Vera Wang on Ice

USA's Evan Lysacek gave a gold medal-winning performance at the Vancouver 2010 winter games in a black, leather-trimmed sequined outfit that was designed by Vera Wang.

Evan Lysacek Adds Gold To Vera Wang Design
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Designer Vera Wang knows the ins and outs of competitive figure skating outfits because at one time, she wore them. As a child Wang had visions of Olympic gold; now, she designs ensembles for the sport's Olympic athletes. She was even inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2009 for her fashionable contributions to the sport.

Here, Wang gives her thoughts on some of the sport's athletes and outfits, including two ensembles she created for Nancy Kerrigan.

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Nancy Kerrigan

Vera Wang designed this outfit that Nancy Kerrigan wore during a Winter Olympic exhibition in Hamar, Norway, in 1994. The neon yellow dress with a pale-pink beaded bustline is was one of Wang's favorites because it took Kerrigan out of her usual comfort zone as a sophisticate.

"Neon is extremely active," the designer said. "You think of it for a cyclist or football or a swimmer. It has a feel of modernity and techno."

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Nancy Kerrigan

Kerrigan also wore this white outfit with black illusion sleeves designed by Wang during the 1994 Olympic Games. It's a trick the designer also uses on the red carpet to create a sexy, suggestive silhouette without baring much skin. The clean lines and geometric vibe also were purposeful. "I thought it made her look tougher," she explains.

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Michelle Kwan

At the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, Michelle Kwan made what Wang calls a "gutsy move" by wearing this periwinkle stretch-velvet dress. It was a look reminiscent of Dorothy Hamill.

"It's a bit retro to go that simple," Wang says. "It was a statement of confidence. Dresses had gotten so ornate."

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Irina Slutskaya

Irina Slutskaya of Russia might have been trying to channel Dorothy Hamill in her glittery, red dress during the 1996 games in Turin, Italy, but Wang says only the dark, short hair captured the former gold medalist's spirit. Slutskaya's jewels are more traditional for a later generation than Hamill, who favored outfits that were sleeker and understated.

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Dorothy Hamill

During the 1976 games at Innsbruck, Austria, Hamill let her moves, not her sparse pink outfit, make the statement, Wang says. The lower neckline, however, did show off her hair, which Wang describes as "the wedge haircut that inspired the country."

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Shizuka Arakawa

The midnight-sky blue combo that Shizuka Arakawa of Japan wore at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin "isn't my taste," says Wang. Though it was showy, it made Arakawa look like a risk-taker - which might have been the primary intention all along, according to the designer.

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Carolina Kostner

Italian Carolina Kostner wore a snowflake-covered outfit in 2006 that employed the sheer-illusion look that Wang likes for the ice.

"She has a more womanly, mature style but this outfit brings her youth and whimsy," Wang says.

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Sasha Cohen

American Sasha Cohen is a chameleon when it comes to her costumes, Wang says. "You never know what Sasha is up to...One minute she's 'Carmen,' the next minute she's Gisele."

The designer says Cohen was probably intimately involved in the creation of the ombre-blue dress covered with sequins worn in Salt Lake City in 2002 - she is for all her outfits.

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Sasha Cohen

Even better than the blue ensemble, Wang says, was this red number with a sunburst-yellow hemline, also from the 2002 Salt Lake City games.

"That dress was very beautiful," she added.

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Elena Sokolova

There was a bit of a jumpsuit craze in Turin, and Russian Elena Sokolova's Tina Turner-style, black-and-champagne outfit fit right in, but Wang says she's not a huge fan. She adds, this particular look was very severe and without even a hint of whimsy.

Still, she says, there's no denying the dramatic effect of a Turner look-alike - complete with spiky blond hair - catching air on a turn.

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Oksana Baiul

Ukrainian skater Oksana Baiul liked "a lot of everything" on her dresses, and a frilly pink outfit from 1994 was no exception, Vera Wang says. The fringe, the fur trim and the beads were all very much part of a trend of the Eastern Europeans of that time.

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Midori Ito

The metallic trench coat - and umbrella prop - that Japan's Midori Ito wore in Albertville, France, in 1992 might make more sense if you heard the accompanying music, Wang says. "Was it 'Singing in the Rain'? It must have been."

The outfit is unusual for the Olympic ice, the designer acknowledges, but skaters are also under pressure to try new things.

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