SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Grand International 2020 National Costumes: TOP 15 BEST COSTUMES!

Best of the Best--Miss Grand International 2020 National Costumes--(Top Photo, L to R) Miss Grand Ecuador, Miss Grand Indonesia, Miss Grand Guatemala, Miss Grand Panama; (Lower Photo, L to R) Miss Grand Japan, Miss Grand Spain, Miss Grand Thailand, Miss Grand Philippines.

The Finals of the 8th Annual Miss Grand International, Miss Grand International 2020 pageant are happening this weekend on March 27th. This is the FIRST of the top "Grand Slam" international beauty pageants that have been able to actually go ahead and put on the show--a LIVE SHOW!-- during the Covid pandemic. The much-awaited National Costume Competition occurred on March 24th and there were LOTS of fabulous costumes on display. The designs were inspiring, fashionable, fantasy fabulous, and each and every one of them showed off their individual nation's pride. Here were my TOP 15 FAVORITES!

1. Miss Grand Guatemala Ivana Batchelor--Her costume titled "Xecul Occidental", beautifully depicts and pays homage to the Church of San Andres Xecul, which mixes Christian and Mayan religious imagery with lots of bright colors, including golden yellow, deep reds, and sky blues. The costume was gorgeous, impacting, and best of all, Ivana walked in it and displayed it with great ease and pride. Designed by Guatemalan designer and artist Cesar Alejandro Portillo, her costume was a work of costume art.

SCORE: 10 

2. Miss Grand Indonesia Aurra Karishma--Her national costume represents one of the favorite Indonesian dishes--the Chicken Satay!! Titled the "Edacious of Chicken Satay", it represents the rich food culture in Indonesia. It features skewers of Chicken satay on the grill (!!) accompanied by an assortment of add-ons such as shallots, chili, lime. It was created by Jember Fashion Carnaval
SCORE: 9.98

3. Miss Grand Japan Ruri Saji--Miss Grand Japan's National Costume was super creative and super fabulous. She first presented herself as a traditional Kokeshi Doll, which then proceeded to open up and reveal an Anime Robot! Seriously! The part Wooden Doll/Part Robot was inspired by the handmade wooden Kokeshi dolls to showcase traditional Japanese art, as well as the Anime Robot which symbolizes how far Japanese technology has come since the 19th century. The design was created by Filipino designer Don Cristobal. 

SCORE: 9.90

4. Miss Grand Ecuador Sonia Augusta Luna--Miss Grand Ecuador's national costume pays tribute to the Andean Condor, also known as the "King of the Andes". The condor is a symbol of Ecuadorian identity and she wanted to bring light to the beautiful bird and the importance of stressing its conservation and prevent its extinction. It was designed by Benyamin Maffare.

SCORE: 9.89

5. Miss Grand USA Abena Appiah--Showing support for Black Lives Matter as well as Strength, Power, Integrity, and Honor, was Miss Grand USA's message in her national costume. I thought it was so impactful and beautifully done that she gave me the costume shivers while she entered the stage! The design started as a full-length black coat (top photo) with the names and photos of those who have died. As she removed the coat, she revealed an all-white sequined Angel/Goddess costume gown with the American flag hand-painted on it. The incredibly poignant and poetic design was done by Philippines-based Vest Alternative Apparel designer @vabylitalantican. Bravo.

SCORE: 9.85

6. Miss Grand Panama Angie Keith--Miss Grand Panama's exuberant costume is a fantasy bird/Carnival Diva Queen representing, as she says "Bridge of the world, the heart of the universe. This is how Panama is defined".  The Zaracundé dance which Miss Grand Panama is paying tribute to with this costume invites people to travel the isthmus of Panama surrounded by oceans through a sample of music and dances; it's an African-American dance that represents the escape of the Mamá Grande with her many children and recalls how Afro-descendants rebelled and fled from masters and slavers. Yes, all that rolled into one outstanding costume. It was designed and created by Samuel E Villareal C. 

SCORE: 9.80

7. Miss Grand Thailand Nam Patcharaporn Chantarapadit--Miss Grand Thailand paid tribute to the iconic Floating Market of Siam. The floating market, on a river, is a form of selling and trading goods for the Thai, and the Floating Market of Siam is iconic for being a symbol of Thailand. In this complete costume look, Miss Grand Thailand wears an intricate sequined Thai costume, a Couture version of the straw hat and she is literally riding a paddleboat, mimicking then river market vendors hawking various kinds of fruits. It is a perfect reflection of the story of the Thai way of life and an ingenious way to show a national costume. It was made by Art Akarat.

SCORE: 9.75

8. Miss Grand Belarus Polli Cannabis--Of this "untraditional" Belarussian costume, Polli said that normally a representative from Belarus would wear a traditional folkloric costume as a national costume, and for the pageant, she wanted to change it up a bit. She wanted to "speak loud about the culture and traditions" of her country, and for that, she found a team of local designers to create a big and inspiring costume, a more creative fantasy costume, not a copy of the real one. The wings on the costume include a mechanism that makes them move and close in the shape of the sun, something that she says has never ever been done in Belorussian national costumes. But unfortunately during the delivery process, the moving mechanism broke. I still think the entire costume was impressive and impactful enough to be one of my top 15.

SCORE: 9.50

9. Miss Grand Colombia Natalia Manrique Aguilar--This stunning costume worn by Miss Grand Colombia is named "Turpial of the Colombian Waters", in honor of the more than 250 bird species in extinction and more than 490 that live in the northern territory of Santander. The Yellow Toche is the national bird of this territory, specifically in the Andean region of Colombia. Created with French mesh/tulle, hand-placed sequins, and applique as well as pheasant and rooster feathers to create the wings and back overskirt "tail", utilizing over 450 feathers of varying colors. Designed and created by Diana Rolando, it was definitely one of the top standouts of this type of costume at Miss Grand International.

SCORE: 9.45

10. Miss Grand Spain Iris Miguelez Mendez--One word: Ole! This stunning red Sevillana costume takes the traditional Spanish costume to an Haute Couture runway level...and ME GUSTA! Designed by Jose Manuel Valencia Cadena, gown is BEYOND fabuloso with its tiers of ruffles, including yards and yards of pleated ones. The dramatic train added an impactful silhouette and the final accessory touches of the gorgeous fan and outstanding crown/headdress took it to a DIVA stage moment.

SCORE: 9.40

11. Miss Grand Sri Lanka Prathisha Sambodhi Liyana Arachchi--This costume stunned in its overall effect mixing traditional costume with uber-luxe sequined embroidered fabrications, perfect fit, and that incredible headdress. The impact and outcome were one of a goddess coming down from her throne atop a mountain, ready to COSTUME DEVOUR everyone in her sight! Even though it might have lacked the big wings, feathers, or built-in paddleboat/kabob skewer contraption, it still made a very strong impact.

SCORE: 9.35

12. Miss Grand Philippines Samantha Mae Adaliga Bernardo--Samantha's "Agila" costume, represents the Philippines' national bird, the Philippine Eagle. The costume was done to create awareness that the eagle is critically endangered due to loss of habitat because of deforestation. Designed by Patrick Isorena, the gold he says, represents richness, extravagance, and more importantly, the golden Miss Grand International crown. I thought the costume had a stage impact, was very Victoria's Secret "Angels" sexy, and the wing mechanism worked perfectly.

SCORE: 9.25

13. Miss Grand Nicaragua Teresa Janette Pérez Moreno--Entitled "Filigrana Precolombina", this colorful costume is an homage to Precolumbian Nicaragua with its head-to-toe sequin costume, bubblegum pink feathers, and Native motifs. The outstanding Nicaraguan national costume was created by Nicaraguan designer Carlos Nicaragua with the help of designer Eduard Vasquez and was probably the best showcasing this Pre-Colombian theme.

SCORE: 9.10

14. Miss Grand Myanmar “Han Lay” Thaw Nandar Aung--Miss Grand Myanmar 2020 Han Lay is wearing the National Costume titled "The Goddess of Peace". The beautiful golden-colored costume represents the most needed solution for the current crisis in MYANMAR, “Peace.” According to the description of the design put out by Miss Grand Myanmar on her social media, this costume is creating the reflection of a Goddess of Peace who sprinkles tears of love with sprigs of Aung Tha Pyae (Eugenia plant), and symbolizes the hopefulness of peace, especially with all that is happening in the country. I thought the silhouette was quite striking and I especially loved the 3D effect of the layers on the gown skirt, as well as the beautiful gold headdress.

SCORE: 9.10

15. Miss Grand Nigeria Chikaodili Enobong Nna-Udosen--I loved Miss Grand Nigeria's costume and presentation, and therefore I added her to my Top 15 List of Best National Costumes. The look represents the diversity of cultures, entertainment, and people of Nigeria, exemplified by the high fashion-worthy (super) high-low skirt with a dramatic train and the billowy (and very much on-trend) puff sleeves, and sequined top panel. The headdress, drums, and gold leg accessory finished the total look. Designed and created by Henry Hill.

SCORE: 9.00

Click below to WATCH the Miss Grand International 2020-2021 National Costume Competition: