothes? The requirements are many, they must be beautiful but also functional costumes with precise technical characteristics to support athletic performances: evocative but elastic, highlighting the character of the event but also allowing the athletes’ mobility and making the public dream.
Madison Chock, skater and fashion designer
Of all the athletes who competed during these Winter Olympics, one stands out above all for her costumes: Madison Chock. The US champion – Gold medal in the team competition and Silver in the dance with partner and husband Evan Bates – designs and sews her own clothes, but not only in these Olympics she also created the most beautiful costumes of her rivals.
Ever since she was a child, Madison Choc – whose father is Hawaiian and her mother is European – has shown a passion for fashion, as he told WWDAnd his and Bates’ costumes – her partner on the ice and in life since 2011, husband since 2024 – they anticipate and complete the stories they bring to life on the ice.
His talent is such and recognized – he won the championships twice ISU Skating Awards for the best costumes (in 2022 and 2023) – that in 2023, the champion launched a label with her name and started collaborating with other skaters. For the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, ha designed costumes for four other teamsaccording to what was shared by US Figure Skating. He also made last-minute changes to his and Bates’ looks for medal night, keeping them similar to those previously presented, but with small but impactful changes that gave greater strength to the performance (his cape in the long program was redder and the animal print in the short program was different).
Madison Chock makes small but significant changes to her costumes depending on the occasion. Here during the ISU 2025 at the IG Arena on December 6, 2025 in Nagoya, at the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Cup of China 2025 and in Milano Cortina 2026 on the final night. (Getty Images)
For the champion, costumes do not have so much to do with the latest fashion trends, but rather with “details rooted in authenticity, especially if our program includes a specific dance style” as she told WWD.
In the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics Madison and Evan managed to win Gold in the Team competitionbut not in the pair, yielding the first step of the podium to the French couple composed of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. The Canadians came third Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
Curiously, these three couples, who all train in the same city, are at the center of a Netflix documentary”Glitter and Gold“, just released in Italy too.
Gold costumes
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, winners of the Olympic gold for the specialty of Ice Dancing shared their thanks on Instagram for those who helped them transform a sketch of Guillaume Cizeron in the two beautiful podium costumes: «From a scribbled sketch to an Olympic outfit. A wonderful collaboration with Maria Cordeiro and her magical touch, which brought my drawings to life.”
While the beautiful costumes worn by the record-breaking skater Ilia Malinin, who unfortunately fell on the final evening of the Olympic competition for gold in the men’s singles, are the work of costume designer Satomi ito.
The stylist’s touch
Although it is rare, at Milano Cortina 2026 we will also see two designer skating costumes: Oscar de la Renta designed the outfits of Deanna Stellato-Dudek in pairs figure skating. A novelty for the maison and perhaps the beginning of new interesting contaminations between fashion and sport.
Ice skating in Milan Cortina 2026
The Team Competition, won by the USA (Gold), Japan (Silver) and Italy (Bronze), and the Dance specialty, won by France (Gold), the United States (Silver) and Canada (Bronze) were archived. And after the surprise ending for the men’s singles, here it is the next competitions – and the next magnificent costumes – scheduled:
Sunday 15 February 7.45pm – Figure skating Artistic pairs – Short program
Monday 16 February 8pm – Figure skating Artistic pairs – Free skate (medal)
Tuesday 17 February 6.45pm – Women’s single figure skating – Short program
Thursday 19 February 7pm – Women’s single figure skating – Free skate (medal)
