Every year, beauty pageant queens don elaborate costumes representing their country for the world-famous Miss Universe competition. Singaporean contestants have used this opportunity to make political statements, including some highly questionable ones, in the past.
For the pageant’s 71st edition this year, Miss Universe Singapore Carissa Yap donned a red sequin jumpsuit with 3D-printed orchids for the Preliminary National Costume Competition yesterday at the pageant held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
It was made with the help of renowned local couturiers Frederick Lee and Baëlf Design. According to the Miss Universe Singapore page, the white orchids are designed to look like “organic, vein-like structures” with petals giving the costume a high-rise collar and wings at the back.
The 3D-printed lattice is made up of more than 200 pieces including the five main ones on the upper torso, which apparently form the silhouette of Singapore.
Redditors did not shy away from giving their needless opinions. Some complimented her by saying that she looked “pretty” and “gorgeous” while others compared her to a “Primary 4 bread fungi experiment results” or a fungi creature from the horror game The Last of Us.
The 23-year-old National University of Singapore business student introduced herself “loud and proud” to the audience among the other 83 delegates at the pageant, said Miss Universe Singapore.
She also wore a sparkly gold dress designed by Lee for the Evening Gown Competition and a neon yellow swimsuit with a red cape that had printed peacock feathers and more orchids for the Swimsuit Competition.
In the previous edition of the pageant, Miss Universe Singapore 2021 Nandita Banna placed in the top sixteen and got Singapore into the semi-finals for the first time in 34 years. India’s Harnaaz Sandhu took home the winning title and will be crowning her successor when the competition continues tomorrow.
Watch the full National Costume Competition below:
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