A look at the candidates who walked the Miss Universe 2021 stage in Filipino-made gowns
Were you one of those who tuned in to the 70th Miss Universe?
One of the highly anticipated portions of the annual pageant is the evening gown competition, where the candidates would dress to the nines and dazzle on the runway in their most glamorous looks. It’s always a sight to behold—and this year’s tilt was no exception.
Our eyes were on the Philippines’ Beatrice Luigi Gomez, who was dressed up in most parts of her Miss U journey by renowned Filipino designer Francis Libiran. She wore a fiery red gown at the preliminaries and looked spectacular in gold during the finals. Aside from showing off the tattoo on her sleeve that celebrates her womanhood on both events, Gomez also flashed her leg. She managed to make it to the top five of the pageant.
But did you know that it wasn’t just our country's bet who showcased a gown made by a Filipino designer onstage? In fact, there was a handful.
Miss Universe 2021 second runner-up Lalela Mswane of South Africa rocked creations by Dubai-based Pinoy designer Ezra Santos not only during the main event (where she stunned in a sparkly turtleneck gown) but also the prelims (where she wore a white long-sleeved dress).
There was also Miss USA Elle Smith. The top 10 finisher looked all things lovely in Michael Cinco at the pre-event and the coronation night. A palette of beige and green, as well as subtle cutouts, completed her prelims look. For the finals, she opted for a tube gown in dazzling blue and sheer white.
Another top 10 finisher Chantel O’ Brian (The Bahamas) counted on Filipino designer Garimon Roferos (who is based in Dubai) to make her look and feel her best at Miss Universe 2021. The beauty queen highlighted the timelessness of glitter by wearing gold and silver at the prelims and going all out in a silver long-sleeved dress during the finals.
Just how stunning did Miss Kenya (Roshanara Love) look at the Miss U prelims? Her green evening gown was designed by Jian Lasala, who made the beauty queen look subtly sexy with a plunging neckline and a thigh-high slit.
At the preliminary competition, Miss Ukraine Hanna Nepliakh went for a middle slit dress by another Dubai-based creative Ryan Pacioles. The sheer number that has cape-like sleeves is bejeweled in silver but dominated by gold hues.
Anne Murielle Ravina of Mauritius radiated delight when she showed up on stage with a huge smile, wearing a Carl Andrada gown. It has a vivid shade of blue that looked perfect with its white complement amped up with silver jewels.
Three candidates tapped Laguna-based designer Louis Pangilinan to make them look stylish for the evening gown competition of the preliminary round. Rose Melendez of Honduras wore a form-fitting gown with embellishments, Jade Cini of Malta rocked a captivating one-shoulder hand-embroidered dress, while Emma Rose Collingridge of Great Britain wore a silver dress that highlighted her toned frame.
And last but not the least, 69th Miss Universe Andrea Meza graced the Miss Universe stage for the last time wearing a Swarovski-encrusted ombre plum ballgown by Michael Cinco—a dream come true, said the beauty queen.