SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Grand International 2019 NATIONAL COSTUMES: TOP 20!

Best of The Best--Top National Costumes from Miss Grand International 2019 National Costume Show (L to R) Miss Grand Japan Adeline Minatoya, Miss Grand Ecuador Mara Topic, Miss Grand India Jivani Jadhav, Miss Grand Thailand Coco Arayha Suparurk--Miss Grand International National Costume Presentation, Poliedro Arena Caracas Venezuela

Friday, October 25th is the Finals of the 7th Annual Miss Grand International, one of my favorite international beauty pageants. It's always produced fabulously, the show is always top-notch and the contestants are always DIVINE! Oh, and there's always some FASHION!! This year, the pageant is taking place in Caracas Venezuela (yes, Venezuela!). Many pageant fans (and non-pageant fans alike) were a bit "What the (fill in the blank)?" when it was announced that Venezuela would be the host of a big international beauty pageant. If anyone has been keeping up with world news, Venezuela has been in the grips of economic collapse; in 2015, the country had over 100% inflation--the highest in the world and the highest in the country's history at that time. 

Miss Grand International 2019 contestants at the InterContinental Tamanco Hotel, Caracas Venezuela

According to independent sources, the rate increased to 80,000% at the end of 2018 with Venezuela spiraling into hyperinflation while the poverty rate was nearly 90 percent of the population and just several days ago, the AP reported that Venezuelans were buying gas with...cigarettes, to battle the inflation. And I haven't even begun on the rampant crime, riots, etc. So yes, many were questionable but pageant organizers proved everyone wrong (so far) with having successful pre-pageant events, press junkets, appearances, and very well-produced activities, and keeping the contestants safe, and more importantly, bringing smiles to the pageant-loving fans in Venezuela. 

Miss Grand International 2019 National Costume Show, Poliedro Caracas Venezuela

The National Costume Presentation Show happened earlier this week showcasing the 60 contestants from all over the world. Twenty costumes were chosen by a panel of judges to then move on to compete for the Top 10 Costumes to then announce the Final Best National Costume during the Finals. But for now, here are those Top 20 pre-chosen costumes and my "Nick List" of No. 1 to No. 20. Let's begin with my FAVORITE National Costume from the 2019 Miss Grand International: 

1. Miss Grand Ecuador Mara Topic--Mara shined during the 2019 Miss Grand International National Costume Show with this fabulous costume paying homage to all things ECUADOR. The costume featured a fantasy Indigenous Empress with gold sequins, red pom-poms, an outstanding headdress and an oversized cape with panels featuring the colors of the Ecuadorian flag. She even did a dance that brought the Poliedro arena's audience to their feet! If there was one critique, it would be those clunky brown wooden shoes; will someone PLEASE give her a better pair. May I suggest, gold strappy heels perhaps? But, besides that, she's MY NUMERO UNO!

2. Miss Grand Japan Adeline Minatoya--This was tough. I almost gave Mis Grand Japan my TOP position (it was really, really hard!). For her National Costume, Miss Grand Japan wore a 12-layered highly complex kimono designed by Filipino fashion designer Don Cristobal. 

According to Don, the costume was inspired by the Junihitoe (above photo) a set of formal and highly complex kimono garments worn only by court-ladies in Japan. He added that it is one of the most expensive items of Japanese clothing.

The costume began very traditionally but then, Adeline did an instant COSTUME CHANGE right then and there on the stage, and it transformed into a Ninja Diva! Essentially, she went from Japanese Empress to Black Ninja Warrior Empress. It was impressive, fabulous and achieved the bow-down homage to Japan. Very well done!

3. Miss Grand India Shivani Jadhav--Shivani's costume was another very fabulous one. The costume was comprised of the traditional Rajasthani mirror work hand embroidery in a bouquet of colors, a large crinoline skirt to capsulate the hidden Kathputli stage and its nuances. It’s a different take on the traditional Lehenga and designed in a way to reveal the Kathputli stage that is within the skirt. The costume also features the MATKA on the head, just like the MATKA Rajasthani folk dance. Every bit of detail and style is an ode to the Rajasthani folk and arts and crafts of central India, making it a fantastic display of India Pride.

4. Miss Grand Thailand Coco Arayha Suparurk--Arayha wore this gorgeous costume which made my TOP FOUR. The design was modeled on the gilded, multi-tier roofs of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, complete with two yak giants. A golden crown finished off this great costume, designed by Art Akarach. I loved the style, colors, and intricate details, and so happy that the designer even thought of the shoes (Thank You!).

5. Miss Grand Brazil Marjorie Marcelle--Marjorie's BEAUTIFUL costume was certainly one of my favorites. She paid tribute to the Brazilian Amazon and its flora and faunas with this fantasy bird-like Empress costume. The sequins, the colors...it was EVERYTHING! She also stole the show when she brought her headdress down to her face, which subsequently transformed into the face of a fabulous bird. All I could say was "Wow!".

6. Miss Grand Panama Carmen Drayton--Carmen's costume was one of the best of the "Indigenous Empress" ones, which have become very popular for a long time in international beauty pageants. She really made a strong stage impact with this golden sequined design with over-the-top butterfly-like "wings" and feathered hem trim. Oh, and yes, that headdress was AMAZING!

7. Miss Grand Vietnam Nguyen Ha Kieu Loan--Vietnam brought it darlings! Designed by Tin Thai, this costume draws inspiration from the ancient city of Hoi An. The highlight of the outfit is the headpiece which features a pattern of Hoi An City’s Chua Cau, also known as Bridge Pagoda.
The outfit features over 2,000 LED lights showcasing the sparkling nature of Hoi An at night. And if that wasn't enough, check out those shoes! 

8. Miss Grand Indonesia Sarlin Delee Jones--Sarlin wore this gorgeous costume that was inspired by Pinisi, a traditional Indonesian sailing ship. The Pinisi comes from the Bugis tribe from the province of South Sulawesi. I loved the silhouette and design of the costume with a fitted gown and back cape, that showcased the red, gold and silver sequin details which really delivered a strong national costume statement for Indonesia.

9. Miss Grand Venezuela Lourdes Valentina Figuera--Valentina made a huge splash in her own country with this striking Wayuu-inspired costume for the 2019 Miss Grand International National Costume Presentation. Designed by Blanca Fernández Aikaa, the colorful costume pays tribute to this native/indigenous Native American people of Venezuela and Colombia with the vibrant prints, pom-poms, feathers and face-paint makeup. 

10. Miss Grand Philippines Samantha Lo--Samantha wore a Tausug-inspired national costume designed by Edwin Uy. According to Samantha, this was the same costume she wore when she was a contestant in Binibing Pilipinas 2019 (Miss Universe Philippines) but with some slight changes. She said the original costume she was supposed to wear was still stuck in Paris, where some of her luggage is (??!!), so yes, Lo ended up wearing an old-ish outfit during the national costume competition of Miss Grand International 2019 in Venezuela. According to Miss Grand Philippines, she was going to be charged $2,000 for her excess baggage but (according to her) they didn’t want to accept payment in US dollars, and at the time of boarding, all money changers in the airport were already closed. She was left with no choice but to leave some of her things there. No matter what the story was, I still loved this costume. So much that it made my TOP TEN!

11. Miss Grand Guatemala Dannia Guevara Morfin--Miss Grand Guatemala's costume was a fun, vibrant and impacting look for sure and deserved to be in the Top 20. The costume is a tribute to the effort and creativity of the artisans of the colonial Guatemalan city of Antigua. The design is characterized by pinwheels, cloth drums, paper umbrellas, sponge iguanas and the pelotas de tripa de coche,  colorful balls traditionally sold on the streets of Guatemala, carried in a net bag, and very popular with the young and old in Guatemala. I thought this was a very creative way of using traditional Guatemalan aspects of the culture into a great stage-impacting beauty pageant costume.

12. Miss Grand Dominican Republic Stephanie Bustamante--Stephanie wore this UBER sexy costume inspired by La Ciguapa, a mythical creature of Dominican folklore. According to mythology, these creatures are described as having human female form, brown or dark blue skin, backward-facing feet and a long glossy mane of hair covering their bodies. Interestingly enough (in case you are wondering), the reason their feet are facing backward is so people cannot tell where they are going or where they have been from the odd footprints. Ciguapas are considered magical beings, beautiful to some, horrendous to others. I only see fabulous crystal-encrusted beauty from Miss Grand Dominican Republic's national costume. Although they didn't even attempt to make her feet face backward. If they would have accomplished that, I might have bumped her up a few places!!

13. Miss Grand Malaysia Mel Dequanne Abar--The Storyteller of Classic Malay Sanskrit, that is the name of Miss Grand Malaysia's national costume. It was designed and created by Harry Shaari and Spoza Rizky and it took 3 months to make. The inspiration behind this design is the Malay Sanskrit Hikayat Seri Rama (Chronicles of The Great Rama), incorporating some of the characters of the story into the costume, including the main Seri Rama character, the "good character" (represented by Mel Dequanne), the "evil characters" of the story displayed on her sleeves and finally, the "surprise" element of art in the back. During her presentation on stage, she turned around and unscrolled this last surprise element.

14. Miss Grand Costa Rica Brenda Castro--For her National Costume, Miss Grand Costa Rica donned a design titled "Black Panther Goddess", from the Boruca Legend, involving a gorgeous mask, studded jumpsuit, and dramatic cape. I also loved her Toucan and Parrot topped staff pole. The costume was quite dramatic and impacting.

15. Miss Grand Lebanon Stephanie Karam--Stephanie wore this golden costume showcasing the "Mythical Roman Lion", the Nemean Winged Lion, that in mythology was eventually killed by Heracles. The costume featured an elaborate lion-tiger mask, gorgeous gold feathers and matching sequin dress.

16. Miss Grand Mexico Maria Malo--Maria started her presentation with an allegorical dance showcasing this very intricate design of Indigenous/Native American origins. The costume included beads of many colors, wooden details and gorgeous peacock feathers in an outstanding headdress. She vibed a great Indigenous Warrior Queen in this costume.

17. Miss Grand Myanmar Hmwe Thet--Hmwe showcased the “Extraordinary Love of Mother” in this unique and original costume representing Myanmar. According to her, the costume exemplifies that "a woman’s life is much more than just giving birth to a child. She fights for her rights, she struggles to be a bread-winner, she sacrifices her time to shape her child’s life, she cares with her whole heart and she sets a goal for her dreams. Eventually, she is not only tired and exhausted but also she still stands strong against fear and depression with her graceful and infinite love to protect her child. Among the flame of war and violence, the "Extraordinary Love of Mother" is forever standing. Amen!

18. Miss Grand Nigeria Ocheche Favour--Ocheche paid tribute to her country of Nigeria with this fabulous design of a peplum top with skin-tight shorts and a dramatic overskirt featuring the colorful and vibrant Ankara cloth. If the ensemble wasn't enough, she literally topped it all off with a fabulous fruit basket headdress that would make Carmen Miranda very, very jealous.

19. Miss Grand Peru Camila Escribens--Camila wore this silver-ivory fantasy costume inspired by a message of peace and hope, according to Camila. The back "wings" actually represented a flower that comes to life and opens up. She lifted it up to show this "birth", making a strong stage impact during the 2019 Miss Grand International National Costume Presentation. The costume was designed by Beto Pinedo.


And finally...

20. Miss Grand Guadeloupe Nahemy Ceriac--For her National Costume, Nahemy represented her Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in this costume honoring the beautiful blue Caribbean Sea, the fish netting (showcased in the netting in her tights), the sea shells, flora and fauna in her headdress and ankle accessories and last but not least, the traditional Madras print in the fabric of her wrap/skirt.