The most “confidently beautiful” day is finally happening tomorrow. But before the much-awaited event, our Miss Universe 2016 bet Maxine Medina showed fans and critics alike that we still have a fighting chance to, once again, take home the crown.
During the pageant’s Preliminary Competition on Jan. 26, Medina was all smiles as she strutted on stage and showed off her playfulness, fierceness and elegance, to the delight of the cheering crowd.
Filipino designer Rhett Eala has been given the honor to create the evening gown and national costume worn by the 5-foot-8 beauty queen.
Prior to this, Eala had the privilege to have the 26-year-old Miss Universe contender wear his creations during the 2016 Binibining Pilipinas finals, where he created a magenta trumpet hem fitted dress for the evening gown portion and a pink Filipiniana terno for the national costume.
In earlier reports, Medina admitted having a hard time choosing her designer, for which she thankfully had the help of Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. chairperson Stella Araneta. “It’s crucial because it’s really hard to choose a gown for the finals, and to even look better on stage,” shared Medina.
Aside from their winning tandem at the BBP 2016, the designer and the beauty queen has already been working together for about five years—with Medina modeling Eala’s creations.
Eala describes the gowns he made for Medina for the preliminaries as “modern and sexy,” a confirmation well received by fans and spectators who have been wanting to see the fiercer side of the Philippine representative.
As per Medina’s request to show off her figure, the gowns were flattering and were indeed oozing with sexiness and sophistication—and green seems to be her color of choice.
Medina looked confident and like she was truly having fun as she strutted on stage wearing her Yamamay swimsuit in green and white. The charming smile she gave and twirl she did when she was introduced showed her playful side.
For the evening gown segment, Medina received loud cheers as she worked the stage in a vibrant emerald green dress, whose layered fringe skirt made it seem like it was moving with her. Her color preference was a good choice as it made her stand out from the crowd of red and white shimmery dresses.
Medina’s green column dress—with its spaghetti straps, sweetheart neckline and glittered bodice—veered away from the usual pageant gowns with high slits, fitted or balloon skirts and long trains.
Meanwhile, for her national costume, Eala created a show-stopping, Pearl of the Orient-inspired piece that made Medina shine during the portion. The crowd went wild when she took the center stage wearing a Mindanao vinta-inspired long sleeve dress, with touches of green, paired with a reportedly million-peso headdress adorned with South Sea pearls.
Now that’s an #OOTD worthy of a crown.
The top 12 of the 65th Miss Universe will be determined by their combined scores from the preliminaries and online public votes. The result will be announced at the coronation night, happening on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Let’s cheer for our favorite contestant tomorrow—may that be Medina or the other beauty queens.
Photos by Sonny Espiritu
