Miss Universe Contestants Shattered the Pageant Dress Stereotype

Miss Universe Contestants Shattered the Pageant Dress Stereotype

Steve Harvey’s Miss Universe gaffe stole the show during the 2016 Miss Universe competition. Yet for this year’s scandal-free event, the gowns (and, of course, the women wearing them) were a focal point of the night — which was good news for Marquis Bias, the stylist for the Miss Universe Organization.

So what made this year’s pageant fashion, which is typically overlooked, different than in the past? Contestants shifting away from wearing typical “pageant” looks (think voluminous tulle skirts with jewel-encrusted bodices in bright colors) and opting for more typical red carpet ready stunners.

Bias, who is a fan of the trend, says that the change is being brought on by the participants themselves and that IMG, which bought the organization in late 2015, has also been a proponent of the shift.

“Of course there’s still girls that are tried and true pageant girls, and their gowns are very of that inspiration, but I feel that a lot of the girls that are more successful in the evening gown competition are girls that choose gowns that could easily be seen on any red carpet,” Bias tells Yahoo Style.

Case in point: the dresses worn by the competition’s top nine finalists, especially those of Miss Kenya, Miss Thailand, and Miss Haiti. Of course, no one’s fashion was more emblematic of this trend than that of the crowned winner herself, Miss France, Iris Mittenaere.

The dental surgery student, whose honesty during the Q&A section made her a shoo-in for the crown, dressed in a gold couture gown that reportedly took five months to make for the evening gown portion of the night. Yet, Bias admits that he “was just very excited to have a Miss France because it’s been 64 years, if I’m not mistaken, since Europe has had a winner.”

As a function of his role, Bias works with the crowned Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe throughout their respective reigns. “We often have Latin winners, which is wonderful; we’ve had several winners from Asia; we’ve had quite a few American winners; we’ve had some African winners as well; but we haven’t had a European winner in quite some time.”

Miss Universe 2016, Pia Wurtzbach, who’s from the Philippines where the competition took place and also collaborated with Bias, crowned her successor in a blue custom-designed Michael Cinco couture gown.

Bypost: yahoo.com

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 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

FASHION LOS ANGELES AWARDS 2016: Best of the red carpet (kind of)

FASHION LOS ANGELES AWARDS 2016: Best of the red carpet (kind of)

Last night Daily Front Row celebrated the second edition of the Fashion Los Angeles Awards: a star-studded night dedicated to fashion...but with a forgettable red carpet. 

This is going to be fun.

Before we jump to the funny part, let me take a moment to cheer for the winners and honorees of the night: fashion royalty Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld graced the stage to receive respectively the Fashion Icon Award and the Magazine of the Year Award (CR Fashion Book), while Eva Chow was crowned as Fashion Innovator. 

A night to remember also for stylist/designer Brandon Maxwell, who took home the Designer of the Year Award (Is he going to repeat the experience at the upcoming 2016 CFDA?), and the unstoppable Lady Gaga, who was awarded Editor of the Year thanks to her remarkable work with V Magazine's pre-spring issue. 

The last highlight of the night? 

Bella Hadid defeating her own sister, Gigi Hadid, for the Model Of The Year prize.

As I stated before, the good news stop here, because the red carpet was a total snooze fest...except for Nicole Richie, who brought some glam in Valentino, Kate Hudson and her two-pieces by August Getty Atelier, Jennifer Lopez, a chic vision in Ermanno Scervino, and yes, Mrs Kim Kardashian West, who happens to be on my best dressed list when she goes for a more minimalistic and classy attire.

Therefore let's have a look at the worst looks of the night:

"I am more famous than my sister" 

Gigi Hadid in Yanina Couture Fall 2015

Let me get the picture for you: it's your little sister big night, and you decide to support her by attending the special event...what would you be wearing?
Something simple and not too eye-catching?
Well, that's Gigi Hadid's pick for the night: a sheer caftan and a questionable bodysuit. Over-the-top? Yes, but coherent with her latest red carpet appereances: sexy, messy and pointless.
However a floor-length slip and a different hairstyle could have upgraded the final effect. Do you agree?

"Smoking-hot. Literally" 

Bella Hadid in Moschino Fall 2016

At first glance you might think that Gigi burned Bella's dress out of spite for not winning the model of the year award, but unfortunately that is a lie.
The Hadid sisters love each other (and I hope each other outfits at this point), therefore what you see is 1) a conscious choice made by Bella Hadid and 2) a design by Jeremy Scott for Moschino.
A classic beautiful look...until you look at the hem.

"Gaga oh-la-la!" 

Lady Gaga in Saint Laurent Fall 2016

That awkward moment when your stylist is awarded as designer of the year (Brandon Maxwell), and for his big night decides to dress you with an hideous creation from another designer.

Maybe I was too quick on judging the Grammys' fashion.

Written by:Stella

FASHION LOS ANGELES AWARDS 2016

Designer of the Year   

Brandon Maxwell

Women's Stylist of the Year 

Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn

(clients: Jennifer Lopez, Pharrell, Lily Collins, Ciara, Shakira, Rachel McAdams)

Editor of the Year

Lady Gaga - V magazine

Model of the Year

Bella Hadid

Fashion Innovator

Eva Chow

Jewelry Designer  

Jennifer Meyer

Magazine of the Year 

Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book 

Fashion Icon 

Karl Lagerfeld