Olympics a showdown of gelled into oblivion ballet buns for Vancouver figure skaters

No swingy Hamill hair for Olympic women skaters

Where’s the Dorothy Hamill wedge, or just a wholesome ponytail? It’s a battle of tight-as-can-be ballet buns in Vancouver on figure skating ice.

Unlike many frolicking, hair all over the place pairs, the women singles have serious updos for serious Olympic business. Sure, no hair’s out of place, but does the look enhance their natural beauty? Promote their poise?

“All these ballet buns,” lamented Hal Rubenstein, fashion director and figure skating aficionado for InStyle magazine.

“When Dorothy Hamill skated, when she spun, her hair moved. It was almost like this extra bonus,” he said. “It was like this fabulous accessory. Her hair would land half a beat afterward. There’s a reason her look was so long lasting.”

Swingy locks have been benched as costumes have sprouted more sparkle and programs have demanded more muscle, Rubenstein said.

Canada’s Cynthia Phaneuf performed Tuesday during the short program in adorned, bellybutton-bearing paisley and dangle earrings to go with her sleek bun, accentuated by an off-center part plastered to her head.

“That hair was so severe. It took away from her beauty,” said Rubenstein, adding that the costume itself looked “bunchy and cheap,” like a Halloween buy, because of a trove of saggy, neutral-toned mesh required at the center.

Marie Millikan, a skating coach in Indianapolis who competed in the 1968 Olympics for Czechoslovakia, said short, sassy hair is “more of an exception,” historically speaking, to updos that include Peggy Fleming’s French twist.

“In today’s figure skating we have the component mark for interpretation. Interpreting the style with your body is very important, but so is the total image. Part of the total image is the costume and so is the hair for what you are trying to portray,” she said.

“More importantly, this generation of women skaters perform six or seven triples in their programs. It requires full focus and if your hair is flying across your eyes, say, before the takeoff of the jump, it can get you distracted and you lose that focus. I know kids who if they have hair flying across their face, they won’t even take off.”

Losing focus is one thing. Careening into a wall or slamming important body parts on hard ice because of bad hair is another.

Hair specialist Ted Gibson of “What Not to Wear” said severe buns “give off the impression of sophistication and a serious dedication to the sport. They definitely enhance their poise and help to show off the women’s beautiful jaw line and neck area.”

A softer twist or updo, like those Gibson styled for runways during New York Fashion Week, work better for pairs skating, he said. “It’s a bit sexier, modern and playful. The looks are more flirty.”

DJ Riggs, an international artistic director for funky hair-care brand Tigi, has been keeping a close eye on the gelled back long hair in Vancouver.

“There’s a sort of solidarity to the look,” he said, “but it does take away from personalized beauty.”