SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Grand International 2017 National Costumes: My Top 15!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Grand International 2017 National Costumes: My Top 15!

It's officially the start of International Beauty Pageant Season!!! To begin all the Sashes and Tiaras fabulousness is the Miss Grand International 2017 beauty pageant which is occurring in Vietnam with the Final Crowning Night taking place on October 25th. A couple of nights ago were the much-awaited Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. The 77 contestants--from all over the world--from Argentina to Wales--showcased costumes representing their nations, islands and territories...

 Fantasy Fab: (L to R) Miss Grand Indonesia Dea Goesti Rizkita, Miss Grand India Anukriti Gusain and Miss Grand Laos Chinnaly Gorasing--Miss Grand International 2017 National costume Competition

Photos courtesy of Miss Grand International Facebook Page

 Flora and Fauna: (L to R) Miss Grand Argentina Yoana Don, Miss Grand Panama Andrea  Torres and Miss Grand Peru Maria Jose Lora--Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition

These costumes ranged from Traditional and Festive, "Victoria's Secret"-like feathered Pre-Columbian Goddesses to Fantasy Couture and they did not disappoint in terms of visual costume candy for pageant lovers everywhere! The pageant organizers are allowing EVERYONE around the world to vote for their favorite by Liking and Sharing the individual photos on the Official Miss Grand International Facebook page HERE.

Traditional Couture: (L to R) Miss Grand Ecuador Analia Vernaza, Miss Grand Venezuela Tulia Aleman Ferrer, Miss Grand Vietnam Huyen May Tran Nguyen--Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition

The Top 15 Liked & Shared contestants/costumes will then move on for another round of voting until the BEST NATIONAL COSTUME (or the one with the most votes!) will be announced on the final night (October 25th). Now, I don't have to wait until then because here are MY TOP 15 Favorite National Costumes from Miss Grand International 2017, beginning with my FAVORITE:

1. Miss Grand Indonesia Dea Goesti Rizkita--One word: WOW. Leave it to Indonesia to BRING IT when it comes to national costumes at beauty pageants. Lately their representatives have been seriously upping their Costume Couture game! This UBER intricate costume needs A LOT of explanation...

Indonesian Empress: Miss Grand Indonesia 2017 National Costume

According to Miss Grand Indonesia 2017, her national costume is entitled "MOTHERLAND: The Sky is my Father, and The Earth is my Mother" and it was designed by Morphacio and Maya Ratih. This costume has the meaning of a circular shape taken from the base form of the Moon and its about the mother figure, the queen, and the woman. Here are some more details:

*The blue color depicts the glory of Indonesia as a Maritime Country. 

*Five blue crystals in the circle of the moon symbolize the harmony of Indonesian people in the ideology of Pancasila.

*The three blue crystals on the headdress symbolize the perfection of body, soul, and spirit. 

*Five yellow crystals depict the young generation are like buds of the nation which is the hope and successor/future of the nation...

Now THAT is a TRAIN: Miss Grand Indonesia 2017 National Costume

*The wings on the shoulders symbolize the tenderness and strength, the prayers and the songs of the ancestors. 

*The backbone symbolizes Indonesia is the "backbone of the World" where Indonesia holds abundant natural wealth and Indonesia is a very influential country in the world political map.

*The wing belt symbolizes fertility and a close brotherhood. Fingers and right arm describe the wisdom, skill and soul that protect the society. 

*The temple symbolizes "our bodies are temples, our bodies are His temple", as well as Indonesian people from various social and cultural backgrounds to individuals seeking self-enlightenment. 

*And finally, five Nusantara fabrics illustrate the cultural diversity in Indonesia which contain the thoughts and philosophy that accompany the journey of the Indonesian people to be a whole person, as a true person.

Regardless of all this very detailed costume description...for me, it translates into THE BEST ONE of the competition! I loved how impacting it was, the colors, the unique shapes...it was a work of fashion art! 



Moving on...my other Favorites in my Top 15 List are:

2. Miss Grand India Anukriti Gusain--Anukriti's gorgeous costume was my second favorite of the 76 contestants. The theme for this look was "Evolution and Expansion of Indian Royalty, from the Palace to the workplace". The national costume--designed by Melvyn Dominic Noronha--according to the contestant herself, shows the balance of an Indian woman with her delicate beauty of compassion and the strength of her determination. She goes on to say that the design also shows how through the evolution of time, the spirit of a few queens magnified and today every Indian woman is a queen in her own right. I loved how this costume combined traditional Indian dress with Hindu God-like imagery. I also thought the combination of bold gold/blue/red colors made for a very strong stage impact.

3. Miss Grand Laos Chinnaly Norasing--This national costume is inspired by the Great Golden Stupa Pha That Luang in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. The Great Golden Stupa Pha That Luang is an ancient and important architecture of Laos, and is a center for the spirit of the Lao people. The design of the costume is a unique feature and character of the Buddha image, adapted to the composition of the ensemble. The jewelry was also inspired by the shape of the Buddha image. The color and the various embellishments added to this costume present Lao's cultures, customs and unique identity. I thought it was thoroughly impacting, very striking and made for a stand-out costume presence at the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. I am still so baffled how any of these costumes get packed and shipped through customs and onto a plane and then reassembled to be worn again! 

Miss Grand Venezuela Tulia Aleman Ferrer (top photos) in her "Manta Guajira" National Costume and (lower photos) Wayuu Guajiras and their Mantas (caftan dresses)

4. Miss Grand Venezuela Tulia Aleman Ferrer-- Tulia's costume represents the Manta (or caftan/tunic/dress) Wayuu Guajira, a Native American ethnic group of the Guajira peninsula of  northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. The brightly colored costume featured the designs and pom-pom accents commonly seen on these Wayuu Guajira caftan/tunics worn by the women of this South American indigenous group.

Sketch of Miss Grand Venezuela Talia Aleman Ferrer's National Costume--designed by Colombian designer/brand Aikaa by Blanca Fernandez

This was also one of my top favorites of all the 76 contestants for the way she showed it onstage and how colorful and striking it was. I also loved the representation and homage of an indigenous group through this beautiful costume. The design was created by Colombian designer/brand Aikaa by Blanca Fernanadez.

5. Miss Grand Panama Andrea Torres--Andrea wore a Pre-Columbian (before Christopher Columbus) Feathered Empress-like costume to represent her nation of Panama. And I LOVED it! There were several of these feathered-and-sequined looks in the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costumes Competition, and yet this was THE MOST IMPACTING of the bunch! The design was created by Panamanian designer Cristo Athanasiadis who is known for these types of pageant costumes...and he's obviously very good at it! I loved the colors, the sequins, the feathers...well, I just loved EVERYTHING! Muy bien Cristo and Muy bien Andrea!

Vietnam Queen: Miss Grand Vietnam 2017 Huyen My Tran Nguyen in her Ao Dai Traditional National Costume for Miss Grand International 2017

Sketch of Miss Grand Vietnam Huyen Tran Nguyen's National Costume for Miss Grand International 2017

6. Miss Grand Vietnam Huyen My Tran Nguyen--I absolute ADORED this costume worn by Miss Grand Vietnam 2017 Huyen My Tran Nguyen. The costume represents a traditional Ao Dai and is inspired by the patterns of the Hue Imperial Citadel in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue. It took 3 months to create this gorgeous 30 kilograms (about 66 pounds!)-weighing costume and it was designed by Vietnamese designer Ngo Nhat Huy. If you get to see the video of the actual Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition (at the end of this post!), you can fast forward to when she comes on and showcases this gorgeous costume. I especially loved how the sleeve brocade print/design mitered (matched) when she put her arms/hands together.

Viva Mexico: Miss Grand Mexico Yoana Gutierrez in her National Costume at the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition

A young Tehuana de Oaxaca in traditional dress--Oaxaca Mexico

7. Miss Grand Mexico Yoana Gutierrez--Yoana wore this very beautiful and colorful "Tehuana de Oaxaca" traditional costume, worn by the indigenous women of the city Tehuantepec in the Mexican state of Oaxaca (think Frida Kahlo). The design itself paid tribute to the traditional dress and at the same time, had enough Fashion with a Capital "F" impact and stage fabulousness to make it into my Top 15 Favorites.

8. Miss Grand Jamaica Jenaae Jackson--Jenaae stated on her Instagram that in this costume, she is a "depiction of a Jamaican Arawak Queen"  and all I have to say is "Go On Girl!". I absolutely loved this costume for its colorful, feathered and sequined glory! It looked well-done, finished and high-end. I really admired the stunning jeweled sequins on her bandeau top and skirt yoke and I also liked the muted green feathered skirt. This "Arawak Queen" is UBER Costume Fabulous!

9. Miss Grand Sri Lanka Visna Fernando--Miss Grand Sri Lanka wore this golden "Lion"-inspired costume for the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. The costume was inspired (obviously) by the "Ceylon Lion" seen in the Sri Lankan flag. I thought it was impressive, sexy-hot and stage impacting enough to be one of my Top 15 Favorites! The headdress alone was EVERYTHING! I just wished those nude pump/heels were a little more "designed" as opposed to looking as if she went online and bought a pair of heels and just added them to the costume.

10. Miss Grand Cambodia Kea Khloem: This was another gorgeous showing from an Asian contestant at the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. Kea's costume was inspired by Cambodian Buddhist temples and the types of traditional dress of the country. I thought this design looked rich, well-made and the different shades of gold were very striking onstage.

11. Miss Grand Philippines Elizabeth Durado Clenci--"Last night for the national costume competition I chose to represent an indigenous tribe from the south of Philippines," Clenci wrote on her Instagram, sharing a photo of her intricately made headdress. The ensemble which she wore as her national costume for the Miss Grand International 2017 was designed by Jearson Demavivas. This dress was inspired by the T’boli tribe and is a representation of a modern T’boli princess in haute couture and their uniquely designed guitar called hegulung. Philippine’s T’boli takes pride on its T’nalak fabric which designs are spawned from the dreams of the weavers. The design of this national costume represents the cultural structure of the T’boli tribe along with the colors and intricate beadwork, which speaks of their careful yet impressive art. I thought Elizabeth looked sexy, chic and still "National Costume Diva Traditional" in this design. It wasn't out-of-this-world impacting like Miss Grand Indonesia or Miss Grand India, Miss Grand Laos...but, it was still Costume Couture Runway Fab.

12. Miss Grand Argentina Yoana Don--Yoana wore this sequined and feathered "Fantasy Showgirl"-like costume representing the city of Corrientes which is the Argentinian national capital of Carnival (Carnaval). The gorgeous costume--which ended up being one of my Top 15 Favorites--was designed and created by Marcelo Pendola who creates many of the Miss Argentina national costumes for international pageants. I LOVED the golden crystal sequined applique, the strawberry red feathers...the leg sequined accessories...it was all MUY BELLO and MUY FAB.

13. Miss Grand Peru Maria Jose Lora--The Pavo Real Blanco (white peacock) is in danger of extinction in the South American Amazon and was the inspiration for Miss Grand Peru 2017's national costume. The beautiful costume was designed by Peruvian designer Beto Pinedo. Of all the "Pre-Columbian/Victoria's Secret Feathered Divas"...this one was definitely one of my faves. Therefore, it need to be in my Top 15 List! It meshed both the bird inspiration with sexy stage presence. If there was any critique...yes, it would be the shoes., If you're going to create a gorgeous and intricate costume, create the shoes as well! Those need to be silver and sequined and fabulous. Right now, they are just $25 nude pumps from the internet!

14. Miss Grand Paraguay Lia Duarte Ashmore--Miss Grand Paraguay decided to give "Indigenous Tribal Couture/Making a Statement" Costume. The lovely Lia wore a hi-lo design which,  at first glance, gave the viewer an Angelic/Runway model vibe. Then, as one got more focused, you could see the "Stop Chaco Deforestation" and "Stop the Violence" marking on her arms. The costume is inspired by the "Allegory of the Pajaro Campana", a white bird with green-hued beak and face (lower photo, above). In addition to this, the look seems to be suggesting the dangers of deforestation and this ivory tull'ed "Couture Angel" coming to save the human destruction. I thought it was impacting and thoughtful enough to make my list. It would have almost too obvious to add wings to this costume a la "Miss Grand Peru", "Miss Grand Panama", so I like this more "runway" direction.

15. Miss Grand Ecuador Analia Vernaza Daulon--Analia's costume was a traditional Ecuadorian costume designed by Maria Isabel Diaz Design  . I loved the colors, the high-lo style of the dress/skirt section and overall impact of the design. If there was any critique, once again, it would be THE SHOES! The costume looked fab but the shoes seemed like an afterthought. 



Those were MY TOP 15 Favorite Costumes from the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition...Let me know which ones were YOUR favorites!

**STAY TUNED for MORE of my "Sashes and Tiaras" Pageant Blogs discussing "Miss Earth", Miss Grand International" and many more!



Until then....I'm excited to launch my NEW Pageant Coloring Book!!! It is full of FABULOUS Beauty Queens and Gowns ready to create your very own Evening Gown Competition! Purchase now on Amazon.com HERE:

Click below to watch the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition:

How To Wear A Black Dress Casually - Tips For Women

How To Wear A Black Dress Casually - Tips For Women

A little black dress can by ultra-sexy.

A little black dress doesn't have to be basic! pretty details like lace, cutouts, sheer panels and strappy necklines can turn a little black dress into a serious statement.

Wear a statement coat with your little black dress.

Let your outerwear do the talking, and try wearing a statement coat with your little black dress.

 

Add a Jacket to Your Little Black Dress.

An easy way to make your cocktail dress a little edgier is by adding a jacket.

Wear Nude Shoes with a Little Black Dress.

Want to make your legs look miles long? Wear nude shoes with your little black dress,. This is a great trick to keep in mind for weddings and special events where you can rock bare legs and you know you'll be having your photo taken.

Wear your little black dress with black tights this winter.

When the chill of winter sets in, a pair of black tights are a woman's best friend. We love the streamlined look of a pair of black tights worn with your favorite little black dress this time of year. This sleek look is perfect for holiday parties and the office—and can be equally dressed up or down for day and night.

Flaunt your curves in a tight little black dress.

If you've got curves—whether they're from a baby bump or just good genes—they will always look amazing in a fitted black dress.

 

A little black dress can go below your knees!

The constraints on just what defines a 'little black dress' have become increasingly wider as fashion itself has become more inclusive. A shiny midi dress like this is still very much an LBD in our book—just an unusual and unique one. We love this daring neckline and pleated skirt combination because it's equal parts 

Try a little (lace) black dress.

Little black lace dresses are perhaps our favorite take on this iconic frock. Lace adds an element of femininity and whimsy, which we love. There are plenty of ways you can dress a lace dress up

6 Restaurants & 4 Cakes

6 Restaurants & 4 Cakes

Monday 20th March

A day working from home, as we try to aim for Mondays means lunch on Main Street! $15 Lunch at Mother Dough. We had the mussels & cherry tomato linguine. Seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. The mussels were fresh and juicy, average sizes, while the pasta was a bit chewier than I prefer, but fine apart from being too salty for me.  

Matt Preston's Nutella Pie-ish Cake

• Chocolate but not very sweet
• Not overpowering sweet - asian friend. Not anywhere as sweet as I thought! 
• Fresh strawberries brings it to life, as all 3 components compliment each other
• Bouncy texture like thick custardy jello/firm. Oh yes it reminds me of pie!

Experimenting in the kitchen we made a three ingredient cake! Well two, but we like to add vanilla, even though it seemed to make no difference in this recipe... To share a recipe my rule is that it has to be just right, and made at least twice. This one's ready. 

Tuesday

It's $16 pizza night at Sugo! Delicious and reasonably priced we can't wait to return!

Over to the Astor we saw a movie set during the war, tis alright and depressing, no dress or hair porn though. No where as uplifting and amazing as 'Hidden Figures' the last movie we saw. As depressing as the choc top was disappointing, with the stale cone.

Wednesday

A revisit to Huxtaburger Hawthorn, it's completely different from last time where service wasn't great and it was ran by asians. Think of the city kfcs that only hire international asians.

Britney $14

Grilled chicken, avocado, aioli, cheese, lettuce and tomato.

Delicious as always though Betty's is on par, perhaps better than Hux?

Beauty & The Beast - Girl's Night Out Event

Checking out the showbags. Sadly no program/postcard/flyer or any relevant merch, but there's food (stuff you can buy at Safeway) and some sachets of beauty samples and eyeshadow. Kinda disappointing after the amazing one at the last event we attended. Granted it was years ago (we saw the Devil Wears Prahran) - oh I just realized we saw that back home. I suppose it's more guy friendly? :P We were hoping for cookies/macarons and little edible treats.

The movie was great! Not as stunning as the french one, but magical in its own way!  We loved the dinner song and Gaston in particular, his best man/servant. LeFou is the original Elder Cunningham and Olaf the Snowman! The beast looks more like a goat/Krampus than lion... 

1597 was when shakesphere published romeo & juliet, though there's a 1750s roccoco style castle. Set during the Georgian era but after Victoria with Shakespeare (these two do boarder each other). At the castle time froze but the village people, some of them were related to the cursed servants? Why did the enchantress live as an outcast in the village?

It was set in France, they moved to the country because of the plague in Paris, though back Belle's family appear to have been poor. That or attics are as expensive as they are today in the city. 

The ball at the start was stunning! With all the powdered white wigs, so when the curse broke they were white but for the end party they wore black wigs??

Overall it was great and the beast gets a song too! They bonded over their love of books, being mother-less and Belle being the only girl in the village who could read, also her desire to travel. Highly recommend! We loved H has Belle, who's just as bright and brave!

Quotes
She's the prettiest girl in town, that makes her the best! XD
Screw your courage to the sticking-place - Gaston/Lady mb

Plot Summary

Thursday

The ABCs of time management. Gosh I wished we did this stuff at school! Sure I can plan, but then I get overwhelmed or one thing runs late making everything else late. Eg. Someone got hit by the train, even though I was to arrive at the theatre 30mins early but didn't make it till intermission. Trains were frozen, boom gates down and cars were at a stand still. No one was going anywhere tonight on this side of the city.

Me - I have a cape!
Him - Don't you already have one?
Me - Not one that's a blazer hybird. And it was $50 on sale.

One of the last ones I tracked when I saw the post, posted 20mins ago. It was meant to be as there was only one in my size in the city! Don't you love it when that happens?

Tip - If you see something you like go try it on and be certain of your size. Then add it tp your bookmarks tab, use java to email you when the page/price is edited. Using this I rarely ever pay full price. 

"...when they are pulling your teeth out it sounds like chicken bones snapping and you can hear the crackle of the tooth giving way and splintering. They grab your head and they really pull hard. It's all manual and very physical. A horrifying experience to say the least!"

". At one point the nurse was holding my head in place while he went to town with the pliers/cracker thing."

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/05/23/the-survival-guide-to-getting-your-wisdom-teeth-removed

I chickened out and moved it to next month...

Instead of the dentist we had dinner at Angliss.

Friday

So close but so far, I'm starting to think it's display only...

Meetings, a stop by goodwill, to the closed bookshelf at the tram, to the house to make a cake (well pie, nutella pie), cleaned then to dinner. We were going to a bar but it was dark, loud and overwhelming so we took a stroll and picked somewhere random. Discussions of which point when it [life] all started to go downhill.

Work in progress, twice in a fortnight, that's about as much cake as I can handle. :P

My first HSP (because they don't make them in kid size servings, like that size at LOTF, but I hate fake meat). This one's $15 from Hellenic Bite, meat (chicken and lamb) on chips with garlic, bbq and chili sauce. It was delicious! We also had a $6 salad which was average and not particularly recommended with Coles on the same block (their potato salad is the best). It was very hot inside the eatery, oddly so.

Saturday

Too many events, too little time!

10.30 for 11am start. Damn I thought it started at 10.30am, as it clashes with my 11am. On the way we discovered a book exchange, in the beauty garden. Ironic location isn't it?  XD No beauty and the beast books though. Fruit and hot dogs for brunch? Something the boys would like, and not the usual cakes it was a bit on the diy side. Over to a makeup demo, 3 looks 15 mins each using 5 or less products. Chatting up a model on her fav off duty pieces, relating to the audience though the limited travel wardrobe. Too mainstream for me.
Lunch at Rice Workshop. Teriyaki chicken ramen $10.50. The broth was rich and creamy. Most of the chicken wasn't chewy. Springy noodles maggi sized though not taste.
Good basic if there's no ramen places in the area.

At Sacca's Fruit World we found $6 trays of strawberries! 8 boxes, so around 75c each. On their way out, still good for jams and smoothies. We sorted, washed, cut and froze them. Got a large pot of the first round ones.

Up to Camberwell from the french fete, for the kids it wasn't my thing. It's your first started food festival with a petting zoo, games, auctions/raffles, food, music and the likes. No snow cones sadly, but there was a pre-wrapped bake sale. I was hoping to get an assorted plate of classic Australian party food but they didn't have that. We Had the jam drop cookies, too soft and retro inspired with the custard yellow. I was after chocolate crackles, real rum balls and honey joys. But they didn't have any of that, unless you're after enough to serve a family of 10.

Back at the house to pack before going out to a concert, we crashed. Turns out I can't do a morning and evening event on the same day... and lesson learnt: always choose music over fashion.

Sunday
6.30 start, leaving at 5.45am we made it! The moon was still in the sky, peaking 28 at 5pm?! Peaks are normally 10am. We volunteered, meet some awesome people and had a lovely view of the school from across the river! Lots of parrots/love birds and pretty little birds. at the end of the line we have magpies and noisy minors, sometimes pigeons

As we were close by, by north taking a fork in the road we visited my favorite cake shop, green refectory. Look for lonely hearts $2, yesterday's cake. Tastes just fine, even better at $2! When does it happen? I'm not sure, normally it's just muffins, but today there were three slices! We bought two pavs and a mars bar cheesecake to share, as we're going home

To the left is St Vincents, so many colourful dresses! Alas the one I like wasn't my size. A fancy one though just $12. We didn't get a picture as it was too crowded. Apparently people steal from goodwill, as the dresses were tied to the rack! Also of interest was this cookbook/picture book! We used to love Huey, sadly that was until we met him.

How was your week?