Oh My Dee! Let's take a closer look at Michelle Dee's remarkable evening gown during Miss Universe 2023!
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Nov. 22, Miss Universe Phillipines shared the details of the gown that Michelle wore during the international competition's evening gown segment, which was inspired by iconic Apo Whang-Od, a 106-year-old mambabatok from Kalinga, Province.
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The skintone and black color combination gown was designed by renowned international fashion designer Mark Bumgarner.
Embroided on the gowns are symbolic lines such as day and Nighty/Hourglass/Rice mortar, which mean spiritual shield, creation, ferility, and sustenance.
Lines called Fern, which means fertility, strength, health, and safe passage to the land of the dead, while the Snake Skin means safety, protection, health, shielding, and strength.
Bumgarner commented on Miss Universe Phillipines' post and pointed out some other details.
"Thank you! @themissuniverseph just to add , theres also a symbol that means day and night , the diagonal black and white line in the abdominal area, and coiled snake symbol on the shoulders.:-)," the designer said in his comment.
In a separate post on Monday, Nov. 20, Bumgarner expressed how proud he was to Michelle.
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"Every stitch, every beadwork was made with love and pride, for you and our country. We may not have advanced but working with you has been one of the highlights of my career. You brought pride to us all," he said.
According to Bumgarner, his design wants to portray the pintados or the Filipino tattoo art which is not just a costume but could be elevated and applied to an elegant evening gown.
"We wanted to show the Universe our vibrant culture and world class craftmanship combined," he said.
Miss Universe 2023 was held last Sunday, November 19, at El Salavador, where Michelle finished as one of the TOP 10 finalists.
