SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2010: Evening Gown Recap

Pageant Red Carpet Dish...and Johnny Weir? Miss USA Rima Fakih Last night, Miss Michigan USA Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA 2010. She was gorgeous, exotic and her answers to the Interview questions made her very natural--at least within the pageant world. Now, let's discuss those gowns... Final 3-All in White: Rima is the first (reportedly) Muslim-American woman to have won the Miss USA pageant. The Lebanon-born beauty wore a white strapless gown with a silver crystal trim. She tripped on it several times (bless her heart!) which led me to think, "GIRL!, learn how to kick a gown!" but that's a whole other issue! Her gown, to be honest, seemed cheap, but obviously, the judges did not mind. The bust corset stood out and was ill-fitting and that hem was too long (hence the tripping). Her personality and beauty stood out above that "I just bought this from David's Bridal" gown. It was inferred that she barely had enough money to compete at all, so Congratulations Rima for winning the crown on a budget...now have the Miss Universe Organization buy you some better gowns!On the complete opposite end of the spectrum was Miss Oklahoma USA, Morgan Elizabeth Woolard who wore a gown designed by Gionni Straccia (who created the dress worn by Stefania Fernandez when she was crowned Miss Universe) as well as...the current Miss Venezuela 2009, Marelisa Gibson, who was crowned last September in a Gionni Straccia silk Zibeline crystal-encrusted gown. As I said in my previous blog posting, I was "on the fence" with this 1980s off-the-shoulder gown. I had only seen internet photos but I must say, on air, it was more impacting. It was definitely the most polished look of the night. The funny thing is that the minute she stepped on stage with the gown, I remarked "She looks like a Miss Venezuela!". Well. of course, because she was wearing a gown--and matching earrings--from a Venezuelan designer who outfits all those South American beauties! Just one problem: she looked SOOOOOO much like Heidi Montag ! Miss California USA, Nicole Johnson, wore the same one-shoulder gown she wore in the Preliminary Competition. It was a 7 out of 10 in my book. She just didn't "work it" the way she should have. Runway Coaching Alert! Third Runner Up Miss Virginia USA, Samantha Casey also wore a white gown (a theme this year!), a jersey high-neck key-hole number featuring a shirred waist and rhinestone detailing. This gown was OK in my book; it did not re-invent the pageant gown wheel and honestly, didn't make me say "You Go Girl!". It did, however, have a great back which she made sure to feature as much as possible. Miss Tennessee USA Tucker Nicole Perry's gown was a silver beaded strapless one-- which stood out from all the ubiquitous white ones. It had a sense of drama, looked expensive and fit well. Miss Mississippi USA, Breanne Ponder, made a lot of STRAIGHT MEN happy , wearing this stripper cut-out high-slit almost-showing-her-business red gown on the Final Telecast night. She wore this to the Preliminary Evening Gown Competition, as I discussed and I was not a fan. I could just imagine Judge Johnny Weir thinking "GIRL, do you realize you are NOT accepting an AVN AWARD!!???". Just sayin'-- I'll leave it with that. Speaking of Miss Johnny Weir... LOVE HIM!!! He gets "Nick Verreos At-A-Girl" points for this ensemble above--and for the fact that he had TWO outfit changes while judging the Miss USA 2010 Pageant! A first! Obviously, people will HATE this but would you really want Johnny to wear anything else?!? Hope you guys enjoyed this year's Miss USA pageant and my Nick Verreos Pageant Gown Red Carpet. Until next time: No Stripper Heels and keep the "cut-out's" to a minimum!