National Costume Presentation

Top Picks:  MGI 2020 NatCos competition

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

It used to be that, pageant delegates wore, strictly, their country's national costume. But in this day and age, the option expanded to include folkloric and/or mythical creatures, festivals, national flags, temples and sacred edifices, as well as modes of transportation.

The newer options allowed the use of gargantuan headdresses and homongous hand props for its shock value. While it is true that this stunning creations easily catch the eye, they however lose the true nature of a nation's costume - which, by the way, is very much a part of its history, culture, heritage, and patrimony!

With that being said, here are our ten favorites from the recently concluded National Costume competition of Miss Grand International 2020:

1) Philippines - Patrick Isorena's "Gintong Lawin" creation paid homage to our national bird. And its gilded tuft harkens not only to the pageant's golden crown, but to the Philippines' resource of gold.

2) Laos - This ornately decked fighting fish creation made quite a stir with Thai fans. Like the kissing gurami of Korea, this specie is a well-loved aquatic denizen in the Land of Smiles.

3) Thailand - In another pageant, it was the tuktuk. Now, it's the boat used to peddle produce and fresh catch along Bangkok's riverways that's being featured.

4) England - What many consider an eye sore has now become an integral part of London's landscape. And the British candidate made the Millennium Eye a part of her costume.

5) Japan - The country's growing manga culture is captured in this beautifully concocted design inspired from animé characters.

6) Guatemala - Bright and eye-pleasing in its aesthetics, this temple-inspired structure appeared weightless despite its size.

7) Cambodia - This opulent recreation of a deity speaks of its country's deep-rooted faith in Buddhism.

8] Spain - This resplendent flamenco ensemble, complete with the fan, reminded me of the late Miss Universe 1974 Amparo Muňoz who was crowned in Manila. This is one of the traditional dresses that shone in the competition.

9) Korea - This fabulous finery speaks for itself. And it's not easy to wear, mind you. Fans of Korean telenovelas would tell you that the hanbok is palace-worthy!

10) Brazil - This calypso-inspired ensemble takes us back to the Rio carnival and all its street-dancing madness. Ole!

"The candidate who is ready to work with the organization makes the cut. After the swimsuit and costume competitions, interview, and preliminaries, there will be fifteen girls who will be considered for the title. To be on the Top 5, a candidate must make lesser flaws and or mistakes. She should remain professional at all times in all our activities. She must possess a good personality and good attitude, and knows how to control heself in situations that require restraint," said MGI president Nawat Itsaragrisil, during an exclusive interview with Thailand-based pageant site, M Pageantry.

"We are not.concerned with the mentality or politics of other people. They are not Samantha Bernardo. I told her, during the closed-door interview, not to apologize for others as the situation did not happen because of her doing," he continued.

The MGI organization spent over $1.5-million for the production of the entire pageant's staging. "I spent the money from my own pocket. I did not seek outside aid because I know that monetary resources now are needed for Covid-19 funding," Mr. Nawat said at the close of the interview that was conducted during the technical rehearsals at Show DC Hall.

Fans of the candidates may vote for their favorites to reach the Top 10 by using *789 on the Star app. Stay tuned for coming updates leading to the coronation night.