Summer Skating--Clothing

[sarahspins]

I worry they will think the leggings are a real outfit. Outside of the rink, I have no business being in leggings!  But they do work great for skating.

Same here, so I usually just bring a loose fitting pair of jeans with me and pull those on over my skating pants if I'm going somewhere after skating.

I usually wear Under Armor cold gear pants that are fitted through about the knee... I've never caught a blade on them, but that doesn't mean it's not possible, I just don't worry about it.  I've gotten a bunch of those at about half price from REI's clearance racks.

Old navy also sometimes has some great skating pants/leggings.

[techskater]

I used to wear "boot cut" pants as well - went on to double jumps and almost killed myself a couple times and ended up in leggings. 

[VAsk8r]

Ha, I love Family Guy!

I normally wear black cotton yoga pants or my Nike cold weather running pants and a long-sleeved thermal shirt when I skate, and my jacket and gloves are always in my skating bag. In the summer, I just switch to a short-sleeved shirt or tank top.

A lot of times I change at the rink anyway, so it doesn't matter much.

[Orianna2000]

Ooh, Old Navy has leggings for $10! Of course, shipping is $7, so I'll have to drive over to their store and buy them in person.

I may have found a solution to the not-liking-tight-pants problem. If I wear a short skirt over a pair of leggings, it will hide my hips and thighs, and it will look "skaterly" (in theory, anyway). Shouldn't be too warm in the summer, either. If I get too hot, I can wear knee-highs instead of tights under the leggings. Could work. . . .

[sarahspins]

I used to wear "boot cut" pants as well - went on to double jumps and almost killed myself a couple times and ended up in leggings. 

Yeah, I don't know if I've just been lucky or what, but so far so good... I hope I didn't just jinx myself

I am going to need to re-evaluate the pants situation soon I think.. I've either lost enough weight that some of my pants are starting to sag around the waist/hips, or I've hopelessly stretched them out.

[JSM]

I wear tights under leggings pretty much year round, and I'll adjust on top depending on rink temperature.  Warm rink, where I prefer to skate, I am usually in a tank top.  Cold rink, I wear a shirt underneath a cold gear turtleneck plus a headwrap/ ear band thingy.  Most cases I'm either coming from work or going on the ice at lunch, so I change in the bathroom.

Regarding catching your blade in your pants - I did that once with my LEGGINGS.  My coach told me mid back spin that I was opening my free leg too much, so I adjusted my knee... But in the process caught the heel of my blade in my leggings.  The next thing I knew I was on my butt on the ice, still with a stuck blade!  I was at a loss as to how that happened, i must have had the dumbest look on my face...  My coach was torn between laughing and asking me "what in the world was THAT?"

So yeah, be careful even with leggings if they are not skin tight!

[Orianna2000]

Oh, great! I'm sorry you fell, but thanks for the warning. I'm thinking I'll try snug leggings, with a short skirt over them for modesty's sake. We'll see whether it looks dorky or not. Hopefully if the leggings are tight, they won't catch my blade!

[JSM]

. I'm sure it was just a one time thing, but it does make for a funny story!  Good luck with you'd search!

[Orianna2000]

Well, the skirt I wanted is out of stock unless I drive to a faraway Target. Old Navy had one pair of leggings left, in size small, and they are quite snug. Not uncomfortable--they fit quite well and are very soft and warm. But they're as snug as my skating tights! I'm so NOT wearing these without a skirt or something over them! I'm just not comfortable having my booty show beneath skintight leggings.

So now I'm trying to figure out if we can drive to the faraway Target to try and find the skirt, or if I should just sew something appropriate. I'm not good at sewing with knits, but these skating skirts online are ridiculously expensive. 

[karne]

So now I'm trying to figure out if we can drive to the faraway Target to try and find the skirt, or if I should just sew something appropriate. I'm not good at sewing with knits, but these skating skirts online are ridiculously expensive. 

I took the pattern for my dress and just cut it off at the waist, and sewed from there. Very easy.

[Finallyskating]

Try some of the mondor, seku, jerrys brands on the  skating sites..they have some leggings, that are boot cut on the bottom for a more flattering fit....I just got a pair of seku, though expensive, and they are nice..try wearing a longer sweeter or.tunic like top over the leggings over your butt if you are a little self conscious..

[Clarice]

So now I'm trying to figure out if we can drive to the faraway Target to try and find the skirt, or if I should just sew something appropriate. I'm not good at sewing with knits, but these skating skirts online are ridiculously expensive. 

Another option would be to try a dancewear store - dance wrap skirts work well, and aren't crazy expensive.  If you're wearing leggings anyway, it doesn't matter that they don't have attached trunks.  Or wear shorts over your leggings - that was a fad around here for a while.

Personally, I just wear leggings with longer tops most of the time.

[Orianna2000]

I was going to look for a skirt at a dance store that's just around the corner from the rink, only we pulled in to discover it's a dance studio, not a store that sells dance clothing. So, we went in search of the Target that is apparently the only store within 150 miles to have these "skater's skirts" in stock. They were out of the size I wanted, so I tried on a smaller size and much to my shock, it fit! So I should be all set, now--provided the skirt doesn't look too dorky with the leggings. At some point, I may buy a plain, black bathing suit bottom to wear with the skirt and tights, but as cold as I get, that's not happening until I reach a point where I have to wear a skirt with tights for some reason. I would utterly freeze.

It's a nice day out today, but the rink was pretty cold. It may be that the rink won't get as warm as I was anticipating in the summer. But even if it's hot outside, I should be able to tolerate the leggings and tights in the car, if I leave the jacket off until I get to the rink. If it warms up at the rink, I can swap the tights for knee-highs and that will make the ride over easier.

[Clarice]

Try online sources for dancewear.  Two of my favorites are www.dancewearsolutions.com and www.riversedgedancewear.com.

[Orianna2000]

Thanks for those links!

[Orianna2000]

So far, I'm really happy with my new skating outfit. I wear tights under a pair of very snug leggings; a halter top with a built-in sports bra; a "skater's skirt" that's really just a very short, full, knit skirt from Target; a lightweight athletic jacket; plus gloves, and a headband if it's extra cold. It's typically cold when I first walk in and get my skates on, but by the time I get on the ice and start skating, I'm fine. On the way to the rink, if it's warm, I leave off the jacket. We'll see how I do with the tights and leggings once it gets into the upper 90s outside, but hopefully I'll be okay and won't have to change clothes at the rink. Trying to avoid that at all costs!

Not sure what I'll do when it gets cold again. The rink always gets extra cold in the winter, and I'm fairly sure my halter top and lightweight jacket won't cut it then. I may have to revert back to the layered tops I wore earlier. Maybe find some heavier leggings, as well. But that's eight months away, so there's plenty of time to worry about it.