MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of her stage appearance for the National Costume segment, Miss Universe 2021 posted a spoiler video of Miss Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez's national costume during the Miss Universe 2021 preliminaries held in Eilat, Israel today.
That did not stop the beauty queen from still stealing the show as she sashayed on stage in an elaborate turquiose blue costume with huge shimmering accents in gold.
For her national costume, Gomez once again collaborated with fellow Cebuano Axel Que.
Bea's costume was inspired by the Visayan “Moon-Eating Dragon." Only this time, the “Bakunawa," or the dragon sea serpent with Bicolano and Visayan deity origins, was showcased in its most glorious phase. It was embellished with more intricate and bigger accents, such as sleeves with dragon-like craftsmanship meant to portray the moon-swallowing mythical creature. It was complemented with huge gold accessories and a marvelous crown by jeweler Manny Halasan, gladiator sandals by Jan Montalban, and styling and curation by Edward Castro.
Bea looked ethereal as she truly gave life to the Visayan folk creature through her costume.
"I wanted to continue my narrative of the Bakunawa, and I’m taking my artistic license to a whole new level," Que said of his "Golden Lunar Dragon" opus in an Instagram post.
"The initial version was a bit restrained, it was more of a Drake (video game jargon used for a dragon’s stage of evolution), which is basically mid-life cycle. I wanted to take everyone on this journey of growth and maturity, not just for the costume itself, but also as a metaphor for Bea’s personal evolution.
"I am proud to present my Bakunawa’s final form: The Golden Lunar Dragon. This is a personal, hypothetical envisioning of what the Bakunawa would look like had it succeeded in devouring the last moon. I chose gold to render the whole piece in because aside from its divine beauty, it is considered as the perfect element ( because it’s chemically one of the least reactive ), and to hopefully imbue this characteristic to the wearer, much like an enchanted armor," he added.
"I believe that this final rendition of the Bakunawa, will serve as the perfect conclusion to this design chapter in my life. I’ve poured so much of myself into engineering this garment, and I am filled with so much joy to be able to share this project of unbridled artistry and craftsmanship. I couldn’t think of a better punctuation."