THE MISS PHILIPPINES-EARTH 2012 LONG GOWN COMPETITION

by Lavinia Otilla

Just recently the candidates to the Miss Philippines-Earth 2012 competed in the long gown competition where it was held at the A and A Hotel at Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The girls paraded in long gowns. Unlike in the National Costume Competition where I talked of diversity and creativity, the girls donned on gowns which seemed to be uninspired. It was then expected that the winners won over the rest as they seem to be the ones that really showed mattered over the others. I think the selection of the second runner-up in the person of Miss Puerto Princesa is a token as it happened in Puerto Princesa soil. Let me therefore divide this review into the following:

THE WELL-DRESSED:

Among my choices of the well dressed, 4 girls are in red. Alaminos donned a halter top dress which had flowing fine string of cloth at the skirt. This allowed her an easy glide. Miss Alaminos was clearly beautiful in her long gown. Calapan City wore a very simple red gown in a bustier. The bodice was decorated with scattered powdery white beads. The skirt was A-cut but cut with a tail to boot to show blowy movements. In ordinary beauty pageants where beauty, grace, body and personality are being judged, Miss Calapan City is a really making a mark. But I am not really hopeful for her as she is in number 36 at the score board at present. 

Miss Indang is another beautiful girl who wore read. Her dress is a spaghetti strap gown with elongated cords in the bodice which on close-up is see-through. It is accentuated with silvery rosettes and ornately designed. It is straight cut gown in the skirt area but with a tail to boot to make it more feminine in appearance and movement. On the other hand, eventual winner of the long gown competition Miss Quezon City also wore a red deep V-shaped plunging gown. The bodice was pleated and to accentuate the gown there is a brooch at the midline. The skirt area was draped and pleated also to add effect. She moved with style and grace. However, I did not like the styling and make-up of Miss Quezon City. Her hair should have done much better. Her make-up should have been much better contoured and the very bright red lipstick is a turn-off.

I grouped Miss Batuan and Pasay City as one group because they were the ones with no common color together. Miss Batuan was in an off-white color , something mocha to me. And it was modified sweetheart sleeve on one side. It was a flowing gown with no embellishment whatsoever except the design. The gown was intended for a girl who will wear it and not the gown wearing the girl. My verdict?  Miss Batuan wore the gown. Now let us look at Miss Pasay City’s gown rendition. It was green in motif and a straight A-cut gown. The hightlight is at the right bosom area where an intricate beadwork of varying shades of green started from the right bust area to the midline.

There were two girls in blazing canary yellow color gowns. Miss Cabugao was in a two-piece gown connected by an 8-shaped material that is adorned with blue beads. The gown seemed appropriate for her as she glided and mesmerized the viewers. On the other hand, Miss San Francisco was also resplendent in bustier gown with a brooch to highlight the waist area. It is a cocktail dress so to speak but it became a gown when layers of chiffon were draped to form the skirt area. The chiffon layering made it softer and dainty to look and thus movement is flowing in her case. 

Three girls paraded in gowns with shades of blue. Miss Calbayog City paraded in a Grecian gown and glided onstage with ease. The gown is a simple draping type with a long-sleeve on the right side. She was simply awesome. Miss Ibaan was also in a Venus cut-blue ensemble with the skirt having a slit on the right side that allows fluidity of movements. The bodice was adorned with beads for added effect. She was also resplendent in that gown. On the other hand, Miss Pagadian City was in another hue of blue. It was a gown with a seemingly fish tail cut. It was adorned with silvery powdered beads. She won first runner-up honors during the competition and I could say nothing less.

THEY SHOULD HAVE USED OTHER GOWNS:

In this heading, I found a copy of the gown used by Zuleyka Rivera in 2006 where she won Miss Universe in Miss Calaca’s gown. The gown however was a poor copy and poor craftsmanship. I have no quarrel of others doing copies of other gowns. But the resulting gown should have shown more creativity and of better craftsmanship so that when compared with the original, the copy would not be thrown into oblivion. On the other hand, Miss Manaoag’s gown is ill-fitting in the bodice and I find her not shining through with the gown. I believe what is wrong is her styling. She is a fashion forward lady and channeling it through a 1980’s look is not fit for this girl. The white color is a no-no for her.

Negros Oriental made a lot of fans when they heard her speak during a TV program at Channel ANC. But to use an ill-fitting gown that had poor design and craftsmanship plus the poor styling on her, I am quite aghast with her prospects to win the contest. Miss San Juan City is another formidable candidate that made me wonder why she chose the gown for the competition. This girl had been in a lot of pageants and she should know what makes her stand out. But nay, she did not and I am frustrated with this stance. The gown is so simple and her styling can never be called styling at all. I even did not recognize her.

The design cut of Miss Marilao’s gown was beautiful including the make. But what are those black things there that accentuate the bodice. They are bulbous and they are not beautiful at all. It distracts the personification the candidate is trying to impart. On the other hand, Miss Tabuk  City’s gown was also over-adorned. It is too cluttered and I am really wondering why these two candidates, San Juan City and Tabuk City  put their guards down when the pageant is already going into the homestretch. Do they think Quezon City’s representative is no competition at all when she had already taken the lead at the score board? 

THE WORST DRESSED:

It is a choice between Miss Ifugao and Miss Libmaman. Their handlers were not even creative enough to search for better gowns to use. The gowns were simply outdated. For Miss Libmaman, there is an attempt to be fashion forward but what with the color? Both girls were also styled 80’s and therefore archaic to my taste. I just hope that when handlers send their candidates for participation in these pageants, they should have conceptualized their best presentations so as to create more interest among pageant fans and reviewers like me. 

Photo Credits:  Miss Philippines-Earth.com

DIVERSITY AND CREATIVITY AMONG FILIPINO DESIGNERS

By Lavinia Otilla

The National Costume Competition of the Miss Philippines-Earth Beauty Pageant was held in Calapan City, Mindoro and was done in a blazing traditional fashion of the Merry Month of May in the form of a Santacruzan and it was capped with a fashion show and eventual national costume presentation. It was such a delight watching the candidates. Let me enumerate the reasons why the affair was a big success:

1.      The adoption of a fiesta celebratory atmosphere makes it fun. Hence, it is really more fun in the Philippines most especially if it associated with beautiful girls joining such celebration.

2.      The concept is very Filipino in character. National pride is obviously seen during the parade.

3.      The costumes paraded were awesome. There is so much creativity on the costumes paraded and I wonder why the leading beauty pageant cannot do one like this. It is so overwhelming to see such colorful and beautiful costumes and that in my count, there were 30 outstanding costumes that when paraded internationally would be very much appreciated.

4.      The costume concept was laudable. The candidates presented Town or City Costumes. These are costumes that represent the products of the town or what their towns represent similar to what I featured recently about La Union.

I only did a review of the costumes which constituted my Top 12. Looking at the choices of the judges, it is no surprise why they were chosen as the winners. Let me therefore look at the costumes paraded by these girls.

Alaminos paraded a terno costume with yellow and green motif. The sleeves and skirt have flowing green yarn or straws which adds fluidity in movement for the candidate. There is a butterfly design in the bodice which was hand painted and was ingrained with crystals and glittery material. Bacolod City paraded a very simple costume. It has a skirt which when taken up will look like a peacock feather tail. Batuan presented another frosted brown terno. The skirt is designed with leaf-like cloth which was adorned with brown glittery flowers. To add effect, the candidate was holding a parasol and a basket.

Calapan City presented a colorful dragonfly costume. The wings were very colorful and were well made. The bodice is shaped into a bra and made up of large ethnic beads. The skirt was made of leaf-like cloth adorned with glittery materials. Caloocan City presented a very elaborate pink terno. It has a very intricate tiara and the skirt is made-up of pleated sheets and made into big roses. It was interspersed with pearls, glittery materials, flowers and golden beads. It was awesome and surprisingly it did not enter the Top 5. It is one of my personal favorites among the costumes presented. Cebu City on the other hand, presented a very colorful bouffant gown that is a presentation of the Sto. Nino festival. It was intricately designed and the workmanship was really awesome and therefore it is not a surprise that it was adjudged as a first runner-up.

Iriga City was adjudged as the Miss Santacruzan. It is a great choice. It is a brown terno with a serpentine cut. The skirt is made-up of curled cloth and it showed great workmanship as it is fully-beaded and decorated in the bodice. Add to this is Miss Iriga City’s gracefulness and elan in carrying the dress. Manaoag was surely the winner of the National Costume Competition. The designer did a replica of our Lady of Manaoag in their representative. It was still a terno in concept and yet the costume was made of bamboo grass flowers, corn leaves and simply decorated by everlasting flowers. The color combination was simply great and was great overall. The costume was already awesome and yet Miss Manaoag was simply exhilarating too in that costume. Negros Oriental presented an elaborate orange inspired terno. There was also a bamboo umbrella that went it. The festive color of the costume is a big come on. Miss Negros Oriental was also very radiant in the terno.,

San Juan City presented a Muslim-inspired Filipiniana attire. It has headdress made of pearls and beads. The costume was embellished with glitters reminiscent of a Maranao costume. San Francisco presented a mat costume with an ornately designed headdress. The bodice was elaborately decorated to make the costume more glittery. The skirt decorations left much to be desired however. Tabuk City presented with the classic white mestiza dress. The craftsmanship of the dress was particularly engaging.

Photo Credits: Missphilippines-earth.com

MY PERSONAL FAVORITES AT THE MISS PHILIPPINES-EARTH 2012 BEAUTY PAGEANT

By: Dominador Agbayani

I have lost track of the activities of the Miss Philippines-Earth Beauty Pageant. If you go to their website (missphilippines-earth.com), they have different challenges that the candidates participate in and their points are tabulated and they constitute the majority of their scores that would put them into the semi-finalists circle. It is therefore, expected that some of  my choices would not be able to enter the semifinalists circle come pageant night. I am doing this just to make a comparison of my favorites versus the outcome.

MISS BATUAN: This girl if she should join the “other” pageant would surely be a prospective candidate for the Miss International Beauty Pageant Contest. She has beautiful face. She is charming and most of all she is fair-skinned. Her body figure is not wanting either.  MISS FIL-BELGIUM:  This girl shows a queenly countenance. She has a very fit body and also a charming lady. MISS CABUGAO: There is something with this girl. She exudes exotic charm. Her morena features will be a big hit in the international arena. And her eyes are so captivating.

CANDON CITY: I have met this girl during her younger days. She really exudes charm and a warm magnetism. I was surprised to see her among the hopeful beauties of this pageant’s edition. I believe her stints in the local and regional pageant scene had evolved into a more mature level and thus she would be able to show her “best of the best” this time. I hope she will. DARAGA: This municipality is represented by a very exotic and fascinating lady. She exudes charisma. She is amiable and thus, when she won the Miss Santacruzan title during the Santacruzan procession in Calapan City, Mindoro, it would be no wonder if she enters the semi-finalists circle. MANAOAG: This girl has an alluring presence. Her smile exudes warmth. She is simply a beauty to behold. Being a girl that grew up in London, she is a surely able to expound her advocacies during the Question and Answer portion. She has been showing great performances in the activities of the pageant. She is also one of the girls in the leader board.

MUNTINLUPA: I have seen this girl during her Binibining Pilipinas 2011 sojourn. She was the butt of pageant fans ire for supposedly “diva” acts. Was she really? Her inclusion in the Top 12 was also questioned by pageant watchers. Now she is a participant of the Miss Philippines-Earth Beauty Pageant and representing Muntinlupa. Pageant enthusiasts would probably ask me about her inclusion but really, she improved a lot. Her previous pageant exposure and training may have put her in good stead. She had upped her ante this time and she exudes an unexplained draw towards her.  PAGADIAN: Based on her picture, she looks “divanesque”. She exudes the latina vibes. She is someone that everyone would have a second look at. She moves with grace and demeanor and if she enters the semi-finals, she would surely be noticed by the judges. QUEZON CITY: She was a candidate before in this contest if I am not mistaken during the 2010 year. She was not lucky though. She was already beautiful so to speak but she was not lucky as there are other formidable candidates in her way. But with the looks of it, Quezon City’s candidate can snatch the title with her vibrant qualities. She will be a force to reckon with as she is one of the candidates seen in the leader board.

SAN JUAN CITY: This candidate is a pageant veteran and has always been a secondary sponsor. Take that as a figurative speech. What I mean is that she is always a semi-finalist but never a winner. Will she be able to land the most coveted title of Miss Philippines-Earth? There is a great likelihood as she is also one of the girls seen in the leader board. It would seem to be a battle between two neighboring cities in the metropolis. This girl has charms. She exudes a captivating appeal. Her exposures in different pageants would also put her on the lead as compared to the other girls. TABUK CITY: This city in Kalinga is represented by a beautiful girl. She participated in the Binibining Pilipinas 2011 with no such luck. She was handpicked by a private organization to represent the Philippines last year to an international pageant. Glennifer tucked in her belt some provincial titles and thus she is a candidate to reckon with. She has the height, the beauty and the charms. It is just the right breaks that come her way.She is also one of the girls in the leader board. VIGAN CITY: This city is represented by a beautiful girl. She has a queenly countenance. She gets a very warm reception from pageant fans and thus it redounds also to a possible acceptance by the judges.

The candidates have been constantly evaluated and since the rating system had been changed again this year, let us see how this pageant will come to a close.

Photo Credits: www.missphilippines-Earth.com

MISS UNIVERSE 2012 DELEGATES FROM AFRICA

Nigeria debuted at Miss Universe pageant in 1964. But they were absent from 1965-1986 and joined again in 1987 with the new franchise holder and named their pageant as the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria. Their highest placement so far was when Agbani Darego made it to the Top 10 in 2001 and that same year Agbani Darego went on to win the Miss World title being the first black African to win Miss World. Their representative to this year's pageant is the 23 years old, Charles Damiete who stands at 5 feet and 9 inches tall. Will Charles bring back her country Nigeria to the semifinals this year?

South Africa's last placement in the Miss Universe pageant is in 2010 placing at the Top 10 with Nicole Flint. Their last Miss Universe winner is Margaret Gardiner who won in 1978. Will South Africa finally get their second Miss Universe crown this year with their representative, Melinda Bam who is 22 years old and stands at 5 feet and 7 inches tall.

MISS UNIVERSE 2012 DELEGATES FROM SOUTH AMERICA

Bolivia debuted at Miss Universe pageant in 1959. They have so far, 2 finalists and 1 semi-finalist. The recent placement of Bolivia in the semifinals was in 2006 by Desiree Duran who made it to the Top 10. Their representative to this year's pageant is the 23 years old, Yessica Mouton who stands at 5 feet and 7 1/2 inches tall. Will Yessica bring her country back to the semifinals this year?

Colombia debuted at Miss Universe pageant in 1958 and at the same year won the crown through Luz Marina Zuluaga. Since then Colombia has yet to win their second Miss Universe crown, they tried to win the Miss Universe crown four times (1992-1994 and 2008) but ended up first runner-up to the eventual winners of that year. Colombia has been successful at Miss Universe aside from one winner they have 11 runner-ups and 18 semi-finalists. Their representative to this year's pageant is the 23 years old Daniella Alvarez who stands at 5 feet and 8 inches tall. Will Daniella become successful this year just like her Colombian predecessors who made it to the semi-finals?

Ecuador debuted at Miss Universe pageant in 1955. They only have produced two semi-finalists in this pageant, the last one was in 2004 with Susana Rivadeneira placing in the Top 10. Last year they have been successful in getting the two Grand Slam international pageant crowns with Maria Fernanda Cornejo winning Miss International and Olga Alava winning the Miss Earth crown. Will they continue their streak this year at Miss Universe with their representative, Carolina Aguirre who is 19 years old and stands at 5 feet and 10 inches tall.

MISS UNIVERSE 2012 DELEGATES FROM EUROPE

Belgium debuted at Miss Universe pageant in 1952. Their best placement was a 4th runner-up position during the Miss Universe 1981 pageant held in New York, USA. In the history of the Miss Universe pageant, Belgium has one runner-up, one finalist and five semi-finalists. Their representative to this year's pageant is 19 years old, Laura Beyne who stands at 5 feet and 7 1/2 inches tall. Will Laura bring back her country Belgium to the Top 15 semi-finals?

Croatia debuted at Miss Universe pageant in 1997. In the span of 15 years they only have made it to the Top 15 semi-finalists in 2009 courtesy of Sarah Cosic. Their representative to this year's pageant is Elizabeta Burg who is 18 years old and stands at 5 feet and 10 inches tall. Will Elizabeta put her country Croatia to the Top 15 semi-finalists this year?

Czech Republic started joining the Miss Universe pageant in 1993, in its 19 years of joining the pageant it has produced six semi-finalists and they had the longest streak of being in the semi-finals for four years from 2007 to 2010. The highest placement they got is placing Top 10 in 1993, 2003 and 2009. Their representative this year is Tereza Chlebovská, 21 years old and stands at 5 feet and 8 inches tall. Will Tereza bring back her country to the Top 15 semi-finals this year?

EDITORIAL: BLISSFUL MAY

REMINISCING 2001: THE NURSE AS A BEAUTY QUEEN

by Melchor Natividad

International Nursing Day is observed on May 8, 2012 in honor of the birth date of Florence Nightingale who came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed as the Lady with a Lamp as she goes on rounds to wounded patients usually during at night.

When I learned that May is the month where Nursing as a profession and vocation is celebrated, I thought of nurses who became celebrated as beauty queens. It was only in the recent future that Sandra Seifert a registered nurse was crowned Miss Philippines-Earth in 2009 and eventually became Miss Earth-Air in the same year. However, the girl that had an imprint in my mind is Michelle Cueva Reyes, First Runner-up in the Binibining Pilipinas 2001 Beauty Pageant. She made a memorable mark on me because it was my first time to watch the Binibining Pilipinas live at the Araneta Dome.

The year 2001 was both remarkable and memorable. It was the year that Zorayda Ruth Andam, a law student from the University of the Philippines and a magna cum laude graduate romped off with the Bb. Pilipinas-Universe title and Miss Tourism Title. The Bb. Pilipinas-International title went to Maricarl Tolosa. The Bb. Pilipinas World went to Gilrhea Quinzon. Michelle was adjudged as the first runner-up and Maricar Balagtas was second runner-up. That night a young lady from Baguio City kept the audience alive and kicking by telling everyone to keep quiet while trying to given a decent answer to the question of former Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz. All the girls were asked question and the Top 5 would eventually be asked again to decide their ranks. All eyes were glued to Michelle and Maricar that night but they faltered and one unassuming lady went on to be crowned Bb. Pilipinas World and as I said, Michelle and Maricar were relegated to runner-up positions.

Surprises of all surprises however, Maricar Balagtas was sent to compete at the Miss Globe International in Turkey and she came very triumphant. On the other hand, Michelle Reyes went on to participate in the Miss Tourism International in 2001 at Anatolia, Turkey. She was crowned as the winner. So take note, the two runners-up were winners during their reign. On the other hand, Zorayda Andam was sent to the Miss Tourism World Beauty Pageant held in Medellin, Colombia wherein she was adjudged as the Miss Tourism World Asia and one of the semi-finalists. In the year 2002, Michelle was picked to participate in the same pageant held in Ankara, Turkey this time and a second tourism crown was won by her for the country. Add to that there was also another pageant where she won Model of the Universe-Asia.

As I was reading further, the theme of this International Nursing Year is “Closing the Gap from Evidence to Action.”  I was nodding my head because, here is a nurse who showed great evidence of beauty, grace and pleasant demeanor and translated these traits of a beauty queen into action and the resultant products are two titles in the international tourism arena. In the annals of the history of Philippine beauty pageants, she has now established herself as the first Filipinas and Asian to ever win two consecutive world titles.

Michelle Reyes is a 5’8-1/2” beauty from Daet, Camarines Norte who before joining the pageant bandwagon is a nurse at the pediatric ward of the University of Sto. Tomas Hospital. She got married to a doctor in 2004 and is happily enjoying a blissful married life to Dr. Darnel Viray Dabu.

There are thoughts being forwarded about Michelle. There are a lot of what ifs? Foremost of these what if is that “What if she was sent to the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, would she make a bigger difference over Zorayda?” What if she was chosen to be crowned Bb. Pilipinas World, would she be the first Miss World of the Philippines and would have a better performance than Miss Gilrhea Quinzon?” Retropectives like these still ask lingering questions because the present time allows girls who bungled their interviews to win one of the titles. In that edition of the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant, not only Michelle and Maricar messed up their answers but also Gilrhea. In the recent past, Janina San Miguel won the Bb. Pilipinas World title despite a great interview mishap, although she would later resign from the title. Michelle had greatly showed that action speaks louder than words – and that is what a nurse is all about. She is a caring, loving and sharing person that everyone felt during her sojourn in the two cities of Turkey.

It is great to reminisce a year where the runner-ups did a lot better than the title holders. Are we getting to be spectators of repeating history as the runner-ups in the 2012 edition of the pageant faltered? Michelle wonderfully performed to the best of her abilities and we hope the chosen queens and runner-ups would do well too.

Photo Credits:  

Miss Tourism World, BPCI, Missosology.org, Beyond Essence, flxmanuel.multiply.com, anovahealth.co.za

LA UNION AMAZES AND DAZZLES

by Lavinia Otilla

Last March 2, 2012, La Union celebrated its 140^th Foundation Anniversary. A beauty pageant was done to choose the Queen of the Province for the year. Activities were lined up to celebrate the anniversary. Part of the activities of the pageant is the electric parade that was followed by the Town Costume Competition last March 1, 2012. La Union is composed of 19 municipalities and 1 component city. The 19 Municipalities are composed of Agoo, Aringay, Bacnotan, Bagulin, Balaoan, Bangar, Bauang, Burgos, Caba, Luna, Naguilian, Pugo, Rosario, San Gabriel, San Juan, Santol, Sto. Tomas, Sudipen and Tubao. The lone component city is the City of San Fernando.

The concept of the town costume is to make a costume that will show the culture of the town by using the “One Town One Product” model. The costume should depict the town’s product or culture and they will be judged according to their creativity.

Agoo and Aringay

Agoo’s costume is made up of corn leaves that were curled and placed at the skirt portion of the costume.Other corn leaves were in more crumpled forms and formed the upper portion of the skirt. An interlocking belt made of bean seeds was made to put delineation between the bodice and the skirt. The sleeves are made of squash fruit and patterned as a puff sleeves. The bodice is made up of different bean seeds. String beans were strewn in the middle of the bodice to give further accent. The candidate was holding the Holy Grail to signify the religiosity of Agoo as a place.

Aringay used a costume made of anahaw leaves that is woven into a mat. The mat is painted with the seascape and it was further accentuated with milkfish. She has a head dress that is adorned with milkfish and a wooden bar that looks like the staff of Neptune. But the bodice is further adorned with Shitake mushroom. Obviously they have woven the three concepts of the products of Aringay – anahaw leaves that are woven into a mat or fan, the milkfish and the mushrooms which are Aringay’s products aggressively marketed for economic reasons.

Bacnotan and Bagulin

Bacnotan presented a simple costume which is a butterfly costume with multicolored adornments in the bodice. They are promoting the silk industry of their place and since silk comes cocoon of butterflies, the butterfly concept or the fairy concept came about.

Bagulin showcased its soft broom industry. It used a circular back drop decorated by the special grass used for broom making. The costume skirt seems to be made of raffia fibers. 

Balaoan and Bangar

Balaoan presented a peacock style costume by decorated with tobacco leaves. It maintained however a terno look style when the skirt is placed down. On the other hand,

Bangar showcased the “Abel Iloko” (Ilokano Cloth) by presenting a Maria Clara designed dress. The cloth is hand woven by the people of Bangar themselves. They have a thriving cloth weaving industry that is still surviving until now.

Bauang and Burgos

Bauang presented a modified terno gown with only one butterfly sleeve at the right side. The sleeves are adorned by grapes and she is holding a mask which is also adorned by grape fruits. The bodice shows grape designs. It has a modified serpentine cut with the lower portion with layers and layers of cut frosted organza cloth. Grapes are one of the agricultural products promoted by the town of Bauang aside from guapple (large guavas).

                                                                                                                                       

Burgos also showcased the soft broom industry that they have. It was done through a bouffant designed gown made of woven palm leaf. The adornments of the woven palm leaf gown were fan-like blubber grasses which were multi-colored. For accent the head dress and the lone butterfly sleeve were sunflowers that are commonly found in the place.




Caba and Luna

Caba presented a costume made-up of bamboo materials. It has a Japanese motif big fan. She presented also a head dress made of chicken feathers. This showcases the town’s bamboo craft industry as well as the burgeoning poultry business.

I was expecting Luna to present a costume made up of the small rocks that it is famous of. However it presented a Filipiniana gown with an uneven hemline that has a train at the back. It was further accentuated by an umbrella. The gown was intricately made-up of rice stalks and hay. This costume is to showcase that Luna is one of the rice granaries of the province of La Union.

Naguilian and Pugo

Naguilian used dyed corn leaves for the costume. And the ornaments that went with it are peanuts in silver painting. The head dress is a combination of the fibers and that it was highlighted with an earthen jar in the middle. This is to showcase the town’s sugar cane wine (basi) as it is being promoted as a livelihood project.

Pugo’s costume at a glance looked like a Thailand costume but on closer look it had a Thai design only. The skirt was painted by the inland resorts that they had. While the designs on the shoulder and the head dress are made up of wood works that Pugo is famously producing.

Rosario and San Juan

Rosario’s costume is a terno with a modified bouffant skirt. The gown is rusty brown colored with a head dress. The gown is adorned with glittery contraptions and with flowers. However, I hardly find meaning about the costume except probably the rosettes in the dress. The contraptions were made from wood materials that were beautifully made into rosettes and flowerettes. This was done to showcase the wood working industry of La Union.

San Juan however, showcased a mermaid costume. It is reminiscent of one of the costumes presented in a Victoria Secret fashion show. It was elaborately made. The shell  back drop is awesome and even the mermaid costume is breathtaking.

Santol and San Gabriel

Another town that showcased a soft broom industry is Santol. It is a creative costume which has the trimmings of a terno. The blubber grasses were made in to fan-like designs and were used to adorn the dress.

San Gabriel used a simple Spanish looking costume. It was adorned by big flowers at hemline and at the connecting portion at the bodice. In previous years, San Gabriel makes use of the blubber grass to make their costumes but I think they veered away from that because there are at least 5 towns that has the soft broom as a source of livelihood for most of its people.

Sto. Tomas and San Fernando City

If one looks at the costume of Sto. Tomas from afar, it looks like a Spanish costume with two big fans ready to dance the Paso Doble. However, if one looks at it closely, the gown was intricately designed with dried fish. The skirt, the head dress and the fans are designed with fish locally known as espada. On the other hand, the bodice was intricately designed with small fished. Furthermore, the costume is accentuated with shells and synthetic pearls carefully emblazoned in the gown. It is no wonder that this gown was adjudged as the biggest winner of them all. It is twice in a row that Sto. Tomas won this honor already including last year.

San Fernando City presented a gown which was adorned with colorful flowers and had a head dress made up of peacock feather. It is showcasing San Fernando City as the Botanical City  not only of La Union but also that of Northern Luzon. Why the peacock feathers? Well if you have a botanical garden, then you will also have a thriving wildlife in the place just like the peacock.

Sudipen and Tubao

Sudipen presented an Aztec like costume made of a special type of bamboo (bamboo bolo) which is very common in the place. The head dress was made of such and it was intricately designed just like an Aztec head dress. The gown is intricately adorned by bamboo leaves.

Tubao’s costume seems like it is made up of paper-mache that was intricately cut. It had appliqué looking designs but in reality they are made-up of bean seeds adorning the gown. The other contraptions are made up of other seeds. There were also lights that were placed in the gown probably to glitter during the electric parade where these gown were ogled at by the spectators.

Truly this event is a stroke of genius. And it is doubly genius to showcase the creativities of the La Union fashion designers –they have shown how daring, how diverse and how unparalleled they have become. They have made great leaps and bounds beyond their artistry and such a display of ingenuity and imagination should be appreciated here in our country and beyond the borders of the globe. Hail to La Union.  You have amazed and dazzled everyone in this activity. More power and expect me to come back once again to marvel at the greatness of such artistry. .

Photo Credits: Jay Orros
Additional Gown descriptions : Airwind Bautista