Could You Afford Your Very Own Figure Skating Costume? (Probably Not.)

With a couple note-worthy exceptions, figure skating has always seemed like a rich girl sport. The girls I knew who could afford to do it were always the ones with highest, most shiny of ponytails who, in the winter, wore headbands instead of hats and had really nice ski jackets. Their parents could spend money on countless hours of training and the beautiful, intricate costumes that their daughters would wear while competing. My parents (to my utter devastation) were not down with that shit, so I was left to covet those stunning sequined outfits from afar.

But what about now that I’m an adult and make my own money? How much would I have to fork over for a figure skating costume that I could wear out to the bar or around the house or wherever (again, I’m an ADULT and I wear my clothes where I want)? Well, Marketplace‘s Adrienne Hill looked into the cost of these outfits and discovered — no surprise here — that they’re pretty fucking expensive. (But maybe not as expensive as you’d think?)

On average, the most high quality figure skating outfits — like the ones donned at the Olympics or by Gracie Gold on her Sports Illustrated cover — can cost upwards of $3,000. Still probably too much for you or I to buy and repurpose as our “fancy pajamas,” but also a little lower than I would have expected. (Years of watching Toddlers and Tiaras have clearly skewed my understanding on the cost of pageantry.)