Figure Skating

VANCOUVER - Sparkling sequins, lace, hair gel, fake tan, mountains of makeup and lots of colour - and that's just the men.

Welcome to the wacky world of feathers, furs and weird fashions, otherwise known as the Winter Olympics figure skating competition.

Next week's battle on ice at the city's Pacific Coliseum will be not just for the four titles on offer, but also to see who can claim gold for having the most outlandish costume.

Korean star Kim Yu-Na's James Bond girl outfit will be tame by the scantily-clad standards you can expect to see in the rink.

While skaters do not receive marks for their costumes alone, the outfit is all part of the artistic spectacle.

At a glance they may look like wisps of fabric casually thrown together. But the carefully-engineered pieces are the fruits of months of work, to produce a costume that expresses a routine while withstanding the wear and tear of an athletic performance.

"It's a slow progress because we never agree with the first draft," explains Russian world champion ice dancer Maxim Shabalin.

"We do our costumes in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Usually we give our music to our designers and they listen to it. Then they show us pictures, we give them some ideas and they print it for us."

But sometimes they don't hit the mark.

The Aboriginal-themed original dance chosen by Shabalin and partner Oksana Domnina, where they wear dark skin-toned bodysuits with bright red loin cloths, white body paint and eucalyptus leaves has offended many in Australia.

America's Johnny Weir has also come under fire and decided he won't be wearing a costume trimmed with real fox fur as he did at US nationals but faux, after protests from anti-fur activists.

"I do not want something as silly as my costume disrupting my second Olympic experience and my chance at a medal, a dream I have had since I was a kid," Weir said.

While Weir has solved his fur dilemma, his world champion US teammate Evan Lysacek wants to see if feathers can do it for him this time.

Lysacek, often seen as conservative compared to the more outlandish Weir, has gotten in touch with his more feminine side in a bid to capture gold, skating his short programme to Stravinski's Firebird.

Olympic silver medallist Stephane Lambiel probably got the dress award four years ago in Turin with his orange and purple zebra print ensemble for Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

This time expect knee high boots.

"To feel loved is not what is important for me but to express what you are feeling on the ice," said the two-time world champion from Switzerland.

"You must show your emotions, you must express yourself and the music."