Miss Universe Singapore National Costumes
A big part of watching beauty pageants is fawning over the evening gowns and national costumes of all the contestants, especially on the Miss Universe stage. As the single biggest beauty pageant in the world each year, Singapore has always sent our representatives out on the global stage with seriously stunning creations, including iconic costumes through the years that we still remember today.
Here are some of the most memorable national costumes that our Miss Universe Singapore beauty queens have rocked.
Contents
- Miss Universe Singapore National Costumes
- 1. 2008 – Shenise Wong
- 2. 2009 – Rachel Kum
- 3. 2010 – Tania Lim
- 4. 2011 – Valerie Lim
- 5. 2012 – Lynn Tan
- 6. 2013 – Shi Lim
- 7. 2014 – Rathi Menon
- 8. 2015 – Lisa Marie White
- 9. 2016 – Cheryl Chou
- 10. 2017 – Manuela Bruntraeger
- 11. 2018 – Zahra Khanum
- 12. 2019 – Mohana Prabha
- 13. 2020 – Bernadette Ong
- 14. 2022 – Carissa Yap
- 15. 2023 – Priyanka Annuncia
- These National Costumes From Miss Universe Singapore Combine Creativity And Patriotism
1. 2008 – Shenise Wong
Safe to say, Shenise Wong definitely surprised everyone when she came out dressed as the Merlion for her national costume round at the Miss Universe 2008 pageant. It definitely was giving go big or go home vibes, but many Singaporeans were not feeling it, unfortunately.
Nevertheless, this dress makes it to the top of this list, purely for its patriotism.
2. 2009 – Rachel Kum
Rachel’s costume was inspired by Singapore’s national flower – the Vanda Miss Joaquim, and the designer of the dress was Zang Xiaoqin, a student studying fashion design at the Raffles Design Institute at the time.
Although the dress certainly has some pretty elements, Rachel’s look was compared to that of a palace handmaiden in ancient China.
3. 2010 – Tania Lim
Switching things up the following year, Tania Lim donned a slinky, silver silhouette dress that was created to look like Singapore’s urban cityscape. Was it impressive enough? Many would say maybe not, but Tania still strutted the heck out of that dress and looked stunning.
4. 2011 – Valerie Lim
Valerie’s jaw-dropping ensemble was designed by famous Singaporean designer, Hayden Ng, who also dressed Miss Universe Singapore Nicole Teo in 1987. The look he created for Valerie was inspired by the kuah, which is a Peranakan wedding gown.
Hayden also infused Indian cultural elements into the design, creating something never seen before in our national costume.
5. 2012 – Lynn Tan
Who remembers this wedding gown-inspired creation with an elaborate veil and orchids? Worn by Lynn Tan in 2012, the bridal-esque design failed to impress Singaporeans, unfortunately. The public opinion was that the dress may have looked better without the gaudy orchid blossoms pinned on Lynn’s veil.
6. 2013 – Shi Lim
Another look featuring our national flower, Shi Lim’s dress saw the orchids as embellishments on a peacock fan, with further sprays down her skirt, and a whole bustier of the purple and white flowers. The question is: was this a step up from the previous year’s bridal costume? I guess you could say there was more thought put into this.
And if you didn’t know, the designer for this look was none other than fashion design student Ryan Haffys, who also created Shenise Wong’s Merlion dress.
7. 2014 – Rathi Menon
Rathi’s costume was created by Venezuelan celebrity designer, Alejandro Fajardo Diaz, and it totally brought the wow factor. Her golden skintight look came complete with glittering stars and even a crescent moon, the emblems on our national flag.
With thigh–high, golden gladiator heels, Rathi’s look definitely slayed and impressed both local and international audiences that year.
8. 2015 – Lisa Marie White
Lisa’s elaborate and intricate costume was designed by well-known couturier, Frederick Lee. We love how the cheongsam top and matching headpiece incorporated the red batik fabric of the iconic Singapore Girl kebaya, worn by the airline’s Chief Cabin Crew.
9. 2016 – Cheryl Chou
Designer Moe Kassim took over the task of creating the national costumes from 2016 to 2018, giving us some pretty outstanding designs. Cheryl’s headpiece was an impressive work of art, with 500 Swarovski crystals and weighing over 1kg.
Lauded as a cultural masterpiece, this Peranakan-inspired dress took five months to complete, and featured materials including metal and glass.
10. 2017 – Manuela Bruntraeger
Another design from Moe Kassim, Manuela’s costume was designed to look like the Supertrees at Gardens By The Bay. This was the first time LED lights were used in a national costume at Miss Universe Singapore, and Manuela had a whole 25m of them on her wings, which would change colours as she performed her catwalk.
Moe explained that most costumes in the past had played up the multiracial factor, so he wanted to highlight something architectural and structural. One thing’s for sure: walking with such a heavy contraption on your back, in heels no less, is a balancing act that’s not for the weak.
Also read:
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11. 2018 – Zahra Khanum
A final look from Moe Kassim, Zahra’s costume was a pictorial representation of the Trump-Kim summit that took place in Singapore that year . The tongue-in-cheek image was a dig at how the pageant candidates always talk about their wishes for world peace, but the satire did not sit well with Singaporean audiences.
As the outfit also came with angel wings, the general opinion was that it looked like a cheap gimmick.
12. 2019 – Mohana Prabha
Although quite stunning, Mohana’s Vanda Miss Joaquim costume drew criticism from Singaporean fans due to the fact the dress wasn’t custom made for that year’s Miss Universe stage.
While most agreed it was quite an impressive look, the dress was designed by Filipino fashion designer Michael Cinco as part of his Swan Lake haute couture collection.
13. 2020 – Bernadette Ong
In thigh–high red satin boots and a flowing cape with an anti-hate message, Bernadette’s costume was certainly a memorable look for Miss Universe Singapore 2020. The ensemble was created by Filipino designer Arwin Meriales, and he made it in only two days.
As for the iconic message on the cape, that was purely Bernadette’s idea, and it was hand painted on her cape by artist Paul Espinosa.
14. 2022 – Carissa Yap
Impressing everyone at the 2022 Miss Universe pageant was Carissa Yap, whose costume was a more modern take on Singapore’s national flower. The entire outfit was made from 3D printed lattices, with over 200 pieces hand-assembled on the outfit.
Even the shape of these lattices were constructed in the silhouette of Singapore and her surrounding islands.
15. 2023 – Priyanka Annuncia
Priyanka’s costume, which saw a similar silhouette to that of Bernadette Ong’s, was designed by Chinese-German designer, Lisa Von Tang. The costume was named “Asian Glamour Warrior” by Priyanka, and the unique look saw her sporting knee-high red lace-up heels with a fitted jacket, long flowing sleeves and train, and Indian cultural jewellery.
These National Costumes From Miss Universe Singapore Combine Creativity And Patriotism
Although there’s division on what’s impressive, one thing is for sure: Singaporeans are proud of our heritage and it shows in each national costume. Many would say the national flower designs probably need to be retired, but costumes like Carissa Yap’s prove how innovation can elevate a simple idea into a couture masterpiece.
Also read:
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