When 16-year-old figure skater Isabeau Levito takes the ice on the evening of Jan. 28, at the conclusion of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she will have either defended her title as reigning women’s champion, received second or third place, or walked away empty-handed.
Yet one thing is sure: Wherever she places in the competition, Levito will be wearing a costume designed by Columbus fashion designer Austin Tootle. Skater Dresses For Women
Tootle, a 2022 graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design and a recent participant in New York Fashion Week, was tapped to design Levito’s costume for the post-competition Prevagen Skating Spectacular, a skate in which medalists and other top skaters perform. The championships this year, including this concluding event, will take place in Columbus at Nationwide Arena.
More:The U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place Jan. 22-28 in Columbus
Speaking with local and national media this week, Levito expressed excitement at the process of having a costume made just for her.
“This is my first time one-on-one working with a costume designer,” Levito told The Dispatch. “Usually me and my coach think about some ideas, and she kind of takes it from there.”This time, however, she had Tootle to turn to.
“I feel like he’s so creative,” Levito said. “I’ll give an idea of what I want, and he’ll give me like three other (ideas). . . . I’m really glad to have him.”
The seeds for the collaboration were planted last year, when the Greater Columbus Sports Commission tapped CCAD to help find a local designer to create a costume for a skater likely to be featured at the championships.
“When the Greater Columbus Sports Commission approached us looking for an emerging designer to create a one-of-a-kind costume, we knew a collaboration with Austin would be a perfect fit due to his knack for storytelling through design,” Nicole Monahan, associate vice president for career services and partnerships, said in an email.
Tootle, a 27-year-old native of Lancaster who currently resides in Lewis Center, had never previously designed a costume for a figure skater, but he instantly saw the possibilities.
“When they told me who the figure skater was, and they told me who she was in the sense of her accomplishments, I (thought), ‘OK, this isn’t only a big deal for CCAD (to be) working with a figure skater, but this could make or break my career as a designer,” Tootle told The Dispatch recently.
“If (the costume is) amazing, I could then make outfits for her for the Olympics (or) for other people,” he said, referring to the possibility that Levito makes the U.S. figure skating team sent to the Winter Olympics in two years.
Over the summer, Tootle and Levito interacted via Zoom. On his end, Tootle was still in the throes of preparing for New York Fashion Week.
“At this point, I’m getting ready New York: 16, 17 hours a day sewing, fitting garments on the models and getting everything for ready,” said Tootle, who, in the earliest stages, found time to research figure-skating costumes and even look up YouTube videos showing those who make their own costumes.
Most important, though, was getting feedback from Levito.
“One of the most challenging things is picking the brain of the person you’re designing for,” Tootle said. “They could say one thing, and then I perceive it differently . . . than what they want.”
Also of the utmost importance: the measurements for the costume.
“When you do a custom outfit, you have to have basically perfect measurements,” said Tootle, noting that the fabric — a mixture of spandex and Lycra — has to stand up to the rigors of skating.
“It has to be skin-tight, (but) to be able to have skin-tight, you have to stretch it a tiny bit,” he said. “You have to make sure there’s still enough stretch for her to perform, but this is the key factor: when you put rhinestones in, the fabric shrinks. It has to be perfect.”
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In October, Tootle traveled to New Jersey, where Levito lives, for the skater to try on a version of the costume they had been discussing and designing.
“It was due in two weeks at that time,” Tootle said. “She put it on, and she (said), ‘I don’t like it. . . . I don’t like the cut of it. It’s also very simple. We can do better.’ I (said), ‘I agree with you.’”
After going back to the drawing board — and gaining more time to work after Levito decided to have the costume premiere at the championships in Columbus rather than at an earlier event — Tootle came up with a design that satisfied all concerned.
“The color we chose was a muted, blush-colored pink — a very soft pink,” Tootle said. “The rhinestones we chose are going to look like diamonds.”
Features of the costume include a turtleneck-style collar, puffy sleeves and a teardrop opening on the back, he said.
“I’m just very happy with it overall, and it’s going to look amazing on her,” Tootle said.
Some finishing touches remain before the costume is ready for the ice.
“We haven’t fully finished it yet,” said Levito, who estimates the costume is about 95 percent complete. “I think it’s going to be really pretty, and I’m really excited for this.”
Figure Skating Outfits The U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place from Jan. 22-28 at Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd. For a full schedule, single session tickets and weekend packages, visit https://www.columbussports.org/skate/tickets/.