SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Final Competition: Winner Deshauna Barber "Miss District of Columbia USA" and The EVENING GOWNS Recap!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Final Competition: Winner Deshauna Barber "Miss District of Columbia USA" and The EVENING GOWNS Recap!

Queen Deshauna: Deshauna Barber Miss District of Columbia USA wins Miss USA 2016, Las Vegas Nevada

Sunday night were the Finals of the 65th Annual Miss USA beauty pageant. Fifty-two contestants representing the 50 US states, District of Columbia plus a "Miss 52 USA" competed for the coveted title. In the end, it was 26-year-old Deshauna Barber "Miss District of Columbia USA" who got the crown, sash and all the fabulous prizes. This was the first time in 14 years (and only the third time in history) that Miss District of Columbia has received the Miss USA title. She will now go on to compete in the Miss Universe 2016 contest scheduled for later this year.

Crowning Moment: Deshauna Barber "Miss District of Columbia USA" gets crowned Miss USA 2016 by last year's Miss USA Olivia Jordan and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach

5' 10" tall Deshauna Barber was born in Georgia and a military brat, she has lived in North Carolina, Minnesota, Nebraska, Virginia, as well as D.C.. She is an Army Reserve officer and IT analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce and holds a master's in management information systems and services from University of Maryland University College.

Deshauna Gorgeous: Introduction and Swimsuit--Miss USA 2016 Finals, Las Vegas Nevada

Deshauna was a standout during the Finals as well as the Preliminaries which were held earlier in the week. After seeing her during the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition, she was definitely one of my top favorites--and this was only based on swimsuit and evening gown. During the finals on Sunday night, she basically clinched the crown during the interview portion of the contest when judge Joe Zee asked a question about women in the military and their roles in combat. Barber answered intelligently, with aplomb and very eloquently. It was definitely a "Go On Girl!" moment.

You Got This Girl: The final Top Two moment with Deshauna Barber "Miss District of Columbia USA" (left) and Chelsea Hardin "Miss Hawaii USA" (right). Miss Hawaii USA was a favorite to get the crown and you could tell from watching the Finals. She was a definite stand-out; gorgeous, perfect body and answered her controversial "Will you vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump" interview question well. In the end, Chelsea came in second.



OK, now it's time to discuss the Top Ten Miss USA 2016 Finals Evening Gowns, beginning with the eventual winner, "Miss District of Columbia USA":

Miss District of Columbia USA/Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber: Deshauna wore a gold and silver shimmery gown that really made an impact onstage. The gown featured long sleeves, a lace sequined applique torso and "Liza With a Z"-like bugle bead sequined fringed bottom section. This was a gown change from what she wore during the Preliminaries...

Golden Girl: Gown designed by Juan Carlos Pinera worn by Deshauna Barber at the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition. I liked both choices and can understand her dress change; the second fringed one was more "Stage Impacting". In addition, there were SOOOO many of those overskirt/overlay gowns during the Preliminaries that she probably decided that she didn't want to be part of the Gown Trend crowd. I am sure she probably could have still won the title wearing the golden gown above.



From Best to "Uh Oh", here is my Gown Recap of Miss USA 2016 Finals:

Miss South Dakota USA Madison McKeown: Out of the 10
Semi-Semi Finalists during the Miss USA 2016 Finals--in terms of evening
gowns--Miss South Dakota USA SHUT IT DOWN. When she appeared onstage, I
immediately knew that we had gone into non-Sherri Hill Couture Territory!
Madison wore an ivory silk crepe gown that had an attached dramatic cape. She
OWNED the stage and runway. The gown featured a hand-painted dip-dye of blue
and silver. The gown was created by Lebanon-based Couturier Tony Ward and it
was from his Tony Ward Couture Fall/Winter 2015/2016
collection. It is worth $50,000. I still want to know if she bought it or if
the Tony Ward P.R. people allowed her to borrow it...for free.

Miss Hawaii USA Chelsea Hardin: Chelsea was a definite stand-out at the Miss USA 2016 Finals. I honestly thought she was going to be the winner. Until Miss District of Columbia answered her interview question. It sure felt as though the audience was all "Team Hawaii" for sure. I liked her gown. It wasn't my all-time favorite but on Chelsea, it looked amazing. It was very Zuhair Murad Couture-like. If there was any critique, it would be those nude platform heels. Those were #tacky. Especially with such a gown. Silver strappy heels would have been more "Red Carpet/Fashion Week" perfect. Chelsea is already very tall, I just didn't understand the need to wear those. Other than that, her gown looked like a Winter's Storm Couture Icicle!

Miss Georgia USA Emanii
Davis: One of my favorite gowns
of the Miss USA 2016 preliminaries was this ivory design worn by Miss Georgia
USA. And I am glad she didn't change her gown for the Finals. Emanii wore this
crepe column gown that had a sequined shoulder detail and chiffon cape. I
thought she looked regal and goddess-like. If there was any criticism, the bust
had awkward fit issues and the plunging-ness was a couple of seconds from
hoochie-licious. The gown was from Sherri Hill Fall/Winter 2016 NY Fashion Week. But, overall, I
liked the design and cape /shoulder detail. Oh, and yes, Emanii was one of the
MOST BEAUTIFUL contestants of the night!

Miss Virginia USA Desi Williams: Desi looked amazing in her choice of a red halter silk jersey gown. The dress featured a fitted waist midriff and silver sequined trim. This gown fit Desi PERFECTLY! And she looked BEAUTIFUL. I am normally not a fan of the halter neck dress (it's very 1990s Pageant) but Desi worked this OVERTIME!  #Perfection

Miss Alabama USA Peyton
Brown: Peyton wore this white
with gold sequin trim "Grecian Goddess"-inspired gown. I thought it
was an impressive showing and great gown design. The fit was perfect and I
think she nailed the "Fashion" and "Pageant" components. This
was one of the best ones of the Top Ten.

Miss California USA Nadia Mejia: Nadia was a favorite coming into the Finals, especially with her Celeb father 90's rapper/singer Gerardo (famous for "Rico Suave") as part of her bio/lineage. During the interview portion, poor Miss California USA froze and didn't do so well. But in terms of her evening gown, she did OK by me. I loved the bright orange color and gathered Grecian Goddess style. But, what I really loved was the fact that she didn't style the look with some tacky platform "Stripper" heels...

 Instead, she wore the prefect gold strappy kind. Gracias Nadia!

Miss Arkansas USA Abby Floyd: Abby wore this ivory and silver lace gown with a very plunging neckline and long sleeves. This was a Gown Change from what she wore during the Preliminary Competition...

Both were nice styles. Which one do you guys like better? Personally, I would chose the one on the right, from the Preliminaries.

Miss Missouri USA Sydnee Stotlemyre: Sydnee wore a one shoulder white gown with insets of nude with silver crystals. It was very Versace circa late 1990's. I liked it except for the placement of that thigh nude/crystal inset section; this was dangerously close to showcasing her you-know-what. On another note, this was the same gown style she wore for the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries but in a different color-way:

White or Blue: Miss Missouri USA at Miss USA 2016

Finally...

Miss Connecticut USA Tiffany Teixeira: Tiffinay wore this off-the-shoulder red satin overkirt/overlay gown with sequined bodice. Tiffany was very pretty and I didn't dislike this gown style even if it was a bit 1996. But, what I really was not a fan of were her shoes...

Tacky-Licious: UBER high Tacky Stripper Lucite Heels. This is a definite No. Sorry Tiffany. But, NO. Not Ever.

Miss USA Smiles: Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber with the rest of the Miss USA 2016 contestants

Congrats to Deshauna Barber! Our new Miss USA--Gorgeous, confidently beautiful,  intelligent and yes, FIERCE!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition TREND ALERT: The Overskirt Gown!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition TREND ALERT: The Overskirt Gown!

Overskirt Miss USA: Contestants from the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition in Las Vegas Nevada showcasing their overskirt gowns

Leave it to Pageant Queens to take an Evening Gown Style Trend and RUN IT TO THE GROUND! This year's Miss USA Preliminary Competition was no exception: There were more overskirts than well...a Zuhair Murad Haute Couture runway show from a couple of years ago. Yes darlings, it usually takes about that long for a runway trend to take effect and grab hold of the pageant gown world. Check out these looks from Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2014:

Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2014

Now, if you really wanted to get time-specific, one could argue that this overskirt gown trend began back in the late 1980s/early 1990's with Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel bringing back a slight nod to those Marie Antoinette panier-and-crinolined 18th Century court dresses...

 Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld, 1990

Christian Lacroix Couture Overskirt 90's Pouf

So...with all that said, here are examples of how this year's Miss USA contestants took the Overskirt Trend and ran it into the Pageant Runway Ground:

Miss Connecticut USA Tiffany Teixeira--Red strapless overskirt gown

Miss District of Columbia USA Deshauna Barber--Gold and nude overskirt organza gown

Miss Hawaii USA Chelsea Hardin--White lace-and-nude gown with tulle overskirt

Miss Idaho USA Sydney Halper--Red sweetheart neckline satin gown with iridescent organza overskirt

Miss Louisiana USA Maaliyah Papillion--Black sequined tulle gown with black satin organza overskirt and attached inner leotard

Miss 52 USA Alexandra Miller--Red halter neckline satin charmeuse gown with chiffon overskirt

Miss Alaska USA Ariane Audett--Off-white column gown with gold sequin applique and overskirt

Miss Vermont USA Neely Fortune--Teal blue stretch velvet strapless gown with taffeta overskirt

Miss North Dakota USA Halley Maas--Ivory halter neckline gown with sequined waist and satin overskirt

Miss Maryland USA Christina Denny--Gold and nude sequined gown with gold taffeta overskirt

A) Is this a Pageant Gown Trend to Stay? Or is it already Sooooo Last Week? I'd love to read your thoughts. 



B) And if you had a FAVORITE of these Overskirt Gowns, which one would you pick??

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gowns: My Top 10 Best Gowns!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gowns: My Top 10 Best Gowns!

Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition Gown Fab: Some of my top favorite gowns from the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition, Las Vegas Nevada

The 65th Annual Miss USA beauty pageant is under way in Las Vegas Nevada with the finals occurring this Sunday at the just-opened T-Mobile Arena. This Wednesday, the ever-important Preliminary Competition happened. This is where the contestants vying for the 2016 Miss USA crown and sash competed in Swimsuit and Evening Gown in front of a panel of judges (different from the Final night judges) to determine the Top 15 Semi-finalists who will be announced on Sunday night's live finals.

Gown Gals: Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition Evening Gown Competition, Las Vegas Nevada

This year there are 52 contestants (as opposed to the usual 51 contestants covering the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia) with the 52nd one being "Miss 52 USA". This was a marketing/pr/promotional campaign organized by the Miss Universe Organization and fashion company Sherri Hill (who is a sponsor of the pageant) to pick a 52nd contestant to compete in the 2016 Miss USA pageant. Now, getting back to the subject at hand (Pageant Gowns!!)...as you know, I'm a big "pageant fan" and love discussing "Pageant Gowns" here on my blog so, naturally, it's time to review my picks for the Best Gowns of the 2016 Miss USA Preliminaries, beginning with my favorite one:

Miss South Dakota USA Madison McKeown: Out of the 52 contestants vying for this year's 2016 Miss USA title, in terms of evening gowns, Miss South Dakota SHUT IT DOWN. When she appeared onstage, I immediately knew that we had gone into non-Sherri Hill Couture Territory! Madison wore an ivory silk crepe gown that had an attached dramatic cape. She OWNED the stage and runway. The gown featured a hand-painted dip-dye of blue and silver. It fit her perfectly and well, she brought the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gown Competition to a new Haute level.

Score: 9.9

Not surprisingly, the gown was created by Lebanon-based Couturier Tony Ward...

Tony Ward Couture Fall/Winter 2015/2016: The gown is from his Fall/Winter Haute Couture collection which he showed in Paris. Normally a Couture gown like this (it has to be pre-ordered and normally, hand-made), can cost about $50,000-$75,000. It is usually a one-of-a-kind creation (or maybe 5-of-a-kind!). I would be interested to know if in fact the lovely Miss South Dakota USA paid such an amount for this Haute Couture creation and if not, if the Tony Ward Couture people were kind enough to let her borrow the sample. Comparing the length of the sample worn by the runway model vs. the lovely Madison McKeown, it certainly does not look like the runway sample since the length of the column gown (in the white section) seems much longer (I assume the runway model is 6 feet as opposed to Miss South Dakota's 5' 8" height) so...was it customized for Miss South Dakota? And for free? Inquiring Pageant Gown Bloggers want to know (i.e. Me!).

Miss District of Columbia USA Deshauna Barber: I loved this golden gown worn by Miss District of Columbia USA. The dress was designed by Juan Carlos Pinera and featured a nude organza base with gold metallic criss-cross detail. In addition, it had an iridescent organza attached overskirt which was a BIG TREND of the night and I will cover that in a separate blog post for sure! Nevertheless, this was one of the most outstanding gowns of the night.

Score: 9.78

Miss Georgia USA Emanii Davis: One of my favorite gowns of the Miss USA 2016 preliminaries was this ivory design worn by Miss Georgia USA. Emanii wore this crepe column gown that had a sequined shoulder detail and chiffon cape. I thought she looked regal and goddess-like. I also loved her styling (the slicked-back chignon was VERY "Miss Venezuela" fab!). If there was any criticism, the bust had awkward fit issues (that's for another blog!). The gown was from Sherri Hill Fall/Winter 2016 NY Fashion Week (as I am sure lots of others were, since the company is after all, one of the major sponsors).

Score: 9. 60

Miss Alabama USA Peyton Brown: Peyton wore this white with gold sequin trim "Grecian Goddess"-inspired gown. I thought it was an impressive showing and great gown design. The fit was perfect and I think she nailed the "Fashion" and "Pageant" components.

Score: 9.50

Miss Louisiana USA Maaliyah Papillion: Maaliyah made me yell an "Oh Dear!" when I saw her during the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries as I watched online...and for good! I thought that this was a sexy, brave choice for the stunning Miss Louisiana USA beauty. The black gown featured a lace sequined-and-see-though column with an organza overskirt (there's THAT overskirt!) but more importantly, the gown had an attached leotard. This is something that we have seen from some Haute Couture designers such as Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab in the past years and while, sometimes, it may look a bit "Uh Oh!", here it worked.

Score: 9. 55

Miss Minnesota USA Bridget Jacobs: Bridget wore this silver and ivory sequined gown to Wednesday night's Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries. The gown looked elegant, expensive and fit well. I also LOVED the capelet detail. It was also nice to see a gown NOT featuring a super-high slit and OVERSKIRT (hello!). Oh, and it was the correct length (no tacky platform heels showing too much!). The design was a version of a Sherri Hill design shown on the Fall/Winter 2016 NY Fashion Week runway. 

Score: 9. 50

Miss Wisconsin USA Kate Redeker: I am normally not so much a fan of a typical "pageant princess"-like gown such as this one worn by Miss Wisconsin USA but...I really liked this dress. The gown was a midnight blue-colored design with a pointed velvet bustier and iridescent organza gathered full ballgown skirt. She looked classic and like a princess. I also thought her styling--makeup, earrings and that super-chic chignon--were EXCELLENT! The gown design was shown during the Sherri Hill Fall 2016 NY Fashion Week show in a different color way--modeled by the current Miss USA Olivia Jordan (lower photo above).

Score: 9. 45

Miss Pennsylvania USA Elena La Quatra: Miss Pennsylvania USA wore this silver sequined gown which I thought was worthy of my Top Ten inclusion. I thought the design was very pretty, elegant and gown-sublime. I loved the delicate shoulder details and the nude-over-sequin design worked well. I also give her props for having the gown be the proper length and not showing the shoes.

Score: 9.30

Miss Kentucky USA Kyle Hornback: First off, I LOVED the bright canary yellow color of this ballgown. To be frank, Miss Kentucky USA did not have much runway grace while showcasing this gown at the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries (she was close to looking like a truck driver attempting walk the runway!) but I did like this gown and design; it was impressive and impacting. I also liked her styling with the sleek center-part hair and minimal jewelry sans the earrings. Now, if someone could just teach her how to walk like a DIVA in this DIVA-worthy gown.

Score: 9. 25

Finally...

  

Miss New Jersey USA Jessielyn Plumbo: I was very impressed with Miss New Jersey USA and her choice of this gold mermaid-style gown for the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries. While the style isn't anything extraordinary or Haute Couture-worthy, it was impacting on the stage and the gold sequin fabric worked fabulously with her tan coloring and blond hair. Therefore, her gown made my Top ten Best Gowns of the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition.

Score: 9.20

**UP NEXT: My "Uh Oh" List of Breast-a-Licious Pads, Feather Cray-Cray, and Tacky Stripper Heels of the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition!



Here's a hint:

Pageant No-No's