What Do Figure Skating and Biathlon Have in Common?
Chatting about going from Swarovski crystals to Swix spandex with Natalie Sangkagalo of The Styled Skier
I’ve been desperate to talk about figure skating here, but despite my forays onto the ice from ages 10 to 12, I never got good enough to have any true insight into the sport. I had one very cute magenta dress with long sleeves and a mock turtleneck that I wore to all my lessons at the Boston Skating Club, but that’s as far as my figure skating fashion experience went. So I was thrilled when the social media algorithm gods brought me to The Styled Skier, Natalie Sangkagalo.
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Natalie is a former elite figure skater, who competed internationally for Thailand. In the last year, she transitioned to biathlon and is chronicling her journey online as she aims to make the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Cup. The contrast between the two winter sports could not be more stark, both in terms of physicality and fashion, so I quickly slid into her DMs to ask if we could chat. She kindly joined me on Zoom and answered my many questions about dressing to perform on the ice and snow.
We cover a lot of (snowy) ground in this interview! Read on for insights on everything from sequins to sunglasses, and don’t miss my Quick Thoughts that follow. This week was a busy one in sports and fashion. Bodes well for the year ahead.
The Snow is My Runway
Chatting with figure skater turned biathlete, Natalie Sangkagalo
The question I always like to begin with is: how did you get started in sports? And do you remember what you wore?
That's a good question. When I was young, I did a ton of sports. My parents just signed me up for things like ballet, gymnastics, and figure skating. Those are the top three.
For ballet, my favorite outfit was probably when I was in The Nutcracker and I was one of the little dolls that come out of the chest. I loved getting to be a different character. When I switched to figure skating, I don't remember a particular outfit, but one of the things that drew me to skating was the fact that you get to design your own dresses for competition.
There's a greater level of freedom with figure skating than ballet. Even at practice, there's a lot of freedom around what you can wear. You could wear a dress if you want, you could wear leggings, you could wear a skirt. Whereas ballet is still pretty traditional, they want you in a leotard and tights.
When it came to skating, the dresses were very enticing.
Let’s start with figure skating. I’m curious about learning more about the way you approached getting dressed for practice versus competition.
So the peak of my figure skating training was between 2013 and 2018. This is funny 'cause I feel like this is also when Lululemon was in its prime and every week they would come out with new patterns for their Power Y Tanks and Wonder Under leggings. It was a big part of what I would wear to practice and was popular with the other skaters.
It was fun to see what new stuff Lululemon would come out with. There would always be those kids that every single week would show off the new patterns on the ice. My parents were like, maybe once a month, every other month we can go shopping, but every week is a bit much.
What you wore to practice was a fun component of training. I think that's a little bit different in biathlon. It's less of an aesthetic sport. You get a lot of endurance athletes and hikers, so they tend to be more focused on function over fashion.
That's so interesting that Lululemon was so popular with skaters – such a niche market. In terms of competitions, can you talk to me about how looks get designed?
When I was competing, there were a couple of different dressmakers. I grew up training in around Boston. I used a dressmaker called Freida B., who was based in Framingham. You’d make an appointment, give her your music, and tell her what you're looking for, what colors you want, whether you want long sleeves or a halter top. She’d show you different ideas and you’d have fittings throughout the design process.
A few years into my career, I switched coaches and they had a preference for their skaters to work with another dressmaker named Yumi. She’s based in Wellesley. It's a very similar process no matter who you work with. They listen to the music, take inspiration, and give you ideas. You can also bring your own if you have a strong concept in mind. My coaches also wanted to have a say, so they would have to approve the designs before she started making them.
It was so fun to see the whole process, starting with just a song and then ending up with a design. You’d do a fitting when it was just a dress no embellishment, to make sure everything fits. It's crazy to see how much of a difference the embellishment – usually Swarovski crystals – can make. The dress itself can be kind of basic, but if you're using a lot of lace and stones, it can create a completely different look.
How much does a dress cost, on average?
It ranges depending on how many Swarovski stones you use, but the base starting price was like $850 when I was skating. I'd imagine it's only gone up since then.
Do you have a favorite dress from your skating career?
Yes! There was this white one that was just super pretty that Yumi made for me. I was skating to “Time to Say Goodbye.” It was very ethereal and she used this mesh that was glitter mesh, but she flipped it so the glitter was on the inside. It wasn't overwhelmingly sparkly, but you could still see hints of glitter shining through. It created this pretty sparkling effect on the ice.
I assume did your own hair and makeup. Would your coaches have any input on that too? How did styling work?
Because I came from a ballet background where you also have to do your hair and makeup, it was not super hard for me. They never really made any specific comments about my hair and makeup. I always just did a bun and classic makeup. I know that there were other skaters under my coaches who didn't really wear any makeup or maybe just put on some lipstick. They had conversations with those skaters and said basically, “You need to start putting more makeup on.”
That’s so interesting! How does it feel to you now, doing a sport where makeup isn’t a factor? I'm just curious about that mental shift because I feel like it must be part of your competition person to put it on, right?
It's part of my preparation routine. So I still do it. I don't put my hair in a bun. I’ll do a braided ponytail. But I still put on makeup and it helps me feel like I'm ready to compete.
There's an Italian biathlete, Dorothea Weirer, who, when she first started wearing makeup, got a lot of flack. She would wear eye shadow and lipstick, sometimes a full look. But it separated her from the rest of the biathletes and got people talking about her.
People would be like, “Oh, hey, have you seen this skier from Italy?” Because you can see her when she goes into the range to shoot. That’s when you get the closeup visuals that don’t happen in cross country.
I’m manifesting a beauty sponsorship for you because it's such a cool content moment to have this badass biathlete rocking gorgeous long-lasting makeup. Anyway, back to skating. Are there any skaters currently or in the past whose style you loved?
I loved Sasha Cohen's dresses. I don't know who made them. I think Vera Wang might have made some of them or that might have been Nancy Kerrigan.1 Sasha had this dress for “Romeo and Juliet” at the Torino Olympics. It was cranberry with gold adornments. It was just so beautiful.
All her costumes were so perfectly tailored. Sometimes I've seen skater where the skirt length seems a little disproportionate to their height and frame. It works against their lines when they’re skating.
Let's talk biathlon. What made you decide to make the transition?
I quit competing internationally in 2018, right before I started college at Michigan.
I was burnt out from the sport and I was also semi-injured because I hurt my ankle. I was starting my freshman year and said, “Oh, I just want to focus on my career, academics, and figuring out what I'm going to do.” But I ended up being friends with some of the people on the skating team. By sophomore year, they dragged me back into it. So I started competing. I was getting my jumps back but then COVID hit and most of the ice rinks closed.
I was also just in pain. I realized if I were to keep training hours a day skating, my body would be in bad shape. I had friends who had gotten knee surgeries and hip surgeries, which thankfully I never had. But I was looking for another sport that would not irritate my body the way skating did.
During COVID, my dad brought home a pair of classic cross-country skis. I thought they looked fun. It was snowing so I took them right out on the street to try. I remember thinking the gliding sensation was almost similar to skating. It was just so fun. I'd done downhill as a kid, but that’s a different sensation. It's harder on your knees and you don't get the full range of movement that you do with cross country.
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I loved it. I went back to Michigan and I brought the skis with me. It snowed and I started skiing across campus. Over time, I realized that skate skiing was different than classic and thought I'd probably be better at skate because of my background. So I got some skate skis and some roller skis so that I could start doing it year-round.
Oh man, I couldn’t figure out skate skiing to save my life.
I think classic is easier to do recreationally, but the classic technique that these elite skiers have is so difficult and precise that I thought it'd be hard for me to get there.
And biathlon is skate skiing?
Yeah, which is one of the reasons that I decided to go down that route. Plus, I moved out to Utah this year and I was trying different hobbies. I went clay shooting a few times and I thought, “This is fun.” Then someone said to me why don't you just do biathlon? Then you can ski and try and hit the targets.
It all clicked for me. With cross-country skiing, I did some races and, while I did enjoy it, it's more like running – pure endurance. I missed the pressure of having to, how do I say this? With skating, you have your jumps and you want to land your jumps and that helps break up the program. I feel like biathlon is a bit similar where you have to skate a lap and then you shoot. It breaks up the race and allows you to shift your focus to hitting the targets. It adds pressure in a different way, but to me, it’s more engaging and fun.
I can totally see how that works better for you. So how do you approach dressing for biathlon? Is there anything you've retained from figure skating?
I’ve kept the hair and makeup. But, it’s changed. I've started wearing more Swix, which is a Swedish brand that a lot of skiers wear. I didn't have a lot of windbreakers, because you wouldn't wear that in a rink. Being outside things are just so variable that you need some of this more functional stuff.
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But you it's not a ton of clothes, right? Because you get so hot so quickly. I'm the queen of trying to do cross country and overheating.
Generally, when I've been skiing it's been about mid to high twenties. I just wear leggings and a base layer. So I’ll wear a Lululemon long sleeve because I have a lot from skating. The other skiers wear more ski-centered brands like Craft and Swix. But basically just a base layer, tights, and then a thin, unlined windbreaker on top.
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I’ve had to learn to be ok with starting cold. With skating, I could strip off layers as I would get going and leave them on the boards. That’s not possible if you're out on the trails, you can’t throw a jacket into the woods.
Any accessories?
A headband and sunglasses. That’s definitely different from skating.
Do you like wearing them?
I do! They make me feel fast.
Is there a specific brand people like or can you wear anything?
You can wear any sport sunglasses, but a brand I see a lot and what I have is Bliz.
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I realized we didn't touch on your training. Figure skating versus biathlon – is it about the same amount of hours needed?
I think at the elite level, it's probably the same between both skating and biathlon. Because I also have a nine-to-five, I'm like trying to ramp up my physical activity after a period of rest. It's not quite the same. Right now I probably do 10 hours a week of training. When I was figure skating, it was closer to 20. I've shifted my focus to longer endurance workouts, because biathlon is so different from skating where you have a four-minute routine. And now you're out there sprinting for 30 minutes. It's a big change!
Follow Natalie along on Instagram @TheStyledSkier and TikTok and don’t forget to let me know who I should chat with next!
Quick Thoughts
Things That Caught My Eye or Ire…
The end of the year came with a flurry of athlete brand updates in the running world. On the trail side, Free Trail has a helpful list of new free agents. One who made some noise is Courtney Olsen, who shared a little BTS about the demise of her relationship with Hoka on her Instagram.
It was interesting to contrast Courtney’s post with Kate Grace’s goodbye to Nike.
Now granted, Courtney just set the 50 Mile World Record and Kate is sunsetting her career, but it’s a noticeably different tone. And one we’re not used to seeing athletes take on social.
This comes on the heels of Hoka dropping a number of athletes from NAZ Elite, their flagship pro team. Apparently, these changes reflect the brand’s shift to prioritize NIL signings. Athletes getting dropped is nothing new, but something in the way Hoka communicated these changes left a lot of athletes with bad tastes in their mouths. Prioritizing youth is a smart move, though, if they’re looking to eat into one of the areas where Nike remains the strongest.In the New York Times Misty White Sidell reports “Women’s Workout Wear Loosens Up”. This is a look – oversized tee, loose shorts – I’ve been preferring for a bit. (See my BAA Half race fit, here.) Grace Clarke also advocated for a comfortable approach to gym wear in her Sweatlook Book Q&A. Obviously, there’s nothing more gratifying than beating the NYT to a trend (not that it’s too hard.) Anyway, a few things that stood out to me from the piece:
Literary Sport made the lede and was a major feature throughout - the buzz continues! (They haven’t answered my email asking for an interview though, boo.)
This cool-girl insight: “Kirsty Godso, a personal trainer whose client roster includes Kaia Gerber, Olivia Rodrigo, Hailey Bieber and Ayo Edebiri, began observing women in cities like London, Paris and New York wearing looser workout outfits that incorporate unique apparel like vintage T-shirts — creating personalized looks that are more aesthetically unified with their day-to-day clothing choices.” Here for the vintage shirts!
Watch out Balletcore, you’ve got competition. Dancer Leslie Andrea Williams says she “has seen women ‘reclaiming how they want to look in the gym,’ with roomier styles that veer closer to the outfits that she and fellow Martha Graham dancers wear in rehearsal — many of which are documented in her TikTok posts. ‘I think modern dance core can become a thing.’”
If you like this look, it’s one Katherine Douglas of SF’s Running Wylder is invested in it too. Good news: her online store just went live! I have the Crusty Tee (featuring the store’s jogging croissant mascot) and can confirm it’s perfectly oversized. She’s also curated a selection of vintage running tees.
If you’re suddenly thinking about investing in a bunch of loose-fitting workout wear, I recommend this essay from TOGS on how to care for activewear and ways to be a more conscious consumer of this stuff. (Plus, I bet if you dig deep in your drawers you can find some old baggy tees anyway.)
My LinkedIn Feed included a few posts this week from running brands planning showrooms for Paris Fashion Week, notably Soar and Norda.
It’s always interesting to see how a brand handles a copycat, especially when it’s a small player vs a big one. I’ve seen some chatter around the way Ladder mocked Peleton for copying their strength app via humorous, pointed social posts. This week Satisfy called Nike out for copying their MothTech fabric. (You know, the one that has what looks like moth holes in a $140 100% combed cotton shirt. Nike’s 82% polyester/10% lyocell/8% elastane one retails at $100.) To do so, they took to Instagram Stories, LinkedIn, and a HighSnobiety article titled: “YOUNG RUNNING BRANDS ARE SETTING THE PACE — NIKE IS TAKING VERY LITERAL NOTES.” I naturally have thoughts but since I have been shady to both Satisfy and Nike before, I decided to check out Reddit/runningfashion to see what other folks were saying. This was my favorite take on Satisfy’s statement (screenshots below): “Good god. ‘It crystallizes the intersection of culture, performance, and functionality.’ Makes me wanna shed my cocoon and fly.”
Unrivaled, the new women’s professional three-on-three basketball league, announced that Sephora is their “official beauty partner.” I was excited to see this post from Sephora’s partnership lead Nanette Nunu with a little BTS on how this all came to be – Sephora moved super quickly! Love when a wild DM slide pays off. Expect to see more beauty brands investing in women’s sports this year.
Simone Biles (rightly) is Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year. Unfortunately, the styling for the cover is a miss. Just say no to snakeskin! (I am slightly embarrassed to say I devoted more time than I should have trying to figure out if this is the same Norma Kamali dress Kim Kardashian wore on Christmas Eve. It is not.)
Styling aside, the portrait by Shaniqwa Jarvis is striking, creating an effect where it looks like Biles is gazing upon her former (or future?) self. The choice is fitting because the article, by Stephanie Apstein, is very much about Biles’ legacy. A reminder of just how much she has been through as both an athlete and human, it traces the ups and downs of her journey from Tokyo to Paris and includes this gem of a quote: “You kind of have to go up there and tell yourself, I’m a boss ass b----,” Biles says of her mindset before a beam routine. Add that to your mantra list.
49ers WAG turned fashion designer Kristin Juszczyk has partnered with serial Kardashian entrepreneur Emma Grede – of SKIMS and Good American – to launch Off Season, a sports apparel brand inspired by Juszczyk’s viral DIY 49ers puffer. Thanks to a licensing deal with the NFL, the debut collection features unisex puffers for fans of five pro football teams. TBH, I’m a little underwhelmed. Given all the buzz around women’s sports this year, it would have been nice to see this launch with products that celebrated women’s leagues, too.
This quote from Grede offers a glimmer of hope that something might be in the works: “Often the culture dictates how successful you can be. Men have woken up to women's sports and that creates an opportunity for women to be successful in the business of sports, sports merchandising, sports licensing, and building a company in this space. I think if we'd have tried to launch this company three or four years ago, I don't know that we'd have gotten such a great reception.” Still, it feels a little tone-deaf to say your business is built on the success of women’s sports, yet center men’s teams...
Anyway, Katherine Douglas of Running Wylder and I have been DM’ing about this new world of WAG dressing, powered by women like Taylor Swift, Simone Biles, and Kristin Juszczyk, herself. I need to do a deep dive here, but I’m not a fan of bedecking yourself in your boyfriend’s /husband’s name (though I applaud the creativity and the re-purposing of jerseys). To each their own, I guess!Tiktok failed to load.
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Looks like Sasha Cohen didn’t work with Vera Wang, but she did take a lot of pride in designing her dresses. Her favorite look was the one Natalie references above. "I think my “Romeo and Juliet” dresses, both the one I wore at Nationals and then in the Olympics [were my favorite]. They were reflections of each other: One was pale gold with copper beading, and the other was deep, rich burgundy velvet with copper beading. I loved the whooshing of the skirt. It had the delicate beadwork of high fashion, but it was still a skating dress.”