Alysa Liu, 20, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist and Effortless Style Icon

The defining image from Milano‑Cortina 2026 was Alysa Liu, 20, spinning to Donna Summer’s "MacArthur Park" in a gold one-shoulder frock, an embellished bodice and her signature fringed skirt catching the arena lights as her halo-ring hair swayed. Teen Vogue reports she altered the gown’s high neckline to a lower square one for the February 17 free skate, then let her hair down for the February 19 medal ceremony where she stood beside Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai on the podium.

Vanity Fair and E! described Liu as a two-time gold medalist at the Milan Cortina Games, crediting her with both the women’s singles/free skate title and a team gold alongside Ilia Malinin. Liu, a Richmond, California native, framed the moment on her own terms: “These titles are huge, but I don’t want them to overshadow who I am and what I do and what I am all about,” she told Vanity Fair, later adding, “Winning isn’t all that, and neither is losing.” CNN captured her immediate reaction after the skate: “I feel good, I feel confident and I put it all out there.”

Her wardrobe choices were deliberate performance tactics. Teen Vogue documented a white dress with a silver-embellished hem earlier in the Games and the switch to the gold-tone dress for her medal-winning program. Stylistic adjustments were practical and theatrical, Teen Vogue notes Liu moved from a pinned-up hairstyle into a ponytail so her dyed hair could sway with her skate, then released its “rings and jellyfish-esque layers” for the podium. Hairstylist Kelsey Miller posted on Instagram, calling Liu “an inspiration” and writing, “can’t wait to see those halos spin on the ice tonight.”

Makeup and DIY details threaded through Liu’s look. Teen Vogue highlighted her thick eyeliner and smiley piercing; CNN relayed Liu’s anecdote to TMJ4 News that she pierced her lip herself about two years ago, saying the procedure was painless and that her sister “helped and held up her lip.” Photographers captured the sequence, Jamie Squire/Getty Images and other photo teams documented the February 19 ceremony and the close-up fashion moments.

Industry reaction ranged from playful to reverent. Vanity Fair coined an “IDGAF” aesthetic around Liu and reproduced a viral X post calling her “the first woke idgafer alt baddie to win an olympic gold medalist.…THAT'S how you make america great again.” Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry welcomed Vanity Fair into a fitting and declared, “We haven’t shown anything like this in a long time,” adding, “but it was time to peacock.” Teen Vogue columnist Lauren Servideo argued Liu’s stylistic rebellion gives her freedom within the sport’s structure.

As medals accumulate, Liu is already sketching a next act. E! quoted her saying, “I have creative ideas,” and that she wants to put out work and pursue fashion and storytelling after returning home from Italy. Whether she continues to change necklines or to launch a collection, the skater from Richmond has made clear that her style, on the ice and off, will be as intentional as her jumps.