SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Grand International 2020 Preliminary Competition EVENING GOWNS - MY TOP 15 BEST

Best in Gowns--Miss Grand Internatioonjal 2020 contestants in their Evening Gowns during the Miss Grand International 2020 Preliminary Competition: (L-R) Miss Grand Thailand, Miss Grand Guatemala, Miss Grand Colombia, Miss Grand Indonesia, Miss Grand United States of America 

Two nights ago was the Preliminary Competition for the Miss Grand International 2020 beauty pageant. The pageant, being held in Bangkok Thailand, is the first of the "biggies" (like Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International) being held during the COVID pandemic. The organizers took many precautions for the pageant and the safety of the contestants, having them all be quarantined for weeks in their hotel rooms until it was time to safely do the pre-finals activities. Now, back to the pageant... I blogged about my TOP 15 in National Costume HERE, and now it's time to discuss my FAVORITES in Evening Gown from the Preliminaries... 

(L-R) Miss Grand Ecuador, Miss Grand Philippines, Miss Grand Puerto Rico, Miss Grand Japan, and Miss Grand Kenya.

TRENDS: The Gowns at this year's pageant were mostly sequined, with lots of see-through (still a big pageant gown trend), verging on looking like a mix between Bob Mackie/Cher and a Very SEXY-licious figure skating costume. The need for DRAMA was abundant with some gowns either having detachable overskirts (Miss Grand Argentina), reveal moments (Miss Grand Thailand), too-long capes, or literally, a skirt that gets RIPPED AWAY...to show a studded bustier/leotard (Hello Miss Grand Panama!!). Also, most of the contestants wore UBER high platforms which were distracting. I wished they would have chosen silver or gold strappy heels (without the 5" platforms) but oh well...

So without any more haste...

My TOP 15 in EVENING GOWN:

1. Miss Grand Colombia Natalia Manrique Aguilar--Miss Grand Colombia's gown was my TOP choice in all the gowns at this year's Miss Grand International Preliminary Competition. It was probably the one that combined elegance (hard to find in lots of these dresses!), drama (the gorgeous side overskirt), Haute Couture-like craftsmanship with luxurious fabric, stunning sequin, and feather work. Lastly, it had stage impact. The gown was so spectacularly done, I would have guessed it was from Elie Saab Haute Couture, but no, it came from designer Virgilio Madinah. Gorgeous.

SCORE: 9.95

2. Miss Grand Indonesia Aurra Karishma--OK, first of all, this was probably THE SEXIEST EVENING GOWN (if you could even call it a gown!) of the pageant. When Aurra came out, I literally gasped because you have got to have a 99.999999% fat-free body, and have EVERY millimeter of your body be...PERFECTION. And Aurra's was. I think even Cher blushed when she saw this dress on this woman! On top of getting my "Sexiest Dress" award, it was impacting, and dare I say, rather gorgeous...in a SUPER HOT SEXY way. "The Aurora Dress", as it is named, was designed and created by Wiki Wu 5 Prive Atelier Jakarta.

SCORE: 9.90

3. Miss Grand Guatemala Ivana Batchelor--Ivana's choice of this strapless red mirrored paillette gown was OUTSTANDING! I thought this was one of the most elegant and classy choices--among all those "Hi, I am almost naked and you can see right through my dress"-types of gowns. The red color was striking and the gown stood out for not being like (mostly) all the others. Gracias Ivana,

SCORE: 9. 88

4. Miss Grand Spain Iris Miguelez Mendez--Miss Grand Spain's gown also got my attention for its supreme Elie Saab Couture-like aesthetic and gorgeous sequin work. I also liked the side overskirt drape which added silhouette drama. The gold with green sequins gown was designed and made by Thai designer GL Galarte Design. It was one of my top favorites.

SCORE: 9.75

5. Miss Grand Thailand Nam Patcharaporn Chantarapadit--Miss Grand Thailand gave you FIERCE DIVA GOWN DRAMA...with this white-colored creation for the Miss Grand International 2020-2021 Preliminary Competition. When she came on, she showcased this gown which featured a sequined high-neck silhouette with an "over-cape" of white feathers. Instantly, she gave you old-school Italia Alta Moda with such a structured asymmetrical look. Just with that, I thought "OK, she's got my attention". But then, she went ahead and flipped the feathered side cape, and revealed red, white, and blue sequined designs in the colors of the Thai flag. How do you say "GO GIRL!" in Thai??? The gown was designed by Myriad Grand Monde and deserves a bow from me.

SCORE: 9.74

6. Miss Grand Ecuador Sonia Augusta Luna--Mis Grand Ecuador went with Classic--a classic sequined gown--and I LOVED IT! I really liked this gold-and-silver off-the-shoulder sequined gown worn by Miss Grand Ecuador. The design, done by Deyalis Picado, fit perfect and struck an elegant "I am at the Academy Awards Red Carpet" tone.

SCORE: 9.50

7. Miss Grand Japan Ruri Saji--Ruri wore this sexy golden gown for the Miss Grand International Preliminaries. I thought this was a great choice. Besides the striking gold and silver sequin work and silhouette, I mostly appreciated the "unusual" details on her waist/side which led to the golden side gown skirt. The gown, designed by Filipino designer Louis Pangilinan, had elements of Runway, Red Carpet, and Pageant; the perfect combination. If there was any complaint...yes kids, it's those over-the-top distracting platform pumps; nothing says "I'm not as tall as I would like to be" as those.

SCORE: 9.35

8. Miss Grand Puerto Rico Fabiola Valentin--In a dress designed by Puerto Rican designer Valdy, I thought Miss Grand Puerto Rico looked amazing. The ivory sequined gown showcased her perfect figure and featured intricate sequin work throughout. Was it two minutes away from a fabulous "Swan Lake" sexy figure skating costume--the long gown version? Si, but I still think Fabiola looked fabulosa and the gown was one of my top 15 favorites. 

SCORE: 9.30

9. Miss Grand Kenya Irene Ng'endo--I liked Irene's gown for its elegance and stage impact, but I have to be honest...I think Irene is THE STAR here; she made this gown be FABULOUS because she is STUNNING and fabulous herself. Nevertheless, the gown, designed and created by NapaCloth featured green and gold sequin work, with emerald-colored stain trim and deep green chiffon dramatic back capes. The overall effect was: QUEEN, huney! 

SCORE: 9.25

10. Miss Grand United States of America Abena Appiah--Speaking of QUEEN...Bow down to Miss Grand United States of America Abena Appiah in this golden gown designed especially for her by Thailand designer THEE-SI Couture Bangkok. The bright yellow (one of the Pantone colors of 2021) gown featured Thai-inspired embroidery and sequin detail, a chic column base, back cape, and Pagoda-like shoulder on the one sleeve. The designer said they had to hand-dye the "nude" illusion to match Abena's skin color. I thought it was a stage-impacting gown that while it may have a bit overdesigned, still brought an homage to the Thai audience and hosts. But, again, Abena really made it fabulous; she gave an aura of an Empress that we all had to bow down to.

SCORE: 9.20

12. Miss Grand Vietnam Nguyen Le Ngoc Thao--Miss Grand Vietnam's gown was one of those that used DRAMA as a way of making a strong stage impact. The design featured a nude-colored illusion base with silver sequin applique shaped like icicles in the column-fitted gown with a super-high slit. A very wide overskirt done in many, many yards of silk Habotai, added the dramatic effect, as the Vietnamese beauty came onstage and fluttered it to make her entrance. She looked regal and quite impressive. The gown, designed by Linh San Couture, looked expensive and well-made.

SCORE: 9.00

13. Miss Grand Argentina Mariana Varela--Miss Grand Argentina was trained by the same team that trains Miss Venezuela's and from her runway, stage presence, and overall hair-and-makeup effect, it showed. On top of all this, she also enlisted Venezuelan designer Nidal Nouaihed (who designs many gowns for various Venezuelan titleholders) to create the royal blue sequined and feathered gown she wore. The gown featured a completely beaded fit-and-flare dress with silver sequins framing her front torso and neckline, ending in a splash of feathers from the knees down to the hem. For dramatic effect, the gown also included an overskirt in organza completely covered in feathers and crystals. She walked in with the overskirt...until she removed it. 

SCORE: 8.99

14. Miss Grand Philippines Samantha Mae Bernardo--Another gown that featured feathers was this emerald green one worn by Miss Grand Philippines. The dress was designed by Filipino designer Louis Pangilinan, who also outfitted Miss Grand Japan whose Preliminaries gown I also liked. Samantha's dress featured a sexy fitted shape, highlighting her shape at the neckline, bust, and upper torso. It had a super-high side slit and was completely covered in crystals and beads, ending in a feathered flourish. She looked like a fabulous music star ready for her Vegas show!

SCORE: 8.95

Finally...

15. Miss Grand Panama Angie Keith--Yes kids, first it was a gown...and then with a *woosh!*, the skirt was GONE!!!! I had to include Miss Grand Panama's gown because it was such an "Oh No She Didn't" moment! At first, when she came out, the design featured a golden sequin bustier top with a stiffened peplum, with (what seemed like) an attached canary yellow skirt. But at the very moment that she announced herself....BOOM! She ripped her skirt from the top portion of her gown. It was A MOMENT...and I was here for it! Even though it was very cheeky, slightly tacky-licious, I LOVED IT! Just when you think fabulous Drag Queens are the only ones that allowed moments like this...think again! Bravo! The gown was designed by Venezuelan designer Marcos Mejia.

SCORE: 8.90

Click below to watch the Miss Grand International 2020-2021 Preliminary Competition--where you can watch the EVENING GOWN Competition starting at 24:45...