Miss Universe 2018 held its National Costume Competition yesterday where delegates from all over the globe paraded on the stage wearing their traditional costumes which highlighted the country’s culture and traditions. Each of these gorgeous divas made sure that their outfit was the highlight of the night as the event was concluded with applause and appreciation.

While all the delegates looked absolutely radiant, there are a few who stood out with their stunning performance at the preliminary competition. We have selected our Top 20 favourites from the National Costume Competition which we will reveal in two parts. Here are the first ten best National Costumes, in our opinion, of Miss Universe 2018 –

Miss Universe Brazil 2018 Mayra Benita Alves Dias

Titled as ‘Deusa Do Sol’, Mayra Dias’s costume was one of the highlights of the competition. The outfit was made by the artist Helerson Da Maia shown in the honour of the indigenous people of Brazil which then turns into a very famous Amazonian bird. As a tribute to the ethnicity of the indigenous people of Brazil, Mayra definitely was the epitome of sunshine and happiness in her yellow feathered outfit which took the Amazonians almost three months to make.

Miss Universe Mexico 2018 Andrea Isabel Toscano Ramírez

The outfit titled ‘La Diosa Jaguar’ is designed by Lalo Estrada and Andrea Toscano definitely delivered as she looked absolutely gorgeous. She represented the powerful Jaguar god, made in the pre-Hispanic style of the noblewoman of the time. The outfit was made of plastic stones, feathers and leather. The gorgeous beauty definitely rocked the costume as she became a part of our Top 20 favourite National Costume with her grace and regal walk.

Miss Universe Philippines 2018 Catriona Gray

Catriona wore a costume inspired by the Visayan’s ‘pintados’ which truly represented the festive and fun nature of the Filipino people. Her LuzViMinda national costume gained a lot of attention and applause from the crowd showcasing the true beauty of our islands, history, and culture. Even though her costume weighed like a ton, she never lost her beautiful smile and walked on the stage looking ever so gorgeous.

Miss Universe Thailand 2018 Ning Sophida

Chang, The Icon Of Siam’ was the name of the National Costume that Ning Sophida wore at the competition yesterday. Elephants have been, for years, associated with the culture and history of Thailand, thus, the dress was special for her as well as the whole country. Tee Phasux designed the costume while Natthakit yamjaroen was the dressmaker and Palat Jiraputtinan and Phophan Thongfueang were the jewellery team.

Throughout Thai history, elephants were used in war to protect the country's independence and thus the outfit 'Chang icon of siam' was special as Ning walked in the dress which stood for the dignity of her beloved country.

Miss Universe Nepal 2018 Manita Devkota

The theme of the costume of Manita Devkota was ‘Goddess Avalokitesvara’ as in Nepal’s culture it is believed that Goddess Avalokitesvara observes or gazes down at the world to relieve the suffering of others, protect people from danger, and grant blessings to children. She is the perfect picture of grace, calm, forgiveness and power.

In the outfit, the embroidery depicted its own symbols and meaning. For example; Dharma wheels symbolize the ‘Eightfold path’ which is the key concept of Buddhism. Similarly, Dragon represents a power of creativity, heaven and good fortune. NepaMode designed the costume for the gorgeous beauty.

Miss Universe USA 2018 Sarah Rose Summers

The delegate of USA represented herself as a red rose at the preliminary competition held yesterday. The reason is not only that her name is Sarah Rose from her mother’s maiden name but also because the US flower is a red rose.

Proud of being a woman of her generation where the focus is on women empowerment and no tolerance for assault and harassment, Sarah showed how grateful she is for the Me Too movement started in the USA. Sarah also highlighted the movement in her national costume through the symbolic white rose on her wrist.

Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2018 Kiara Liz Ortega Delgado

Kiara Liz Ortega wore a very different National Costume as she captured Hurricane Maria in her outfit. The inspiration of the dress takes as a starting point the strength and the impetus of the Puerto Rican spirit in the face of adversity. To depict the same, Kiara used her traditional costume and looked absolutely gorgeous in it. The outfit titled ‘Puerto Rico Renace’ is designed by Joshuan Aponte.

This hurricane was made with multiple layers of different types of materials in transparent and metallic finishes, including a layer of intelligent LED lights to represent the movement of wind gusts. The combination of hands, all in different colours, represents the diversity of people in Puerto Rico and in turn to the countries that shook hands and the rest represents the reconstruction of Puerto Rico.

Miss Universe Aruba 2018 Kimberly Orline Julsing

Kimberly Orline Julsing wore a carnival costume which represents the greatest cultural event on the island of Aruba. It was also a tribute to all the carnivalistas who were made to put on a creative display of arts, culture and jewels! The vivid colour combination of the elongated feathers on either side of the outfit made it look radiant and gorgeous. Styled with confidence and a mesmerizing smile, Kimberly definitely impressed the audience with her dress.

Miss Universe South Africa 2018 Tamaryn Green

Tamaryn Green wore a high fashioned Blue Crane inspired National Costume at the competition yesterday. The costume was made with over 1000 bluish grey and black feathers, hand placed on the costume. The headpiece encrusted with crystals depicting the beak and the custom feather print fabric which was designed locally.

The structured, tailored jacket is reflective of the esteem that blue crane feathers are held in within some African cultures such as Xhosa, Zulu and Ndebele. Chiefs were bestowed with the honour of wearing blue crane feathers for their acts of bravery and hunting prowess. Thus the costume not only held a cultural importance but also depicted the history of South Africa.

Miss Universe Ecuador 2018 Virginia Limongi Silva

Representing Amazon in its pure state, Virginia Limongi wore a gorgeous outfit with a combination of colours. Her outfit paid homage to the thick jungles, rivers waterfalls but above all the beautiful plumage. She showed several of the representative birds of the country, among which the one that stood out the most was the hummingbird. Virginia was natural in her walk, looking radiant and also made movements of a bird with the skirt that had a wing like a layer with a feather.