SASHES AND TIARAS.....MISS WORLD 2015 Finals EVENING GOWN Recap!

Miss World Pretty: Miss Spain Wins Miss World 2015--Miss World 2015 Finals, Sanya China

Over the weekend, the day before that other international pageant that had the ESCANDALO crowning...the Finals of the 65th Annual Miss World Beauty Pageant happened. Miss World is considered the "Granddaddy" (or Grandma) of International beauty pageants because it is older than Miss Universe (by one year) and usually has more contestants; this year, Miss World 2015 boasted 114 contestants, as opposed to "just" 80 for Miss Universe. I do have to say, 114 is out of control for a pageant and kudos for the Miss World Organization for being able to achieve that.

Crowned Bella: Last year's Miss World, South Africa's Rolene Strauss (middle, in red) crowns Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna as the new Miss World 2015 with 1st Runner-up Miss Russia (left) and 2nd Runner-up Miss Indonesia (right) looking on--Miss World 2015 Finals, Sanya China 

Because of these reasons primarily, a lot of pageant fans (and some national pageant directors) consider the London-based Miss World pageant more important. But, many of those same fans say the international beauty pageant has lost its "Wow Factor"; while Miss World's are regarded as very pretty and sweet, and perfect to be the face for charitable causes, the Miss Universe winners are the sexier "sister" (as of late) to Miss World. Now that we got that out of the way, time to discuss this year's very pretty and sweet-looking winner...

Ole! Miss Spain World Mireia Lalaguna stands 1.77 m (5' 10"), has blond hair and sapphire blue eyes. The 23-year old actress/model is from Barcelona and is the first contestant from Spain to win Miss World, in the pageant's 65 year history. None of the big "pageant fan sites" had this lovely beauty as one of the favorites to win the crown, so as you can imagine it was a big surprise...even to Mireia herself:

Spanish Shock--When her name was called as "Miss World", she was genuinely, in shock--Miss World 2015 Finals, Sanya China

The Pageant:

Dances of The World: The Miss World 2015 Finals were telecast live here in the US on the E! Entertainment Network on Saturday morning and one of the highlights were the "Dances of the World" segment, featuring the contestants wearing their national costumes and showing some of them doing dances from their native lands

The Top Five Finalists in Evening Gowns (L to R) Miss Spain, Miss Russia, Miss Indonesia, Miss Lebanon, and Miss Jamaica--Miss World 2015 Finals, Sanya China

The Evening Gowns--Now, it's time to discuss the Miss World 2015 Finals Evening Gowns, since naturally, that's ALL I really want to talk about so...let's get to it, beginning with the eventual winner...

Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna: Miss Spain wore a sapphire blue (matching her eyes!) sequined gown, with a sweetheart neckline and nude and sequined applique detail. It was a nice gown but rather "pageant Safe" and slightly dated. This was definitely not Red Carpet Fab but it was fine for her and looked beautiful. It also fit quite nicely.
Score: 8.90

Miss Russia Sofia Nikitchuk: The Russian contestant, who got 1st Runner-up, wore a red silk satin strapless ball gown with a drop waist and delicately pretty sequin detail. The gown looked expensive and had hints of something seen on the Elie Saab Haute Couture runways (but it wasn't). I liked it but...I wasn't a fan of the "Pageant Betty" accessories--earrings and necklace. Those took her to "Much Younger Wife of a 50-something Russian Oil Magnate".
Score: 8.80 

Miss Indonesia Maria Harfanti: Miss Indonesia wore a strapless mermaid shaped ivory sequined gown. The dress featured white gathered tulle neckline detail. It was nice enough but nothing Couture Extraordinary; I can see this at a Pageant-and-Prom store anywhere in the world. And once again: what is up with the necklace and earrings??? So late 90's tacky. These ladies should learn: when a gown is this busy and this full of sequins...there's no need for a necklace or earrings like the ones above. Period. No. When will they ever learn?
Score: 8.70

Miss Lebanon Valerie Abou Chacra: GORGEOUS. Yes, I said it! Miss Lebanon was one of the favorites to win the crown and I can see why. This gown was STUNNING. Oh, and yes, it was a design from Zuhair Murad Spring/Summer 2015 Haute Couture collection. The gown featured a plunging neckline, long sleeves, nude silk tulle with hand-sewn ivory beads and crystals and a full gathered overskirt sewn onto a column gown. This gown probably retails for about $100,000. I am sure she didn't pay that and it was borrowed. But wow, I hope she really was careful with getting any makeup on it. I loved everything about this look except...yes, THE NECKLACE. Seriously!!?? You're wearing a gown that costs as much as a Mercedes-Benz...and she thinks it was necessary to throw on a necklace? No.
Score: 9.90

Miss Jamaica Sanneta Myrie: Miss Jamaica was a lovely contestant and I loved her hair. But this satin gown was too Prom-a-Licious. The satin looked very polyester and the lace/sequin applique was a bit standard. It didn't help that the baby blue color also took it to a Prom-and-Pageant place. On a positive note: the dress fit her nicely.
Score: 7.5

The Rest of the Top 20 Evening Gowns...

Miss Australia Tess Alexander: Silver sequined ball gown. She looked pretty and nice. But very Debutante Ball. I would have liked a little more Fab Ball Gown.
Miss France Hinarere Taputu: Miss France is originally from Tahiti and oh so exotically gorgeous. I liked the black and white contrast of this gown but I could have seen the exact same gown at a pageant in 1998. I'd love to have seen her in something more modern, chic and sexier.

Miss Guyana Lisa Punch: Miss Guyana shined onstage, especially when winning the Talent Competition with her amazing singing. This lady is a star! In terms of her gown, she wore an ivory one sleeved gown with modern gold sequin detail. I liked this gown; it was directional, sleek and perfect for her.
Miss Philippines Hillarie Parungao: Off the shoulder light blue sequins and feathers. It's A LOT of gown. But I think it works. I'm not a fan of the off-the-shoulder look (so Pageant Betty and 90's)  so I wished it wasn't that way. But other than that, this was a nice, very pretty choice for Miss Philippines.

Miss South Africa Liesl Laurie: Miss South Africa's gown was an ivory satin column with a back overskirt. The dress featured gold sequined trim accents in the torso. I think this was a nice, elegant choice for her. It may not have had the "Gown Wattage" of a Fab impacting look but, it was pretty good!
Miss Vietnam Tran Ngoc Lan Khue: Vietnam's contestant wore this iridescent violet/blue mermaid shaped gown. The fit was perfect and style was nice. I think this look worked for the gorgeous Miss Vietnam and made her stand out.

Miss Brazil Catharina Choi: Miss Brazil was one of the favorites to win the Miss World with her Korean-Brazilian background. She wore a red satin, chiffon and sequined applique gown. The dress was very typical and not directional or chic enough for my taste. It looked fine on her but yet, this could have been 2002.
Miss China PR Yuan Lu: Miss China PR wore this ivory and silver sequined mermaid style gown. This was a very nice style. I liked the torso section and wished the silver sequin work would have continued through to the bottom of the gown. I also liked the shoulder sequin detail. But because there was already so much going on with the dress, she DEFINITELY did not need those earrings.

Miss Ecuador Camila Maranon: Pretty, cute and right for Miss Ecuador. This baby blue satin gown with a "fringed" overskirt was a bit Haute Debutante...and I liked it. The color was great for her and so was her styling and side-swept hair. Bless Her (Gown) Heart.
Miss Kazahkstan Regina Vandysheva: GURL! One word: SMOOSHED. Her sistahs (breasts) look uncomfortable. This would have been an OK gown if it was one size bigger. And the torso was about two inches longer; the top made her look short waisted.

Miss Netherlands Margot Hanekamp: Miss Netherlands wore this ivory and silver crystal sequined gown. The satin dress was in a mermaid shape and had an organza bottom half. This was nice for her but once again, am I the only one who thinks this looks very 1998??? Can we have these ladies wear something a bit more Gown Modern??? Are they looking at the Oscars? Are they looking at Vogue Magazine???
Miss New Zealand Deborah Lambie: Miss New Zealand got my attention with this royal blue color. But then, she failed me with the "Pageant Betty" off-the-shoulder look and the lace at the hem, and THAT hair bun...and THAT necklace...Yeeeez!!! It's just TOO-MUCHEEY! Edit. Edit. Edit. Ladies. PUHLEEASE.

Miss Northern Ireland Leanne McDowell: Her pale violet/blue gown was very pretty (is this a theme?). The delicate sequin applique was subtle and elegant. Her hair, makeup and earrings were very on-point as well.
Miss Poland Marta Palucka: One of the favorites to take the Miss World 2015 crown wore this red satin gown which featured a side front slit, and gold metallic lace underskirt and trim detail. It was a pretty and impacting gown. Once again, I would have wished that it wasn't off-the-shoulder. But, overall, she looked beautiful.

Miss Scotland Mhairi Ferguson: Miss Scotland wore a lilac colored sequined crepe gown with back chiffon "falls". This was very "Mother-of-the-Bride" and slightly early 2000's. I'd like to have seen something a bit more modern and chic on her.
Miss South Sudan Ajaa Monchol: Speaking of chic--Hello! It's Miss South Sudan. This super tall model fab woman looked statuesque and runway-ready in this gown. I liked the bias-cut cowl drape in the front and simple style. I wished that flower-like sequin applique was not there but I did like the crystal trim down her arm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some Gown Greats that didn't make the Top 20:

Miss Cote d'Ivoire Andrea N'Guessan: Love this gown on the beautiful Miss Cote d'Ivoire. The black and white sequined style was chic and sexy. I also loved the gold earrings styled with it.
Miss Fiji Brittany Hazelman: Stunning. This red column gown with gold "necklace"-like neck trim was sublime. I wish I had a photo of her back because it was FABULOUS!

Miss Gabon Reine Ngotala and Miss Georgia Nino Karalashvili: Both of these gowns were great! Love them both. Miss Gabon was Mermaid Fab ad Miss Georgia's metallic column was ready for the red carpet.
Miss Puerto Rico Keysi Vargas: I loved this strapless red lace and organza gown. It was very "Met Ball" dramatic and unique. She really was "Done" from head to toe! Muy Bien Puerto Rico.

Maybe/Maybe Not:

Miss Mongolia Anu Namshyrin: I was a bit on the fence with Miss Mongolia's gown. I liked the mermaid shape and it looked very well made and I did appreciate the ombre/degrade of the royal blue sequins into the organza ruffled bottom skirt section. But, I think I would have liked it more if she hadn't added the necklace and all that jewelry; it was so unnecessary.
Miss Venezuela Anyela Galante: I thought this was a fun impacting gown; you've got the shimmying sequin fringe, the shoulder/neck piece...but, there was still something about it that was a bit Too-Mucheey. And yeah, I didn't like the sweetheart neckline. But, it sure looked like a fun dress.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felicitaciones and Congratulations to the new Miss World, Spain's Mireia Lalaguna!