Best in Gown--(L to R) Michelle Dee, Miss Universe Philippines, Diana Silva, Miss Venezuela, Karla Guilfu, Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Isabella Garcia-Manzo, Miss Universe El Salvador, Sheynnis Palacios, Miss Universe Nicaragua (and Miss Universe 2023)--72nd Miss Universe Finals

This past Saturday was the finals of the 72nd Miss Universe pageant, held in San Salvador, El Salvador. Out of the 84 contestants from all over the world, this year's pageant featured MANY firsts: There were two transgender contestants (Netherlands and Portugal), a curvy contestant (Nepal), two mothers (Colombia and Guatemala), the first contestant from Pakistan, the first black woman to represent Spain AND...the first time the country of Nicaragua has won the top title. 

Universal Beauty--Miss Universe Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios, gets crowned by last year's winner, R'Bonney Gabriel from USA--72nd Miss Universe Pageant

On that last note, Miss Universe Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios, bested the 83 other contestants taking home the final crown. Palacios is 23 years old, stands 5' 11" tall, and has a B.A. in Mass Communication. She is not a novice to beauty pageants, having won Miss Teen Nicaragua 2016 and placed in the Top 20 of Miss Teen Universe. Palacios also won the Miss World Nicaragua 2020 title and went on to compete in the Miss World 2021 pageant. 

Sheynnis Palacios, Miss Universe Nicaragua wearing her National Costume, the Zanate, a long-tailed blackbird abundant in Nicaragua--72nd Miss Universe Pageant

2. Diana Silva, VENEZUELA--Diana wore this gown for the Preliminary Competition, and while lots of contestants changed their evening gowns for the Finals, Diana decided to keep it the same (at the Preliminaries, she wore it with a feathered "Opera Coat" which she didn't include here). The shimmery design featured cascading layers of crystal fringe layered over a nude sequined base and was inspired by Venezuela's Angel Falls. It was a stunning gown designed by Venezuelan designer Richard Ramirez Castro.3. Karla Guilfu, PUERTO RICO--Karla wore this strapless violet-hued gown featuring a nude illusion base covered in jeweled crystals. The look was finished off with a matching sequined shoulder-and-neck piece with falling crystal fringe. It was designed by Angel Guzman.

Last night was the Finals of the 68th Annual Miss Universe contest, held at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta Georgia. 90 contestants from all over the world competed and the eventual winner was the stunning Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe South Africa.


A front-runner and a favorite from the start, 26-year-old, Zozibini bested the 89 other contestants with her elegance, stature, and intelligent answers. Tunzi has a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations from the Cape Pennisula Institute of Technology. Prior to winning her country's title, she was studying to get her Master's in public relations as well. She is the third woman from South Africa to win the Miss Universe title and in case you might be wondering the social media power of becoming Miss Universe...Zozibini's Instagram following jumped to 1.4 MILLION as of last night!



Now, it's time to get to the EVENING GOWNS! Let's discuss the Top Ten Semi-Finalists Gowns from the No. 1 to No. 10 favorites...Every gown was beaded so in terms of Trends, there was that, and speaking of trends: "Nude Gowns" are still as HOT as ever...

Let's begin with the Winner of Miss Universe 2019, South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi:
1. Miss Universe South Africa Zozibini Tunzi--The eventual winner of this year's Miss Universe wore this shimmering gown for last night's Evening Gown Competition. The design featured a gold and silver sequined pattern that ended in a "sea" of turquoise toward the hem. The bodice was nude but covered in the appropriate places with coral-like sequin design. In addition, it featured beautifully cowl-draped sequins in long strands framing the top. It was impacting, sexy and fit her perfectly. If there was any critique, I had a couple: The shoulder pads that I could see through the sequins, and  THOSE SHOES; they were distracting and too clunky for that type of gown. I gave it my Top Gown placement even with those bad shoes (I just pretended they were gold non-platform strappy heels).
The dress was by Biji-La Maison de Couture, the same designer/brand that made MY FAVORITE GOWN from the Preliminaries:


2. Miss Universe Colombia Gabriela Tafur--My second favorite gown of the night was this gold sequined dress worn by Miss Universe Colombia. This is the same dress she wore for the Preliminaries and was designed by Colombian designer Alfredo Barraza and I was a fan of it then. The dress was THE PERFECT EXAMPLE of a well-made sequined dress. Full Stop. Many contestants tried to wear something on this variation, lots falling a bit short of in showing elegance, red carpet fabulousness or looking rich. This right here covered all those bases, and it fit her to a T.

3. Miss Universe Thailand Fahsai Paweensuda Drouin--At first glance when Paweensuda came out, I was like "Oh No She Didn't!" and "Is that a SEQUINED LEG?!" At first, I was a bit confused with my emotions and thoughts on the gown but now, a day after, I really liked it! Designed by SURFACE Adhit Dhirakittiwat,  the dress (with one sequined leg), was very stage impacting and certainly stood out among the other nine. It was original in its design and featured gorgeous and very elaborate silver crystal beadwork framing the bodice. One could argue that it was two minutes away from being a costume--for a very High Fashion Moulin Rouge perhaps--but on the Miss Universe stage where you get just ONE CHANCE, Paweensuda went for it, and to me, it paid off.

4. Miss Universe Puerto Rico Madison Anderson--Wearing the gold gown by designer Luis Antonio, Miss Universe Puerto Rico sauntered into the Top 5, then the Top Three and eventually, became the 1st Runner-up. She looked like a movie star walking onstage to announce the Best Actor Nominees for the Oscars. I loved the mirrored sequins covering her body, the shape of the dress was perfect and the gold went great with her golden hair.

5. Miss Universe France Maeva Coucke--This was one of my favorite gowns from the Miss Universe 2019 preliminaries and I was happy to see Miss Universe France didn't change for the Finals. The ivory sequin-and-feathers dress was from Lebanese couturier Ziad Nakad and looked as exquisite and expensive as most of those Lebanese designer's gowns (from Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, etc.). I loved the placements of the sequins and feathers at the bottom half and sleeves and in addition, the nude/blush coloring was perfect for Maeva's porcelain skin color and auburn hair. She looked like an actress at the Cannes Film Festival red carpet: Tres Chic.

6. Miss Universe Indonesia Frederika Alexis Cull--Indonesia's Frederika Cull wore another one of those golden/nude sequined gowns very popular with pageant and red carpet ladies. This gown was designed by Tex Saverio, the same designer who made her Preliminaries gown. The dress is beautifully made, as it has become custom from many of these Indonesian designers, featuring heavily beaded designs, simulating diamond necklaces draped all over her sinuous body. Under this see-through sequined netting, she wore a nude-colored strapless corsetted bodysuit, like a very Haute Spanx. She looked sexy and glamorous. I was also extremely happy that she wore the RIGHT SHOES! (Take note ladies--THESE are the gold strappy heels I am always talking about).

7. Miss Universe Mexico Sofia Aragon--For the Miss Universe 2019 Finals, Sofia went red. This red sequined gown was designed by Fher Santos, the same designer who made her white preliminaries gown seen HERE. This column-shaped dress fit her to perfection with hidden inner corsetry and was completely covered in crystals. The design had a detachable red organza overskirt, which she removed as part of her catwalk. The color and shape were just right for Sofia.

8. Miss Universe Peru Kelin Rivera--Kelin is at my 8 out of 10 spot in this dress designed by Peruvian Designer Maritza Mendoza Studio. The dress featured a nude (of course!) colored satin dress with peek-a-boo see-through netting at the side, curving up to the front of her torso. The heavy crystal beading covered the entire gown in a rich scroll-like pattern. This was a perfectly nice gown that fit her well and made her look Pageant perfect on stage.

9. Miss USA Cheslie Kryst--Miss USA Cheslie Kryst also chose a gold gown for the Finals of Miss Universe 2019 (I was beginning to think they all actually got a directive TO ALL WEAR GOLD!!!). This particular dress was from Sherri Hill and featured a high side slit, nude base with gold mirrored sequins that looked like broken glass. I thought the one-shoulder dress fit her nice (showing off Cheslie's incredibly toned body) and I also loved how the "broken glass" mirrored sequins were placed throughout the dress and how they radiated from the side waist, doing a fab "cinched-in" illusion...but compared to Miss Puerto Rico this dress looked a bit "off the rack" compared to Madison's Haute Gown.