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 Competition Evening Gown Uh Oh's: Feathers, Bad Busts and Lucite Stripper Heels!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition Evening Gown Uh Oh's: Feathers, Bad Busts and Lucite Stripper Heels!

Uh Oh Pageant: Miss USA contestants who made my "Uh Oh!" List--Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition Las Vegas Nevada

In my last post HERE, I discussed my Top Ten Best List from Wednesday night's Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition. So, naturally, now it is time to discuss my "Uh Oh!"/Could Have Been Better List. During the Preliminary Evening Gown Competition, there were lots of nice gowns and to be honest not so many major "Oh No She Didn't" moments. These gals come well prepared to the Miss USA finals with their very own pageant glam squad that makes sure that there are not too many style "oopsies". But...sometimes, style mistakes can still occur. Let's investigate which ladies--and their gowns left me Pageant Perplexed...



Let's begin with Feather Cray-Cray:

Miss Ohio USA Megan Wise: First off, I think that Megan is one of the most impacting and beautiful contestants at this year's Miss USA. she reminds me of a red haired Shandi Finnessey (Miss USA 2004 and First Runner-up to Miss Universe 2004). During the Preliminaries, Megan wore this sequin-and-feathers gown. to sum it up: it was A LOT. The feathers really took it to Costume Cha-Cha mode and really distracted from her stunning beauty. I just don't understand why anyone would think that the multicolored sequins weren't enough and therefore, they felt it needed layers upon layers of feathers. Oy Vey and Ayy Dios Mio! It also brought back unfortunate memories of this atrocious concoction from the Miss Venezuela 2015 contest...

Miss Sucre Maydeliana Liyimar Diaz at Miss Venezuela 2015: Feather Loca!!

Miss New York USA Serena Bocaj: Serena is another gorgeous contestant who unfortunately made a wrong gown choice. When her name and state was called during the Evening Gown portion, I could not believe that she walked out in this golden-silver gathered gown mess. She looked MUMSY, like the mother-of-the-bride...and one who absolutely has no style whatsoever. Why would she allow herself to be swallowed up in this concoction? And to add insult to style injury, the fit is awkward at best: It is high-waisted therefore cutting her body off, it is too heavily ruched at the waist and front (it should have been FLAT with no ruching at the front), and the sequin top didn't help at all. Praying that she threw this thing in the trash and is wearing something more sexy and form fitting for the Finals on Sunday.

BREAST-a-LICIOUS: Next on the "Uh Oh's" of Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gowns are the Bad Bust Gals. One of the "trends" that stood out (literally!) for me after watching this year's Miss USA Preliminaries were the high amount of breast jobs (or at least, some questionably large ones!). It was all rather late 90's/early 2000's Retro for me. I guess you could say that Big Boobies are BACK y'all! (did they ever go away I wonder?) Well, in terms of the gowns, this didn't make for good gown moments...

Miss Illinois USA Zena Malak: Gorgeous Zena wore a royal blue strapless mermaid style gown for the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries. While my eyes tried to pay attention to the gown and/or her stunning Cindy Crawford-like face...all I could focus on were her SISTAHS. I was pained to see how SMOOSHED her breasts were in the gown and how the fit was way too tight and pulling in the top area...

The gown itself was very similar to what last year's Miss USA Olivia Jordan wore, featuring these gathered ruffle strips. I didn't like it when Olivia wore it and I'm not a fan of it now. It reminds me of a Quinceañera-meets-a-Piñata. 

Miss Oklahoma USA Taylor Gorton: Taylor is another beautiful contestant who ended up in my "Bad Bust" style list. She wore this wine-colored velvet gown that featured a crystal waist trim and a very plunging neckline. Because the lovely Taylor is so well endowed, the dress top section just pulled open too much. REPEAT AFTER ME KIDS: These plunging neckline dresses are NOT made for big breasted ladies. They only work for the less endowed gals. At least the sash kind of took your eye away from focusing up there but even then, it was of no help.

Miss Vermont USA Neely Fortune: Here is another beautiful contestant who suffered from bust fit issues with her gown. This stretch velvet gown was almost collapsing before our very eyes and I just hope she had enough double-stick tape to hold those SISTAHS up! Two words sum this up: Smooshy & collapsing.

Miss Iowa USA Alissa Morrison: Notice the pulling and slight rippling happening at the bust. It's too tight. And even though there is little cleavage being shown (nice and tasteful), her upper torso (i.e. breasts) look HUUUGE. And at closer inspection, it almost looks as if she added bust pads to make them look even bigger! WHYYYY???????

Miss South Carolina USA Leah Lawson: One of the prettiest women in the contest, Leah made a disastrous style error when it came time for her evening gown. Looking at the photo above do you see anything uh...odd? Anything that maybe you shouldn't be seeing? Let me help you...

I can see her BOOB PADS!!! Who told her this was OK? And let me tell you, I guarantee that every judge--especially the gay ones--were like "Ummm, are those her boob pads??" Not sure why anyone didn't take the time to add a nude colored lining to the top section. Or at least create a strapless nude bustier. And in closer inspection (yeah, there's more!) I also think that because her SISTAHS were a bit too "endowed' for the top section of this gown...it looks as if someone literally took a pair of scissors and SLICED the neck, to create a plunging neckline. If she makes it to the Top 15, I sure hope someone pulls her aside and heads to the Las Vegas Victoria's Secret store and buys her a nude strapless bustier. ASAP!

Stripper Heel Alert: And now, let me end my "Uh Oh!" List with the ladies who made SHOE ERRORS at the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition. I'll just signal out two contestants:

Miss Connecticut USA Tiffany Teixeira: Tiffany is GORGEOUS and I really didn't have a problem with her red off-the-shoulder overskirt gown. She looked quite impacting and pretty. But then...my eyes panned down and all of a sudden I had the "Shower Scene from Psycho" music playing in my head: THOSE TACKY LUCITE STRIPPER HEELS!!!!!! She ruined the whole look with those darn shoes! Why do these girls do this to themselves? Two scenarios: 1) She just wants to look taller.  (On Wikipedia, it says she's 5' 7" which means she's probably 5' 5") 2) These gown samples are normally made for 5'8" or taller and therefore instead of shortening the hem, they give her some SUPER high platform heels to fix that! Either way, there's really no excuse to wear these, unless you work at Spearmint Rhino Strip Club in LA. 

Miss Indiana USA Morgan Abel: Pretty Morgan wore a simple lace and sequin applique dress that featured a high front slit. It was a nice choice for her. Unfortunately though, she made a not-so-nice choice with her shoes. Once again, we have those dreaded plastic-and-Lucite platform pumps. On a good note, these weren't as Stripper high as Miss Connecticut USA's but they were still the same tacky-licious design. I just don't get it. Why couldn't she just wear some chic strappy heels in silver or gold? Is it that difficult to find nice strappy heels in Indiana? With her gown, she's saying "I'm a classy pageant girl"; and with the shoes, she's waiting until 1 AM rolls around to begin her shift at Cheetah's in Las Vegas. Someone please run to the local Macy's or Dillard's in Vegas and pick up some nice strappy heels like these:

Much Better Shoe!

**UP NEXT: TREND ALERT Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gowns Edition: The OVERSKIRT GOWN!!!