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Olympian’s gorgeous figure skating costume was actually made by her mom

KAREN CHEN

teamusa/Instagram | Chris Allan/Shutterstock

Theresa Civantos Barber - published on 02/17/22

The outfit is a sweet reminder of a mother’s love that her daughter carries with her even onto the Olympic ice.

The mother of one Olympic figure skater, Karen Chen, found an extra sweet and special way to be part of her daughter’s amazing routine. 

She actually made the gorgeous costume her daughter wore to the Olympics.

The Olympic team silver medalist revealed in a video for Team USA’s Instagram account that her mom, Hsiu-Hui Tseng, handmade the purple free skate dress. It features bell sleeves, a fluted mini skirt, and a deep-V illusion neckline all wonderfully embellished with rhinestone flowers and butterflies. 

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A post shared by Team USA (@teamusa)

Chen explained in the video, 

I’m wearing my figure skating dress that my mom actually made for me. She probably does 90 percent of the work and I do like 10 percent and by 10 percent I just tell her like, “Oh, that looks good.” or “That doesn’t look good.” She does all the hard work and she puts, like, blood, sweat, and tears into it.

A parent’s support means so much to any child, and we can only imagine the time and energy parents of Olympians put into their children’s athletic prowess. There are endless practices, training sessions, competitions, gear to purchase, and so much more. 

Chen’s mom took it even a step further with the effort she put into crafting the beautiful costume. 

Some little details especially reveal the thoughtful care that went into making the outfit. Karen Chen took time in the video to point out a small butterfly made of rhinestones. She said, 

I think my favorite part is this butterfly down here, she like strategically picked the stones and arranged them in a way so it looks like a butterfly because in my free program I’m skating to a “Butterfly Lovers’ Concerto” and so I just want to be a pretty butterfly on the ice.

The outfit is a sweet reminder of a mother’s love that her daughter carries with her even onto the Olympic ice.

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