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:

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2017 Finals: The EVENING GOWN RECAP!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2017 Finals: The EVENING GOWN RECAP!

Gown Throwback: A Not-So-Fashion-Exciting Evening Gown Top 10 at Miss USA 2017 Finals--Mandalay Bay events Center Las Vegas

Last night were the finals of Miss USA 2017 in Mandalay Bay Events Center at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Las Vegas. Fifty one contestants representing all 50 U.S. states plus District of Columbia competed for the top crown and a chance to represent the USA at the Miss Universe 2017 pageant. And the winner was...

Back-to-Back: Miss USA 2016 (and former Miss District of Columbia) Deshauna Barber crowns Miss District of Columbia USA Kara McCullough as Miss USA 2017--Mandalay Bay Events Center Las Vegas

Miss District of Columbia USA Kara McCullough! Kara is 25 years old, stands 5' 10" (178 M) and was born in Naples Italy. Because of her father--who worked in the U.S. Marine Corps--she was raised in various places including Sicily, South Korea, Japan and Hawaii. Oh, and did I mention she's also a RADIOCHEMIST! Now, Kara might be interested in the study of radioactive materials but she's also no stranger to beauty pageants: She was 1st runner-up at the Miss District of Columbia USA beauty pageant TWICE, in 2015 and 2016, where she was the first runner-up to last year's Miss USA, Deshauna Barber.

Beauty and Brains: Miss USA 2017 Kara McCullough

Kara caused a little bit of controversy in the Twittersphere with her answer to a question regarding health care in which she said that it should be a privilege as opposed to a right for all U.S. citizens. But this blog isn't about that, it's all about THE GOWNS! And the controversy here is how MEH the Top 10 gowns were...

Sequins and Slits: Miss USA 2017 Kara McCullough--Miss USA 2017 Finals, Mandalay Bay Events Events Center Las Vegas

Honestly, this was ONE OF THE MOST LACKLUSTER Evening Gown showings at a Miss USA Finals in a LOOONG time! They were dated, semi-Pageant Betty and in terms of FASHION, or fashion-forward...look elsewhere darlings 'cause you wouldn't find it here. It was as if we had regressed back to the late 1990's/early 2000's in terms of Gown designs. Only ONE of my Top Ten Best Gowns from the Preliminaries made the Final 10 and if that wasn't enough, two of my "UH Oh/Worst" picks made the final Top Ten (Yikes!)

So...I guess, the evening gowns had little-to-no effect on the judges in choosing the 10 semifinalists, which I suppose is fine, since all 10 semifinalists seemed to be some of the most intelligent women in the contest and, in addition, perfect representations of the tagline "Confidently Beautiful". Well, even though the style (or lack thereof) of the contestants Evening Gowns might not have been important to the judges, they are still important to me here on my "Sashes And Tiaras" blog!



So here's my RECAP of the Ten Semifinalist's Gowns--from Worst to Best:

Miss Minnesota USA Meridith Gould: Meridith did an OUTSTANDING job last night at Miss USA 2017. She had a strong stage presence and in addition, answered the questions perfectly and eloquently. No misstep there. Oh, and she looked like a toned Goddess in Swimsuit. It's her gown that I thought was problematic. Back in my recap of the Preliminary Competition, I placed her gown as one of my least favorite and that sentiment didn't change in the Finals. She revealed that this white organza, tulle and applique design was a combination of TWO gowns that she liked. Well, kids, that might have been the problem: It looked it. The top was this sequined bustier/leotard with neckband and Breast-a-licious front cut-out and then the bottom were pants AND a matching overskirt. It was A LOT to say the least and really overpowered her. I get the "J Lo-on-the-Latin Billboard Awards Red Carpet" look she was going for (very popular with Lebanese designers like Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab) but it was a Too-Mucheey mess. On a good note, she didn't wear those tacky "Stripper" platform heels. On a not-so-good note: NUDE??? Really??!! With a WHITE gown?? 

Miss New York USA Hannah Lopa: Red-haired Hannah is next on my list of least favorite gowns for the 10 Miss USA 2017 semifinalists. I'll start with the positive: I liked the emerald green sequins over nude tulle but...she was almost-nude underneath! I could literally see her PANTIES! (Yikes!). Maybe I'm too old-school but I just don't want to see panties. I get the see-through style but it really isn't supposed to be really SEE-THROUGH (it should have been lined to the bottom, in a nude colored lining of course). And then, if the see-through-ness of that wasn't distracting enough...

We get SMOOSHED-BOOB Syndrome with a waaaay too revealing neckline. She's too gorgeous too wear something so "Real Housewives of Atlanta"-like. Period.

Miss Alaska USA Alyssa London: First off, Congratulations to Miss Alaska USA Alyssa London, who was a definite spoiler and surprise in making the Top 10; quite an accomplishment all on it's own. The gown was designed by herself with the help of Joey Galon Atelier. Galon had quite a night for himself since he not only created Miss Alaska USA's gown but also Miss Hawaii USA and...

Outgoing Miss USA Deshauna Barber's beautiful lavender gown (LOVE!)

I will say, of the 3 gowns, Miss Alaska's was the least successful however. I appreciated Alyssa honoring her Native American/Tlingit heritage with the ceremonial robe aspect to her gown. The sequin work and images of Tlingit patterns and whale's tail were quite impressive, but I didn't think that the reveal was effective. This was VERY hard to pull off from a technical design perspective, and the robe that transitioned into a train ended up being clunky and dragged the look down. In addition, the dress itself was a bit "been there, done that" Pageant Gown. But kudos to Alyssa for showing her Alaska Native/Native American heritage in her evening gown! 

Miss Missouri USA Bayleigh Dayton: There were several issues I had with this gown. First, the style was dated. I am also not a fan of those "pick-up's" as they are called (the horizontal folding and pleating and picking-up of the fabric). The Pick-up detail + the satin = Prom 1995. In addition to all this, the gown was just too heavy looking; she looked like a red swirling Christmas ornament and/or bell. I just want to see a little FASHION, a little fashion-forward-ness, a little inspiration from the Haute Couture shows of Zuhair Murad, Elie Saab, something!

Miss California USA India Williams: When I saw this white sequined gown on the beautiful Miss California USA in the Preliminaries, I was not a fan. I was disappointed. India is so pretty, so tall (six feet!) and statuesque and the gown was too Miss Teen USA "Sweet" and Prom-like. She needed something more "Runway Fab" in my eyes. The neckband was useless, the crystal waist trim was too low, and overall, this gown just wasn't a WOW. If she had worn something like this, I would have jumped from my couch and given her a standing gown ovation...

Miss Falcon Jennifer Saa at Miss Venezuela 2014--But, alas, I just stayed seated bored to tears.

Miss New Jersey USA Chhavi Verg: Seriously kids, what is happening with these women picking the most boring traditional oh-so-meh gowns??? If there was one contestant who could bust out in a fab Runway-like gown, it would have been the exotic Chhavi Verg, Miss New Jersey USA. She looked nice and very safe. And maybe that was the point. If so, she gets a TEN for that, but this choice of a black sequined halter gown was just nice, and that's about it. I would have loved to have seen her in something more like this:

Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2014--Notice that I'm not even referencing anything recent; these gowns are from 2014! The women (and their pageant glam squad) need to be a bit more creative with their gown choices and pageant gown designers/manufacturers need to start getting "inspired" by gowns like the ones above. ASAP.

Let's just get to some of the better ones from the Top Ten:

Miss Tennessee USA Allee-Sutton Hethcoat: Allee-Sutton wore one of my Top Ten Favorite Gowns back in the Preliminary Competition earlier in the week. And she wore the same one for the Finals last night. In terms of style or silhouette, there was nothing really Earth-shattering Fashion Diva about it, but it looked beautiful nonetheless, especially the fabrication. The halter-style gown fit her well and the sequin-over-nude fabric looked expensive and nice. From head to toe, this was a perfect Miss USA look. She looked like a top actress walking the red carpet of a top awards show. 

Miss South Carolina USA Megan Gordon: Megan is so beautiful--she reminds me of a Somali or Ethiopian model like Fatima Siad or Kadra Ahmed Omar. While I also wished her choice of gown would have been more runway fab and directional, this royal blue design wasn't a bad choice. The gown featured flower sequin applique, a nice v-neckline (not too revealing) and slightly dramatic overskirt. The style was Pageant Predictable but I think what I really liked was the strong color. It was impacting on stage and at least looked more of this century as opposed to the past.

Miss Illinois USA  Whitney Wandland: Whitney was quite a star at last night's Miss USA 2017 Finals. At only 5' 7" tall (compared to the glamazon heights of Miss California USA and Miss Minnesota USA!) but I have to tell you she exuded the confidence, air and SUPERFAB runway walk that made her look like a six foot tall Supermodel! I also liked her choice of this gold sequined fringe gown. Many people have made comparisons to the gown last year's Miss USA Deshauna Barber wore to win the crown:

It was gold and had that "Liza With a Z"-like sequined fringe. The style and golden color was impacting for Miss Illinois USA and she WORKED it on the stage. If I had to pick my favorites (I didn't have many in these Top 10), this one would have been up there.

Finally...

Miss District of Columbia USA Kara McCullough: The eventual winner of the Miss USA 2017 crown wore this white and sequined gown for the Finals Evening Gown Competition. This was one of the better dresses in my view of the Top 10 Semifinalists. The gown featured gold and silver jeweled sequin top and a white flowing skirt with side-front slit. The gown was very effective onstage and Kara utilized the silhouette and that slit very well. The colors were also quite nice for Kara and her skin tone. I also like the bit of Cleopatra Drama in the overall look. Again, this was not a super fashion-forward gown but it wasn't tacky, it wasn't revealing too much cleavage and it was a good choice for her.

If I did have some criticism...(Take a guess what that could be?)...YEP: Those shoes! Putty colored platform heels are NOT--under any circumstances--the right shoe choice when wearing a white and golden gown. Come to think of it, I'm not sure when there is a good style time to wear putty colored platform pumps. Were there no gold strappy (NON PLATFORM!) shoes available?? Oh well. Who cares. She won!!

Congratulations to Kara and to the Miss District of Columbia USA organization for back-to-back Miss USA wins!! Now, STEP AWAY from the Putty COLORED Platform Heels!