Yuzuru Hanyu's senior SP costumes
4. Ballade No. 1
This is Yuzu's costume that 'suffered' the most changes through the years. In my opinion, this is the most prince-like costume of his.
The basic design of the costume, the sequins and the girdle were kept until the costume's last appearance at the 2020 Four Continents Championships. The main changes occurred to the colour of the costume.
For me, the loose, see-through sleeves are the best feature of the costume. Together with the high collar and the loosely fitted top, it is elegant and, at the same time, it gives off a relaxed impression.
Considering Yuzu's light and fluid movements throughout the program, the costume, in all its forms, fit it very well.
Version #1
This photo is from the 2014 Cup of China. The top has a very soft gradient going from a light blue-purple-ish colour to a very very light blue, almost white. The sequins on the top are aligned vertically, going from being applied closely together on the lower part to being more scattered towards the top. The sleeves' sequins follow the same pattern.
The black girdle is covered in horizontally aligned sequins applied in rows. For me, the girdle is hardly visible as it blends with the pants of the costume, so the intended effect of the girdle is almost lost.
Versions #2 & #3
These are photos from 2014 Japanese Nationals, respectively 2015 World Team Trophy. The top underwent a deep-dye session, the lower part and sleeves becoming Butterfly Bush* (or a shade close to it).
Version #4
Another change to the costume happened for the 2015-2016 season (first photo from 2016 World Championships, the second photo I don't know from which competition).
Gone are the deep-dye and the black girdle. Also, the sequins are no longer aligned vertically, but they are cluttered at the bottom and gradually spread out higher up. The same applies to the sleeves. There are gold details inserted to the inside of the wrists and to the sides of the torso. The girdle is now gold and covered in gold/white sequins. I think these up the elegance of the costume overall.
Version #5
For the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Yuzu brought yet another version of the Chopin costume.
The gold wrists and torso details are no longer there, while the gold girdle stayed. The top's gradient transition is slower compared to the previous version. The newness is the rhinestone-covered collar. In my eyes, this creates a symetry for the costume - gold collar and gold waist.
With this costume, Yuzu broke yet another World Record and is one of the programs which helped him secure his second Olympic gold medal.
Version #6
The iconic 2020 Four Continents Championships where Yuzu became the first men's single skater to achieve the Super Slam. He also broke a World Record for the 19th time.
The costume, this time, is generally referred to as being sea foam green. The gold collar and girdle are kept. However, the transition between sea foam green and white is quite abrupt compared to the other versions. Nevertheless, this is my favourite Chopin costume version both because the program skated in this costume was a perfect Yuzuru Hanyu performance and because of the meaning it holds now.
Finally, an HD photo. The sequins are of different colors, varying from gold to green to silver to blue.
2020 Four Continents Championship is Yuzuru Hanyu's last international competition in which he won the gold medal.
*The name 'Butterfly Bush' is based on this website and the shade was identified by using the 2015 WTT photo on this website
This is a post-series that’s meant to complement the ranking of Yuzu’s senior SPs in order of personal preference
Note: The costumes are in the order I ranked Yuzu’s SPs, not in order of least favourite to favourite costume
