Queens’ Landing

France’s Iris Mittenaere,
Miss Universe 2016
Designer: Albert Andrada

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Iris Mittenaere, and Pia Wurtzbach do the ramp, as Miss Universe fever continues in a country that never seems to run out of pageants, beauty queens, long dresses, and hopeful young girls raring to change their lives and make a difference in the universe.

Published December 10, 2017, 12:05 AM
By Alex Y. Vergara

Images by Noel Pabalate

Almost two weeks after the winner has been chosen, Miss Universe continues to wield its magic in a land that never seems to run out of pageants, evening gowns, and beauty queens. Depending on how you look at it, it is both a cause for celebration as well as a reason to pause and think that of all the countries out there, Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and her handlers have chosen to travel thousands of miles from New York to the Philippines to officially begin the South African beauty queen’s reign.

Wearing an ivory silk column with a built-in cape by Rajo Laurel, the diminutive but lovely Demi looked every inch a queen, as she shared the ramp with predecessors Iris Mittenaere, Miss Universe 2016, and the Philippines’ very own Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015, in the Miss Universe Charity Fashion Gala Thursday night at the Solaire Resort and Casino’s grand ballroom.

The three women were the show’s finale, which also featured past Miss Universe Philippines winners such as Venus Raj, Ariella Arida, Maxine Medina, and Shamcey Supsup, among others, as well as 13 girls who competed with Demi for the crown in the recent Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas, including Top 10 finisher Rachel Peters of the Philippines.

Iris, wearing an embroidered and appliqued strapless white gown by Albert Andrada, is, of course, no stranger to beauty contest-obsessed Filipinos, as she was crowned last January in Manila. Held annually either in November or December, Miss Universe’s Manila edition was delayed for two months since the Department of Tourism (DOT) needed more time to prepare for the global event.

Pia, looking slightly tanned and as svelte as ever, wore a white Francis Libiran creation with a sweetheart neckline, built-in corset, and skirt and bodice made of handcrafted and cut-on-the-bias strips of silk organza and horsehair. A slim bow accented the former beauty queen’s tiny waist.

Demi and her former competitors, which include Spain’s Sofia del Prado, China’s Roxette Qiu, Canada’s Lauren Howe, and USA’s Kara McCullough, are here through the efforts of DOT, which also plans to fly the ladies to various scenic spots in the Philippines as part of its efforts to attract foreign tourists to the country.

The evening also became a platform for some of the country’s best designers such as Noel Crisostomo, Ito Curata, Frederick Peralta, Cherry Veric, Val Taguba, and Mark Bumgarner, among others, to show how good they are, as they each dressed up a former Miss Universe 2017 delegate. To add some variety to the show, Barge Ramos was tasked to dress up a group of dashing male models in barongs.

But a Miss Universe-related event won’t be complete without the organization lending a hand to a worthy cause. Before the night was over, Demi, Iris, and Pia shared the stage with Lovely, Alexandra, and Christine Joy, three of Hope for Change’s young beneficiaries.

Since 1990, the foundation, through its current president Paul Grimsland, has been raising awareness and support for child sponsorship programs. And true enough, apart from Solaire, Frontrow, a direct-selling company partly owned by stage actor RS Francisco, responded to Hope for Change’s call.

Frontrow, which deals in wellness and beauty products, found a perfect fit in Miss Universe and Hope for Change. It has chosen Hope for Change as one of its beneficiaries in its fledgling corporate social responsibility program.

Apart from receiving a loot bag and framed photos of the Miss Universe they were with, each of the three girls had the chance to walk and do the beauty queen wave and air kisses with Demi, Iris, and Pia.

For a few minutes that evening, three wide-eyed and hopeful youngsters became beauty queens in their own right, as they begin to write their own stories in whatever field they choose to participate and excel in the near future.

https://lifestyle.mb.com.ph/2017/12/10/queens-landing/