15 Most Spectacular Ice Skating Costumes from Olympic History

Japan's Shizuka Arakawa went bold in a big way at the 2006 Winter Games, with a two-toned midnight/sky blue leotard featuring a plunging neckline, band collar, bell sleeves, and loads of silver sequins. The judges must have approved—Shizuka took the gold home with her when she left Turin, Italy.

Pretty much grace personified, American Peggy Fleming won the 1968 gold while wearing an eye-catching chartreuse number her mom made. (Yes, really.) It's said that Mrs. Fleming was inspired to use the unconventional color for the costume thanks to the French mountain of the same name, which sits close to the location of that year's Games.

Tiffany Chin, who competed for Team USA at the 1984 Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, chose to wear a lovely blue leotard graced with sequined flowers that bloomed along the neckline and arms. Though she didn't medal, placing fourth overall, she won hearts with her savvy fashion sense.

When skater Michelle Kwan won the Olympic silver in Nagano, Japan, she did it wearing an unadorned periwinkle blue stretch velvet outfit created by Vera Wang. According to the designer, it was a gutsy and confident move to go so simple in 1998, when everyone else was sporting such over-the-top costumes. Its retro feel recalled another American skating great: Dorothy Hamill.

Speaking of, "America's Sweetheart" Dorothy Hamill might be less remembered style-wise for her costumes than for her wedge haircut that every little (and big) girl had to have in the mid-70s. But Dorothy was still looking pretty in pink in this raspberry sherbet-shaded ensemble she wore when she took home the Olympic gold in 1976.

On the other end of the spectrum is Oksana Baiul. Her signature look was, well, everything, all at once. Here she is at the 1994 Olympics, in Lillehammer, Norway, where Oksana won gold, becoming the first Olympic champion of independent Ukraine. Pink fur, ruffles, beads, sequins, and lace...she's got all going on, and We. Are. Here. For. It.

Future three-time Olympic figure skating champion Sonja Henie from Norway was just 11 years old when she took to the ice in Chamonix, France, during the 1924 Games. She placed eighth, but her adorbs fur-trimmed hat and coat had to have been a hit with spectators and judges alike.

The first black athlete to medal at the Winter Olympics, American Debi Thomas won bronze in 1988. Like Katarina Witt, she skated to Carmen, and their rivalry was one of the biggest stories of that year's Games. But it was Debi's form-fitting, skirtless unitard enhanced with silver sequins that made fashion headlines at Olympics.

This crimson-colored costume, which boasted an ombre skirt that faded from red to orange before finishing in a bright burst of sunny yellow at the hemline, made a vivid statement on the 2002 Olympic ice. Sasha, who was said to be deeply involved in the design of the dresses she wore to competitions, won silver in Salt Lake.

You might not recall her name, but you should. In 1956, Tenley Albright became the first American woman to score the gold in figure skating at the Olympics. Here, she skates her free program in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy....is it just us, or does her skirt's gigantic, chunky pleats have a distinct Peter Pan vibe?

Sometimes all that glitters really is gold, as American figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi proved in Albertville, France, at the 1992 Olympic Games. She took the top spot on the podium wearing a dramatic black dress heavily embroidered in a gold floral pattern, with puffed sleeves and a skirt festooned with glittering rhinestones. That medal just completes the look perfectly, doesn't it?

This lady in red—Russia's Alina Zagitova—snared the gold at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Her theatrical ensemble, which included not just a red dress etched with gold stitching but also red opera-length gloves, was grown up beyond her years. At just 15, Alina was the second-youngest Olympic champion in the sport, behind American Tara Lipinski.

There's certainly no forgetting the 1994 Olympics, when American Nancy Kerrigan skated against rival Tonya Harding. Nancy was recovering from an injury sustained after Tonya's ex hired an assailant to injure her in the hopes she'd have to drop out of competition. Nancy, who earned the silver medal, wore a wowser of a white dress by Vera Wang with black illusion sleeves. It was sexy, sure, but it also made her look tougher, according to the designer (though Nancy was clearly plenty tough).