Miss Philippines Earth’s national costumes tell the stories of myths, traditions, regions

“As we’ve seen in many of the costumes,” said Pineda, a veteran fashion and costume designer as well as resident wardrobe consultant for Miss Earth, “a big part of what makes them work are the stories behind them. They contextualize the costume while providing the audience endless learning opportunities about the designer’s intent as well as the symbolisms behind each attire and its origin.”

Indeed, as we pointed out, it takes a village to design and produce a costume. And true enough, as Pineda revealed, a good number of the costumes were the brainchild of not just one person, but the product of community effort from where the girls hail from.

The huge ensemble worn, for instance, by Miss Atimonan, Quezon, which paid homage to the town’s rich agricultural and marine resources, was more than just a costume. The boatful of bounties she was gliding on were a virtual float in and of itself that obviously required an army of craftsmen and carpenters to finish.

Miss Atimonan was only one of several girls who drew inspiration from their respective locales’ sources of livelihood. Others, in the form of headdresses, hand-painted skirts and capes, and accompanying props, paid homage to fishing as well as farming, which revolved around such diverse emblems as fins and tails as well as pineapples, coconuts and even the lowly but refreshing singkamas.

Some teams behind the ladies, in keeping with Miss Earth’s environmental advocacy, also went to great lengths by using natural, biodegradable and recycled materials to fashion their creations. Standouts in this thrust were Miss Las Piñas, in her nude-colored terno with blue accents made almost entirely of dried and woven waterlilies, and Miss El Nido and her tribute to Palawan’s biodiversity in a costume fashioned mostly from old newspapers.

Classics with a twist, there were also aplenty. Miss Baler, Aurora, in her red-and-black terno with accessories fashioned from coconut parts, leads in terms of taste level and visual presentation. The red-and-black combination, she said, is her homage to the historic town where once outnumbered and outgunned Spanish soldiers made their last stand during the dying days of the Spanish colonial rule.

Hailing from Quezon City, an urban jungle like no other, didn’t limit its delegate from giving justice to a stylized Maria Clara in delicious pastel shades, its edges embellished with countless tassels for added visual drama.

Miss San Luis, Agusan del Sur, on the other hand, did some astute counter programming. Coming from Mindanao, she could have chosen to come in her version of a colorful lumad or a show-stopping Muslim princess. Instead, she went for something totally unexpected by channeling a diwata or fairy, complete with multiple firefly wings and floral accouterments, which a tribe in the province implores for guidance and protection.

Not to be discounted, of course, is the wearer. Apart from exuding joy on screen, she’s expected to weave some magic and fantasy on her chosen attire through styling, projection and choreography. After all is said and done, costume shows are the very essence of pageantry and the stuff TV moments are made of.

Miss Parañaque, in a white terno with matching parasol, for instance, was able to project with minute subtlety the dalagang Filipina’s flirtatious side in her rendition of the sunduan, which was set in one of the former seaside town’s old churches. Miss Nagtipunan, Quirino, on the other hand, highlighted through her chosen costumes (yes, she wore two) the transition of her people from fierce and nomadic head-hunting tribes to peace-loving citizens after their embrace of Christianity.

It would have been limiting to stage such transitions and juxtapositions in a live presentation. What’s more, as contestants try to elbow each other out for attention, only those with colorful and towering costumes get noticed. This time tough, with the camera focused exclusively on each girl, every candidate was able to tell her story while showing off intricate and telling details about her costume that would have been difficult to do on stage.

This jives with Gamama’s observation and thrust when it comes to judging. A Muslim who’s familiar with cultures and traditions in the South, he admitted his preference for the less-is-more approach in the choice of cultural attire. And this was mostly evident from the intricate costumes worn mostly by the girls from Mindanao, such as the delegates from General Santos, Cotabato City, Zamboanga Sibugay and Sultan Kudarat, to name a few.

At the same time, the certified public accountant and Missososology correspondent cited a number of Filipiniana-inspired pieces, usually associated with the Christian north, particularly those worn by Miss Quezon City and Miss Malolos, Bulacan.

“It’s not all about bigger is better,” he says. Although big, over-the-top costumes have their purpose, “most of the time, the beauty is found in the intricate details that lend meaning to what the cultural attire is all about.”