The moment that we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived—the Miss Universe crown returned to the Philippines. After making a bold case for our national costume and dominating the pageant’s runway in a bejeweled gown by Mak Tumang during the preliminary competition, Catriona Gray once more made the whole nation proud in every possible way at the coronation night.
Aside from the fact that she indeed has the beauty, heart, and wit, her coronation night wouldn’t be complete without the brilliant creativity of the designer of Catriona’s gown. Primarily inspired by the beauty of the Mayon volcano, Mak Tumang created another sensational bejeweled evening gown for Miss Philippines.
In Mak Tumang’s Instagram post, the designer explained that story behind the now iconic dress, “folktales have it that the Mayon volcano was named after the mythological heroine ‘Daragang Magayon’ (Beautiful Lady).” He considers Catriona as the perfect example of the modern-day Daragang Magayon for she embodies the Filipina’s beauty, intelligence, and burning passion.
As her walk was dubbed the “lava walk” because of how she is capable to “simply glide, sway, turn, and erupt,” her gown also impeccably channeled the pulchritude and grace of the lava’s flow. In the long run, the countless crystal embellishments allowed our reigning Miss Universe to become a blazing phoenix ready to rise above everyone.
