Before Catriona Gray left for Bangkok, Thailand, to become Miss Universe, fashion designer Mak Tumang and his team prepared three gowns that she would wear for the preliminaries and finals night.
The fashion world admired the Ibong Adarna inspired gown that Catriona wore during the evening gown preliminary competition and the Mayon Volcano-themed dress, which the statuesque beauty effortlessly donned despite its weight of 10 kilos, during the finals.
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But where is the third gown?
In a Facebook post, Tumang unveiled the third gown that Catriona was supposed to wear during the Thai Silk Night or an option as a preliminary dress.
He described the never-before-seen ensemble as Perla Oriente, a gold and turquoise high-slit dress which, like the first two gowns, is emblazoned with meticulously hand-placed crystals and pearls and embellished with patriotic symbolism.
“Pearl of the Orient Seas is the name given to our beautiful country, the Philippines. Even our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal referred the country with this sobriquet in his poem: Mi último adiós,” Tumang wrote in his social media post.
“Aside from the fact that our country is one of the largest producers of pearls, the Philippines is truly a gem! It is beautiful, enchanting and captivating. Indeed a high value and rare pearl! This piece in itself is an extolment of the Philippines,” he added.
The one-shoulder gown, including the two Catriona wore during the preliminaries and finals night, took Tumang and his team nearly four months to complete. They were crafted by 16 artisans, weigh almost 30 kilos, and cost more than P1 million—truly apt for the queen of the universe.
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