Miss Universe National Costume Round is always eye pleasing and fun to watch! While the girls will be reaching Las Vegas in couple of days, Singapore has revealed its majestic national costume, which Lisa Marie White will be donning in the coming event. The local couturier, Frederick Lee has carved the very splendid ethnic-inspired creation.
Lisa’s larger than life outfit is a bold red gown, attributing a cheongsam top made of the trademark red batik fabric of the Singapore Girl Kebaya attached to a heavily-sequinned mermaid skirt. The 22 years old diva, will also wear an intricate matching sanggul lintang, inspired by the traditional headdress worn by Malay brides. The finishing touch is a 3m-wide structure harnessed on her back, comprising large red foam orchids. Frederick Lee opined that he drew insight from the kavadis that Hindu devotees carry during the Thaipusam procession.
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Apart from this, Lee reflected that he also wanted to pay homage to the fact that the Singapore Botanic Gardens became, this year, the nation's first Unesco World Heritage Site. Therefore, he adorned the national costume with a total of 50 red orchids of varying sizes, which pays a tribute to Singapore's Golden Jubilee.
Beaming with ecstasy, Lee expressed: "When you talk about the national costume, what comes to mind is an outfit that best represents the energy and spirit of the country. The batik, for example, has travelled to the four corners of the world, thanks to our Singapore Girl. The different elements represent the different races and cultures here in Singapore."
The majestic national costume costs around $6,000 and took more than 200 hours to delve in the final mould!
Apart from the national costume, Frederick Lee has also sponsored several evening gowns, both custom-made and ready-made from his Frederick Lee Couture collection, for Lisa White at the Miss Universe pageant. The eminent designer knows all the jeers too well those past national costumes have been subjected to and is geared up for when they are tossed at him. He says: "There will always be haters, but I will take the comments constructively and take them into consideration if there is a next time. What is more important is that (the dress) captured the essence of our country. I think I have delivered and Lisa looks better than I have ever imagined in ?it."
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Like this year, past designers have also resurveyed on the multiracial aspect and tapped on the use of flowers, with red being the colour of preference. On how he sets himself spaced out, Lee said cleanly: "Every designer has a different interpretation of the national costume. I hope this gown will be memorable. I did consider something more modern and playful, but (my creation) is a good balance of that, plus it captures the Singapore spirit."
Lisa White, who took about 30 minutes to put on the costume, said: "I have never felt so extravagant as I do right now and I cannot imagine wearing anything else. You can never please everybody, but I like it and that's what matters. I'm going to rock this dress.”
As the luxurious event of Miss Universe is soon to commence, we are sure Lisa’s national costume will leave people spellbound with the majestic aura when graced on the runway! Are you excited to see the outfit in motion?
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