SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Supranational 2017 Grand Finals: COSTUMES + Top 10 EVENING GOWNS RECAP!

And the Winner Is....--Outgoing Miss Supranational 2016 Srindhi Shetty holds hands with Miss Supranational Colombia Tica Martinez (Left) and Miss Supranational Korea Jenny Kim (R)--Miss supranational 2017 Grand Finals, Krynica-Zdroj, Poland

On Friday night, 65 contestants from all over the world competed in what was effectively the final TOP international beauty pageant of the "Pageant Season": Miss Supranational 2017...and the winner was...KOREA! Miss Supranational Korea, Jenny Kim made history by becoming her country's first winner of one of the top international beauty pageants. The Miss Supranational 2017 Grand Finals occurred in the Polish city of Krynica-Zdroj. with a population of only 11,000, it is known as Poland's biggest spa town and a popular winter sports/tourist destination.

First Ever--South Korea's Jenny Kim makes history in winning "Miss Supranational 2017" title, becoming the first woman from that nation to win a major international beauty title--Miss Supranational 2017 Grand Finals, Krynica-Zdroj, Poland

The South Korean 23-year-old beauty works as a model, stands 1.73 (5' 8") and works as a model and studies International Office Administration as well as the English Language (she speaks it fluently!) at Ewha Womans University in Seoul....

Jenny Kim, representing Korea at the Miss Universe 2016 Pageant (center and right photos)

Jenny is not a stranger to the pageant world, having competed for the Miss World Korea title in 2015, where she became the 1st runner-up, and she was last year's Miss Universe Korea, and got to represent her country in the Philippines at Miss Universe 2016 where she got the "Miss Congeniality" prize.

First Runner-up:

First Runner-up to Miss Supranational 2017 was Miss Supranational Colombia, Tica Martinez. Tica was the favorite to win among many pageant watchers and in the end, she almost got the top crown.

I am sure that I am not the first to say this and make this connection but...Tica is a DOPPELGANGER/Split-at-Birth/Sister-from-Another-Misters of....

Will The Real Tica...or Dremi-Leigh Stand Up?--The gorgeous Colombian beauty Tica Martinez (Left) could literally play the newly-crowned Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (Right) in the Latina Telenovela version of her biopic! 

Now that we've gotten that out of the way...time to discuss the National Costumes including the actual Winner of Best National Costume plus my Top Five other Favorites:

Best National Costume: The award went to Miss Supranational Panama Karol Dayana Batista. Her costume featured a gorgeous multicolored Bird of Paradise-meets-Victoria's Secret Angel. This style of costume is very popular and this was an exceptional one. I loved the gorgeous blue peacock and red rooster feathers and those sequined birds! The bodice and headdress were especially stunning and I have to say, I was very happy that EVERYTHING was thought of, including those sequined boots. Many times, these contestants have a costume just like this...but then end up wearing $29.00 nude platform pumps they bought online! Gracias a Dios Miss Supranational Panama DID NOT!

Here are my other FAVORITE National Costumes from Miss Supranational 2017 Grand Finals:

THAILAND: Miss Supranational Thailand Gift Jiraprapa Boonnuang--Thai Temple Goddess. Love the intricately beaded and embroidered costume worn by Miss Supranational Thailand. This was worthy of being in a Thai Culture Museum, if there is such a thing. Words that come to mind include: Gorgeous; National Costume Couture; Extravagant; Glorious.  And once again, thank you for having the shoes be part of the entire look and not an after-thought!

KOREA: Miss Supranational Korea Jenny Kim--Jenny, who eventually won the top crown, wore another gorgeous and very rich-looking traditional costume. This Hanbok design is meant for Queens...Empresses...Princesses (take your pick!). The detail of the silk brocade and sequined embroidery...and the dragons on her arms and bodice: WOW! Oh, and then there was that stunning gold and jade crown!

VIETNAM: Miss Supranational Vietnam Khanh Phuong--This colorful Ao Dai worn by Miss Supranational Vietnam was one of my Top Favorite National Costumes of the pageant. I thought the design was very stage-impacting and runway fashionable. I loved the red with gold embroidered hem trim dramatic cape as well as the yellow/blue/red colors of the inner gown....and yes, THAT golden headdress was the "Cherry on the National Costume" cake!

POLAND: Miss Supranational Poland Paulina Maziarz: Pualina's costume celebrated Poland's Coat of Arms featuring the proud white eagle featuring a golden crown. I loved the depiction and design. I also thought her stage presentation was UBER effective. Probably THE BEST European National Costume of Miss Supranational 2017 in my eyes.

INDONESIA: Miss Supranational Indonesia Karina "Nina" Nadila--This outstanding costume, designed by Jember Fashion Carnival,  represents the Lembuswana. Lembuswana is a Mythological animal and a symbol of the power and sovereignty of a ruler. Headed lions and crowns symbolize the might of a king who is considered the ruler and the crown is a sign of the king's power which is considered a God. Her fierce wielding fangs flanking her trunk signifies the symbolic figure of Ganesha, the God of Intelligence. Winged Garuda with wings that can be moved as a symbol that wings ready to fly noble ideals sky-high and scaly fish which means as a protector and a leader among the people. The color of gold as the majesty and grey color as the color of the soil, symbolizes the attitude remains grounded and humble. I thought the overall design was SUPER fab and if I ever encountered a Lembuswana...I would be very, very afraid...but still probably would want to take a Selfie with it! 

OK, now to the MOST IMPORTANT PART of my BLOG: THE EVENING GOWNS!!! The Miss Supranational 2017 featured the contestants in several "rounds" of gowns. I'm just concentrating on my Top 3 Faves from the Eva Minge Fashion Show (Eva is one of Poland's most well-known fashion designers) featuring some of the Semifinalists, as well as the Top 10 Gowns, which all happened to be in the Silver/Ivory range. 
Let's start with my Top Three of the Eva Minge Fashion Presentation:

1. THAILAND: Miss Supranational Thailand Gift Jiraprapa Boonnuang: Of all the gowns/designs from Polish designer Eva Minge, this simple and elegant black gown was the BEST and worn the best by the Thai contestant. The black fit-and-flare/mermaid gown fit well, was the correct length and perfect for a top-notch red carpet event. I also loved the front neck strap detail.

2. ETHIOPIA: Miss Supranational Bitaniya Yojef--Bitaniya looked like a QUEEN in this black and silver Eva Minge mermaid-shaped gown. The dress featured a strapless gown, very fitted body, ending in sequined-feathered-and-tulle bottom skirt. While she had trouble walking in this (who wouldn't??), she looked stunning. I also loved the non-"Pageant Betty" chic center parted hairstyle and minimal use of accessories.

3. INDONESIA: Miss Supranational Indonesia Karina "Nina" Nadila--I liked this nude-and-black tulle-and-sequined gown worn by Miss Supranational Indonesia. The criss-cross applique was an interesting detail and I also admired the textured fabrication. Karina was ready for a Ball in Poland in this Couture-like creation!

Time for my TOP TEN LIST of the Final Top 10 Semifinalist's Gowns--Beginning with my TOP BEST:

1. COLOMBIA: Miss Supranational Colombia Tica Martinez--This gown was my Top Favorite of the Miss Suprantaional 2017 Final evening gowns. Tica wore this silver-and-nude sequined design and it looked stunning on her! I loved the multi-layers of encrusted silver flower/icicle-like appliques and how they were sewn and placed on the body of the gown. I also admired the complete coverage with no Hoochie slit; she still looked sexy yet elegant. I also LOVED LOVED LOVED...the perfect length.
Score: 9.65

2. PHILIPPINES: Miss Supranational Chanel Olive Thomas--Chanel Olive Thomas wore one of the most elegant gowns of the night. The dress featured a fit-and-flare shape, gorgeous fabrication, heavily beaded bodice and interesting folded/draped side waist detail. It was very Haute in its minimal design accents. The gown did have a high side front slit which made it--for some reason--tricky for Chanel to walk in. Normally, this would be "like a Tuesday" for any other model/pageant contestant but for her, it was awkward. I overlooked this and scored her on this gorgeous gown design.
Score: 9.55

3. KOREA: Miss Supranational Korea Jenny Kim: Jenny wore my 3rd favorite gown of the Miss Supranational 2017 Finals. Hers featured a heavily sequined torso over nude tulle that ended in layers upon layers of tulle. The mermaid-shaped gown was stage-effective and looked pretty on Jenny, making her seem like an Ice Queen. I especially admired the different colored jeweled sequins in the gown.
Score: 9.15

4. ROMANIA: Miss Supranational Romania Bianca Tirsin: Bianca wore this silver sequined lace one shoulder gown. The dress fit her beautifully, had the perfect length and made her look like a top A-list actress at the Cannes Film Festival! Modern, elegant, fresh and Gown-chic.
Score: 9.05

5. COSTA RICA: Miss Supranational Costa Rica Nicole Menayo: Costa Rica's contestant wore this very interesting gown design. The dress had this GORGEOUS silver sequin and applique detail, that, alone, made me gasp for air, in a good way! The silhouette was also very nice, highlighting the contestant's sinewy shape. The only thing that bothered me was how scooped those side cut-out's were.; they were dangerously low. But, she was SUPER SEXY. I would have loved this look better if A) The side peek-a-boo's weren't so low, and B) if she might have worn her hair up in a bun, exposing more of the gown's shoulder detail. And the way she wore her sash was ridiculous and distracting.
Score: 9.00

6. THAILAND: Miss Supranational Thailand Gift Jiraprapa Boonnuang--Miss Supranational Thailand wore this ivory-and-nude sequined gown for the Miss Supranational 2017 Finals. The gown was stunning and very expensive-looking. I appreciated all that hand-sewn pearl and rhinestone embroidery. The way the sequins were laid out was also quite fabulous and the fit was great...except for the fact that for some reason, her left shoulder was askew and not on her shoulder. I'm not sure if that was on purpose but it was noticeable; all I wanted to do was go up there and lift it up and place it properly on her shoulder!
Score: 8.99

7. PUERTO RICO: Miss Supranational Puerto Rico Larisssa Santiago--Larissa wore this silver/white mermaid shaped gown which featured a halter neckline, silver sequined embroidery and tulle bottom skirt section The fit and length were very nice and the style was complimentary to the contestant's body. There was nothing Haute or extraordinary in terms of design; it was just nice and pretty.

Score: 8.35

8. POLAND: Miss Supranational Poland Paulina Maziarz: Poland's contestant wore this white gown which featured a one shoulder sleeve design, sequined detail and side front slit. The dress and design were very "Pageant Gown 101" but...done in a beautiful manner. Paulina had probably THE BEST BODY in the entire pageant and the fit of the gown was right but somehow she still had trouble walking in this gown (juts like several others, including Miss Supranational Philippines Chanel Olive Thomas).  Other than that, this was a nice, acceptable gown.
Score: 8.25

9. ETHIOPIA: Miss Supranational Ethiopia Bitaniya Yosef--Bitaniya wore this white-and-silver gown which featured a center front panel of silver paillettes set against a solid white georgette fabrication. The dress was nice but compared to some of the others, it was very "Pageant Basic". Bitaniya, however, made it work since she was one of the PRETTIEST contestants in the entire pageant! But there is one thing I cannot forgive: Those AWFUL super high "stripper" platform pumps...and the fact that I could see them. Bitaniya (I hope you're reading this!): please NEVER WEAR THESE AGAIN; you are too "runway fab" to be wearing such tacky shoes.
Score: 7.99

Lastly...

10. PORTUGAL: Miss Supranational Portugal Priscila Alves--Last on my list is Miss Supranational Portugal. Now, part of me got a little excited when I saw her enter the stage in this CRAY-CRAY "White Walkers/Game of Thrones"-looking Ballgown. The SUPERGAY in me was like "You Go Girl!" but...the logical Fashion Designer/Commentator was more "Oh No She Didn't!'. While I admire the "She Went there" aspect of this gown, it was still A LOT of CRAY CRAY! The top section alone looked like one of those aluminum foil wrapped things you get when taking food To-Go:

Score: 7.75

CONGRATULATIONS to Miss Supranational Korea Jenny Kim on winning  the Miss Supranational 2017 title! 

And don't forget about my NEW "The Pageant Coloring Book"! Where you can create your very own Evening Gown Competition with 25 of my hand-drawn Pageant Queen illustrations. Click HERE to purchase NOW on amazon.com: