Back in Black

You may not realize it but figure skating is a sport in which what you wear is almost as important as your actual skill on the ice. Your outfit has to be just right at every moment. Whether that outfit be a poetic dress for a routine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 or a sleek black leotard for a long day of practice. The different ensembles are endless in figure skating. Seeing as I was a competitive figure skater for my entire life, ages 8-19, I had my fair share of dresses, tights, and athletic gear and was constantly on the search to add more to my wardrobe. I can honestly say I cared more about my outfit at the rink that day than I did at school any day.

This effort to look and skate my best is what triggered my attention to a specific Gap advertisement. Although the commercial was most definitely not the first ad I had come across in my life; it is to this day one of the only ads I can remember almost perfectly. The commercial was a montage of Audrey Hepburn dancing in a slim black turtle neck and black pants to ACDC's "Back in Black". I'm not sure if it was the outfit, the dancing, the music or just Audrey Hepburn herself, but I knew after watching that commercial I needed a pair of black leggings and a tight black turtleneck to wear on the ice that very day. While the commercial in no way was advertising skate-wear, it still spoke to me. It spoke to me in a way that any great advertisement would, hitting a chord in my mind making me realize a need and then a demand. For me that chord was figure skating and the sleek look I wanted to represent on the ice. For others I'm sure that want and need was different but equally as impacted by such a distinct method of advertising. To this day I don't believe any other commercial has had quite the spell over me as Gap's in 2007 and I think it goes without saying, but, within the week I was on the ice training in my new back-in-black outfit.

"Back In Black" Gap Commercial Link