The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are officially underway in Milan-Cortina after an exciting opening ceremony on Friday, February 6. Some of the most anticipated competitions of the games take place on the ice.
Figure skating draws huge audiences in the United States, where athletes dare to fly through the air and land on ice. While the skaters are judged on technical elements and artistry, fashion is more than aesthetic; it is highly regulated. Under International Skating Union rules, costumes must be "dignified," and a single stray sequin falling onto the ice can result in a one-point deduction, potentially costing a skater the gold.
Over the years, some of the most memorable Winter Olympics moments have come in the form of figure skating outfits. Let's look back at some of the best figure skating outfits of all time.
© Getty Images1968: Peggy Fleming
In an iconic sixties look, American figure skater Peggy Fleming won gold while wearing a chartreuse dress with a high neck and white trim. The dress was hand-sewn by her mother, Doris, because the family couldn't afford a professional designer. The distinct color was chosen specifically to stand out against the white ice and gray tones of early color television broadcasts.
Peggy was the only American gold medalist at the Games. Now 77, Peggy is married to her teenage sweetheart and is mom to two sons, Andy and Todd.
© Getty Images1976: Dorothy Hamill
Dorothy Hamill is probably better known for her iconic haircut than her outfit. The figure skater won gold at the Games in Innsbruck, Austria while wearing a simple red dress with a v-neck, trimmed with white jewels.
But it was her hair that stood out. Dorothy wore a wedge haircut – short, layered, and typically voluminous. In the skater's memoir, A Skating Life, she wrote: "The night before I left for Europe, I had my hair cut by the world-famous hairstylist, Suga."
She continued: "Of course, I had no idea that this wedge style would become so famous. I just thought if I had to have short hair anyway, I might as well have something fashionable."
© Getty Images1988: Debi Thomas
Debi Thomas became the first Black athlete to win any medal at the Winter Olympics when she won bronze at the 1988 Games in Calgary. Her fashion choice that year was revolutionary; she opted for a sleek, beaded unitard rather than a traditional skirt. The competition saw Debi and her rival Katarina Witt both skating to Bizet's opera, but Debi’s athletic jumpsuit signaled a shift toward modernism in the sport.
However, the 1988 Games led to the "Katarina Rule," a new regulation mandating that female skaters must wear a skirt that covers the hips and posterior, because Katarina's feather-trimmed costume was deemed too revealing. After winning the bronze medal, Debi went on to study at Stanford University and became an orthopedic surgeon.
© Getty Images1992: Kristi Yamaguchi
Just before the drama of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan plagued the U.S. Figure Skating team, Kristi Yamaguchi was the star to watch. When she won the gold during the Olympic Games in Albertville, France, Kristi dressed the part.
The skater wore a long-sleeved gold brocade dress designed by Vera Wang, as if she already knew she'd be taking home the top prize. After she retired from skating, Kristi went on to act in a few small roles and competed on Dancing with the Stars where she won the sixth season with her partner Mark Ballas.
© Getty Images1998: Tara Lipinksi
At the 1998 Nagano Games, the rivalry between Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan was reflected in their contrasting styles. And on February 20, after a fierce competition, Tara won the gold medal when she was 15-years-old.
"For the rest of my life, I'll always have 'pinch me' moments thinking about it," Tara told Cosmopolitan in 2018. "I still say to myself, 'How did this happen?!'"
During her now iconic performance, Tara wore a sleeveless purple dress, embellished with sparkles. 25 years later, the skater shared a photo of her daughter Georgie in a very similar outfit for her first Halloween, writing to Instagram: "A costume that will be hard to match. Thank you!!!! Does anyone recognize it?!"
© Getty Images1998: Michelle Kwan
The same year Tara won her gold medal, figure skater Michelle Kwan won silver in a simple, light purple, velvet spaghetti-strap dress that screams the nineties. Four years later, Michelle competed in her second Olympics in Salt Lake City.
At the 2002 Games, she once again wore a purple dress, but this time it was a tulle-based design. But this time it was embellished with silver flowers. At her second Olympics, she won the bronze medal. Following her retirement, Michelle transitioned to diplomacy and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Belize until January 2025.
© Getty Images2026: Alysa Liu
This year's figure skater to watch is the 20-year-old Alysa Liu. The skater is from Oakland, CA, and made history as the first American woman to land a quadruple Lutz in international competition. After a brief retirement, she returned in 2025 and is now competing in Milan Cortina.
During her first performance at the 2026 Olympics, she wore an off-white, sleeveless dress featuring raw-edge silk layers that looked like it was pulled straight off of the Wuthering Heights press tour. Alysa is considered a strong contender for a figure skating gold medal, so we'll just have to wait and see.
