MANILA, Philippines — As expected, the candidates brought the ante several notches higher with fabulous creations in the evening gown preliminary competition. But the plethora also made our work of choosing the standouts so much easier.
Leading the race is Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2021 Samantha Alexandra Panlilio, who simply stunned spectators with her hand-embroidered sheer cape gown by fashion designer Rhian Fernandez. The creation simply enthralled against the backdrop of gleaming cascades in a rainforest.
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The gem-encrusted gossamer gown still left much for the imagination, and the shoulder detail paid homage to everything Asian-- from the minarets of temples and mosques to the sleeves of puppets in Asian theater. Yet again, it could also be the inverted form of a skiff, that coincidentally is her moniker — SamPan.
Other standouts in the gown segment were: Vanessa Carolina Coello of Venezuela, with her high-collared fully-beaded ensemble with filigreed sleeves and shoulder train; Lorena Rodriguez of Brazil, who wore a crimson feather-infused bustier; Viviane Diaz Arroyo of Puerto Rico's golden spangle-decked bodyhugger; and Barbora Aglerova of Czech Republic in her form-fitting, body-revealing golden number with shoulder bead filigrees.