SASHES AND TIARAS: My Top 15 List of Best Gowns from Miss Universe 2015 Preliminary Competition
Very Good: Gowns from the Miss Universe 2015 Preliminary Competition, THE AXIS Theater Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Las Vegas
Thursday night was the ever-important Preliminary Competition of the 2015 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. This is the event that decides who the 15 Semi-Finalists are--and will be named--on Sunday night's Finals of the 64th Annual Miss Universe. During the Preliminaries, the 80 contestants from all over the world competed in both Swimsuit and Evening Gown. This post is all about the latter, since that's what I'm interested in, of course. So...without further ado, here are MY Top 15 of Best Gowns--I only judged on my Favorite Evening Gowns--from the Miss Universe 2015 Preliminary Competition. See if your fave made my list:
No. 1 Miss Thailand Aniporn Chalermburanawong: This was my favorite gown of the night. Aniporn looked striking and like a Miss Universe in this white satin gown featuring silver sequined torso detail and back white satin cape/fall. Her styling was also superb: her slicked-back hairstyle was modern and model fab. The lack of accessories were also directional and fresh. She was a clean, modern, Fashion Goddess.
Score: 9.9
No. 2: Miss Brazil Marthina Brandt: Marthina looked every bit a Supermodel on a red carpet in this silver-and-gold sequined gown. The gown had sequins over a nude tulle illusion base. It also had shoulder draped crystals. This photo does not do the gown justice; it looked incredible. And so did she.
Score: 9.94
No. 3: Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez: Boy, this young lady is on a path to getting that Miss Universe crown. I'm only saying because of this fabulous, perfect gown. From head to toe, she screams "Give me the darn crown because...seriously...LOOK AT ME!". This gown featured crystal sequins over a beige/creme base. The strapless dress fit her perfectly and was length-perfect as well (no heels in sight!). Many people on the internet are commenting about her resemblance to Sofia Vergara. Maybe that should be a sign: that's a really good thing--she looks like a top Hollywood actress/International Star. And don't you think that's what the goal is of finding the next Miss Universe? So far, if she does not mess up on the interview on the Final Night (if she is picked as a Semi-Finalist/Finalist), she is very close to getting the crown.
Score: 9.94
No. 3 Miss Poland Weronika Szmajdzinkska: I loved this gown in the Miss Universe 2015 Evening Gown Portraits and I still love it now. Copper/gold sequined fab. And...I LOVE that she DID NOT wear those TACKY Stripper Platform Pumps. She gets a BONUS for that. Classy. With a capital "C".
Score: 9.90
No. 4 Miss Panama Gladys Brandao Amaya: There were A LOT (as you can see from the gals here!) of contestants who wore these nude/illusion tulle base-under-sequin applique gowns. So, if was a bit difficult to discern the "Oh Dear!" form the "Muy Bien!:. And Miss Panama was in my Top list. I liked the silver sequin scroll-like detail and all her appropriate areas were covered. I also give her points for great hair and lack of Too-Mucheey accessorizing.
Score: 9.80
No. 5 Miss Paraguay Myriam Arevalos: Myriam wore one of my favorite gown for the Miss Universe 2015 Evening Gown Portraits on the MissUniverse.com website. I was surprised she even changed. But this was a nice change. This red gown featured an interesting applique detail over the nude illusion base. It also had a side front slit (it was a little too Hoochie-high) and an over skirt in matching red chiffon. The one shoulder gown was impacting and made quite an entrance. Her clean hairstyle and not too Pageant Betty makeup were also just right. I wished she would have worn sexy red strappy heels (no platform!) but even with that, I still give her a high score.
Score: 9.70
No. 6 Miss Vietnam Pham Hu'o'ng: I loved Pham's white "Swan" inspired mermaid silhouette gown. This style and design was very original and Couture-like in it's detail, creation and inspiration. This was something one would see at an Alexander McQueen Paris Fashion Week runway show or a Marchesa NY Fashion Show presentation. Design Kudos to whoever designed this; it is a Miss Universe Evening Gown showstopper and afterward, should be in a Museum Gallery! I just wished her hair and makeup looked a tad more "runway diva" as opposed to "Pageant Contestant".
Score: 9.50
No. 7 Miss Tanzania Lorraine Marriot: Lorraine was the best of the contestants hailing from the continent of Africa. I liked this gold sequined gown that she wore. It was modern, clean-lined and fit her perfectly.
Score: 9.30
No. 8 Miss Indonesia Anindya Putri: Anindya wore this nude stretch tulle gown with ivory and gunmetal/silver applique. For all these types of gowns, I liked the simplicity of the design and lack of too-much sequin applique. Her bun and makeup looked just right for this look. Overall, I give her a nice high Gown Score.
Score: 9. 20
No. 9 Miss Chile Maria Belen Jerez: I will include Miss Universe Chile here and her gown because it was very nice, it fit well and she looked great, overall. The gown she wore featured silver sequins embellishment over a silver base--at the skirt section--while at the top area, the sequins were over nude illusion. Her hair was just right, as well as earrings. And once again, kudos for proper gown length and no tacky platform heels showing. Gracias.
Score: 9.00
No. 10 Miss USA Olivia Jordan: Olivia loves a gown. Especially a Ball Gown. The one she wore when she worn Miss USA was a bit of a controversy (I did not like it!). But never mind us or those pesky internet folks; she still went ahead for the Miss Universe Preliminaries and wore...a...ball...gown. And this was a good one! Much better than the Miss USA choice. At least, here, she didn't look like a Disney Princess but closer to a Hollywood Red Carpet actress. Thank You. This was much improved. It was dramatic, impacting and fit well. If there was any critique, I wished it was strapless and didn't have those teeny tiny sequined straps; those looked like an afterthought...an afterthought bought at the Las Vegas Jo-Ann's Fabric Store.
Score: 8.90
No. 12 Miss Georgia Janet Kerdikoshvili: Janet wore a royal blue/violet gown which featured a sequined applique over nude illusion column dress with an attached satin overskirt. It was A LOT of gown but it worked and it served the purpose of being "Miss Universe" Evening Gown impacting--at least in my eyes. But I have to point out a negative: those darn shoes. Those are a big NO!
Score: 8.80
No. 13 Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach: There was some drama regarding Pia and her gown. Supposedly, her original one didn't fit right so a Beverly Hills-based Filipino designer was contacted, while he was in Aspen skiing on vacation (must be nice!). He then had his staff send her some gowns. And this was one of them. I liked this red sequin applique and satin gown but I have to admit, it was not modern or chic or very directional. It was a beautiful gown that we could have seen at a Miss Universe pageant in 2005. Nevertheless...Pia WORKED IT overtime! And for that, she is in my Top 15 Best Gowns List.
Score: 8.80
No. 14 Miss Australia Monika Radulovic: Monika wore this gold sequined number for the Miss Universe 2015 Preliminaries. It was a showstopper for sure. I would have give this a much higher score...if it wasn't for the fact that the center front slit/opening was WAAAAY too close to her BIZZZNESSSS! It was 60% Glam Fab and 40% Hoochie Tacky.
Score: 8.79
Finally, in my Top 15 Evening Gown Miss Universe 2015 Preliminary Competition List...
No. 15 Miss India Urvashi Rautela: I liked the design of this silver and gold gown enough to put it in my Top 15; it looked expensive, and fit very nicely. But, I have to say that while I could see this on a model at a Versace Atelier runway show and I would scream "Go On Girl!", I could not do this with Urvashi; Urvashi's styling looks a bit dated, and "Madame". Those over-sized earrings, hair and too-much makeup remind me of a Miss Universe winner who won many years ago and is trying to come back to look fab. I would suggest, get rid of the Pageant Betty styling and bring on 2015 Model Fab. ASAP! But even with that, this gown still makes my Top 15 Faves:
Score: 8.75
**UP NEXT: The "Could Have Been Better" and "OH Dear!" of Miss Universe 2015 Preliminary Evening Gown Competition
Supranational Bella: Miss Supranational 2015 "Miss Paraguay" Stephania Stegman (center)--Miss Supranational 2015 Finals, Warsaw Poland
