[johnnyweir-ru]

What about Dancing With the Stars? You’ve been vocal about wanting to do the show. Is that a possibility?

"We’re definitely talking to all the right people about 'Dancing With the Stars'. They are definitely talking back to us, so it’s just going to be a matter of time. Really, when it comes down to it, if you’ve chosen a whole cast of people, and the last spot is open [and] you’ve got Johnny Weir…That’s all good, but that will be easily trumped by somebody else who would be more outrageous on the show. Like if it was between me and Lindsay Lohan for the last spot. Obviously you want to see Lindsay Lohan dancing in that ankle bracelet. I definitely would love to dance. I’ve already chosen Karina Smirnoff as who I would like to dance with. I got to meet her, and I checked my size next to her. I love her, and I love the show. I think I’d be great. A lot of people expect me to have really good rhythm when I’m not on ice, but it’s quite the opposite. It would be a situation where I really would have to learn to dance. I’ve never taken dance classes or anything. I would be a fish out of water, for sure. I think that would be interesting."

Fellow ice skater, Evan Lysacek, did pretty well on DWTS. Is that an added incentive to be on the show and perform well?

"Absolutely. I don’t take on a project unless I know the end result is going to make me happy. If I can’t give 100 percent to something, I choose not to do it because it’s very difficult to have so many pots on the fire at one time. If I wanted to do Dancing With the Stars I would fight and fight to get on the show, which we are. Once I’m there, I’m not going for any other place aside from first. I think it would be great if I won and Evan wasn’t able to win this season. I think it would be funny."



ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’re known for some outrageous fashion choices. How would you describe your style?
JOHNNY WEIR: "I’d say in general, my style is Johnny Weir style. It’s my style. I can’t classify it as anything else. I’m very conscious of my body, and the way I’m built. I have really big thighs, but I’m tiny up top. And I have a little head, so I can’t really wear things that are huge up there. I have a very clear idea of my body and what style would work on me. And I love playing. I think I’m a student of both schools. The Coco Chanel philosophy of take one thing off before you leave the house, but also the school of enough is never enough. So I try to play in between those worlds."

What about on the ice?
"Something that very many people forget is that when we’re on the ice, we’re not wearing clothes. We’re wearing costumes. And you wouldn’t go to see Moulin Rouge! without the costumes. Figure skating is theatrical, and a part of it is wearing costumes. My costumes were very over-the-top and outrageous for figure skating. But for me, it’s all beautiful. Even when nobody else believed they were beautiful, I felt beautiful in them. I think that’s the most important thing to be learned about fashion. It doesn’t matter necessarily what you put on your body. It’s how you feel with what you’re wearing. And I always felt good. I’ll look back sometimes maybe five days after an event, and I’ll look at a picture and say :”What was I thinking with those pants, or that top or that makeup?” I’m very critical of myself. But in general, when I get dressed, in that moment, it’s a look I want. It’s a feeling I want. I feel beautiful. I feel great."

How involved are you in making your costumes?
"I’m involved in everything except the actual construction, the sewing and things. I can’t sew very well. It’s improving slowly, but I can’t sew very well. I design everything. I help chose the fabrics and the theme. The costumes always are a reflection of the music or the character that you’re performing with. I’m just in the final stages of creating a new costume for my Lady Gaga Poker Face costume. Lots of people have seen it. It’s like my No. 1 video on YouTube. More people have seen it than anything else I’ve ever done. I think that’s great. I wanted to change it up and do a new costume. We’re actually finishing that up. It’s really wonderful. My old costume was black with broken shards of glass and disco balls down one arm. This one I wanted to be very sleek. It’s basically a black lace catsuit. There are certain cutouts in very strategic places to make me look thin. And there are giant things on the shoulders. My inspiration was film when you pull it out of a camera, and old-fashioned camera."

How did you get involved with Closet Confessions?
"After the Olympics, my personal style was definitely on a lot of people’s radars. And BlueFly is made up of people. They were interested in seeing what I was doing next, and interested in seeing my closet and my philosophies on fashion. They called my agent and said, “We think Johnny would be perfect for Closet Confessions.” Of course, we didn’t know what that meant. We thought it might be a trap in some way, but we researched it and Nicky Hilton did it and Christian Siriano. I think it is definitely very good company to be in. So I said yes. I got my closet ready and they came over and shot it."

What can viewers expect to see in your closet?
"There’s a lot in my closet. I’ve been collecting things since I was five. I’m definitely a pack rat. I’m not a hoarder, but I’m definitely a pack rat. I will keep anything if I have a memory in it or a good moment. I’m only 25, but 20 years of stuff is a lot of stuff as far as fashion is concerned. I love vintage Chanel jackets. I love Chanel. I love Balenciaga bags. I love sunglasses. I have over 120 pairs of sunglasses. I love fur. I just collect things. Even if I don’t wear something, I collect it. Usually the test for me is if I would want to frame it someday."

The first season of your Sundance Channel show Be Good Johnny Weir just ended. What new things are you planning?
"There’s definitely a lot of new opportunities coming my way that I never expected. Like I recorded a song. We’re going to put that up at the end of July. A lot of people who have heard it say it sounds a lot like Depeche Mode. I haven’t been a big fan of Depeche Mode, so I’m not so familiar with their music. For me, it sounds like a mixture of Lady Gaga and the Scissor Sisters, which is sort of a dance/pop sort of situation. Which is the easiest way to sing, I believe. I’m really proud of what I did with that. The song is called Dirty Love. I’m also writing a book, and yes, we are definitely in talks about season two of Be Good Johnny Weir. I’m not sure if I’ll keep competing this season. I still have some time to decide, but I’m still on the fence about if I want to take one year off because the Olympic season was so draining and so tough. I might need to take a year off to relax and enjoy my life a bit before I start skating again. Or if life happens. You never know. I could end up a trophy wife next week. You just never know."


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