How to Design Your Own Ice Skating Dress

Figure skating is as much art as it is sport--as evidenced by the beautiful and sometimes-flamboyant dresses worn by the skaters. Competitive figure skaters look for color and design in their dresses that will complement the music they have chosen for their routines. Professional dress designers are expensive, so many figure skaters who frequently compete choose to design their own dresses.

Things You'll Need

  • Sketch pad
  • Pencil
  • Colored pencils
  • Fabric swatches
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Instructions

  1. Concept

    • 1

      Think of the overall concept for the figure skating dress. Listen to music for the routine to get a feel for the colors and style that will best suit it. Consider bright colors and bold design for vibrant music, or a subdued and elegant look for a mellow classical song. The overall design can be elaborate or simple, but it must complement both the skater and the music.

    • 2

      Visit a fabric store to get swatches that will give the seamstress a better idea of the desired look. Select fabric that has a four-way stretch for the body of the dress and the sleeves, if using tailored sleeves. The skirt and puffy sleeves can be made from any lightweight material such as chiffon--or it can be made out of the same fabric as the bodice.

    • 3

      Decide on a color or colors. The dress, skirt and sleeves can be one color or contrasting colors. Avoid too much white in the dress or fabrics with a busy pattern. Plaid fabrics are acceptable. Consider any design element, such as a wide stripe going down the front of the bodice from the left shoulder to the right waistline and get fabric swatches for those as well.

    Design

    • 4

      Select the skirt length and style. Skirts for freestyle routines can be short, while they can be short or long for dance routines. Don't make skirts longer than knee-length to avoid the blade becoming entangled in the skirt--as happened to Tanith Belbin at the Four Continents Championship.

      Skirt hemlines can be straight, have a side drop or have a soft drop in the front and back middle. The body of the skirt itself can be pleated, raglan, tattered, or wrap in style. Use a sketch pad and pencil to sketch possible skirt designs until you come up with one you're happy with.

    • 5

      Decide on the type of sleeves for the dress. Select long, sleeveless or cap sleeve length. Avoid mid-arm length sleeves, as they will distract the audience from the movement of the arms while skating. Long sleeves can be fitted, puffy or a combination of the two. Determine whether the sleeve will have a straight hem, tapered hem or ruffled cuff. Sketch out designs on the sketch pad until you decide on a final sleeve design.

    • 6

      Choose a neckline for the dress. Traditional necklines are mock turtleneck, bare with spaghetti straps, halter, V-neck or round. The neckline can have a collar, or the hem can be straight, scalloped or ruffled.

    • 7

      Use the sketch pad to draw a simple body shape, and draw on it the elements that have been decided on for a final design. Use colored pencils to fill in the colors that match the fabric swatches.