December 2007 Archives

Sometimes we tend to think that Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss America are running the show as far as beauty pageants go, Miss America being the oldest beauty competition (1921). But there's a lot more going on in the whole wide world of beauty pageants. Some of the most popular world-wide pageants include Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss Earth, Miss International and Miss Asia Pacific International.
Miss Universe - Run by the Miss Universe Organization, the pageant was founded in 1952 by a California clothing company. The pageant was originally part of the Miss America competition, but the winner of the 1951 pageant refused to pose in a swimsuit during her reign. Sponsors withdrew from the competition and started the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. The contest is run through a partnership between television station NBC and Donald Trump. The pageant is held during one week in the summer and finalists are chosen based on preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competitions. The current titleholder is 20-year-old Riyo Mori from Japan.
Miss World - After its birth in 1951, Miss World has become the most "widely attended and broadcasted international beauty pageant." The final Miss World competition is the television event with the most viewers worldwide: up to two billion in more than 200 countries. The competition was originally held as a bikini contest and was supposed to be a one-time event. A few years after the pageant premiere, contestants started showcasing more modest swimsuits. The winner is crowned after a year of preliminary events. Each contestant must win her national title or a national preliminary contest. Before the final 20 delegates are chosen, they all participate in a month-long series of events, dinner, parties and galas. Another unique aspect of the Miss World pageant is that one contestant it automatically picked to be in the final 20 by winning a Fast Track event, which can range from beauty, talent, sports, modeling, personality, people's choice or contestant's choice. Miss World 2006 is Tatana Kucharova and she will crown Miss World 2007 at the 57th Miss World pageant on Dec. 1, 2007 in Sanya, China.

Miss Earth - Known as the third most prestigious international beauty pageant, Miss World is the right pageant for young contestants who are involved with environmental causes and Earth preservation. The organization is also very young, only founded in 2001 by Philipino company Carousel Productions, Inc. Another unique aspect of Miss World, aside from the dedication to environmental issues, is that it is the only major pageant that hold individual titles for runners-up. For example, the third runner-up is crowned Miss Fire, second runner-up is Miss Water and first runner-up is Miss Air. In the past, delegates have been taken from talent agencies to participate in the competition. But in 2005, controversy began to arise about accurate country representation and standards were set, asking participating countries to select contestants based on a national pageant. Miss World 2007 Jessica Trisko of Canada was recently crowned on Nov. 11, 2007.
Miss Asia Pacific International - Previously known as Miss Asia Quest, Miss Asia Pacific International is the oldest and the very first beauty pageant in Asia. It began as a regional pageant with participating countries from Asia and Oceania. In 1985, the pageant changed its vision to include countries that bordered the Pacific Ocean in North America, Central America and South America. However, the majority of the winners have been from the Philippines. There is currently no 2006 Miss Asia Pacific International due to a strike. The 2007 pageant will be held some time in November.

Is this your first beauty pageant? Feeling a bit lost, especially when it comes to picking out clothes for the competition? Well, fret no more because we're here to tell you a few secrets to help you achieve the best look for your beauty pageant.

First and foremost, it is extremely important for any contestant to dress her own age. If you are competing against girls who are a lot older or a lot younger than you, just keep in mind that the judges know how old you are and they will be able to notice disparities in age and dress. This goes for the evening gown competition and during the casual wear interview.

When choosing your casual wear, make sure that it is age appropriate and suits you in color and fit. You want something that you are able

to comfortably move around in. Also, ask yourself if you actually like your outfit. Does it make you feel good or just awkward? No matter what, you need to make sure that you can sell the outfit and make the judges like it.

Look at the winning dresses of the past. One thing you will notice is that most of them are designed by Sherri Hill. There are a few pictures here of Sherri Hill's recent winners.

And now for the talent competition. No matter what your talent may be, dancing, singing or gymnastics, what you decide to wear is a costume and it will really show off your entertainment style. Your costume should translate the image of your talent and convey a mood for the audience. You do not want to send mixed messages to the judges. They will just be confused and deduct points. If you are doing a singing act, the second you walk on stage sets the mood for the piece. It is a good idea to set the dress specifically to the song that you choose, but do not be literal. If you are singing a classical piece, your costume should be theatrical, especially if you are doing an operatic piece. Something traditional and symphonic-looking is ideal such as a costume with regal colors or rich velvet. For more contemporary songs the costume should just give more to the piece. Broadway or show tunes call for lots of shimmering pieces with rhinestones or glitz. These are the songs you can really have fun with.

If you are playing an instrument for the talent portion, think about the demands of your instrument while playing. If you are playing something like the flute or violin, the judges will focus on your face, so your dress should bring attention to the upper body. Choose a dress that has a detailed neckline, shoulders or sleeves. If the tune you choose to play is energetic and calls for a lot of movement, be sure to choose a dress or costume that allows you to move comfortably. If you are playing the piano, remember that the judges will probably be facing you from an angle or directly towards the piano keys. If they are facing the keys, they will also be facing your back, meaning the back of your dress has to be interesting. If you are facing the judges from an angle, then they will have the chance to also see your face. You will need attention there and also along the torso. Flowing trains and embellishments are going to work best if you are a pianist.

The talent where costume is the most important is definitely dancing, gymnastics or any athletic event. These talents are physically demanding and really need great costumes to reflect the performance's music. There are also many options for costuming that shows off your show biz side. You want whatever you wear to go directly with the music. For example, if you are doing ballet, any classical piece would require a classical outfit, like pink tights and a tutu. But if the song you are dancing to is more modern, pick something that reflects that image. You are giving the judges a real picture and costume, makeup and music all play a part.
Miss USA 2007
Rachel Smith
dress designed by Sherri Hill

Lifelong ballet dancer, Riyo Mori from a village near Mount Fuji won Miss Universe 2007. Mori wore a striking black gown with colored lapels for the final.

"My mind went blank," she said of the winning moment.

It's the season finale, and it's about time. I don't know about everyone else, but I've a pretty good time over the last few weeks just trying to make sense of the beauty queen world. But Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and, of course, Tara Conner have made it unbelievably difficult.
Especially when Katie and Josh start this week's episode off with a surprise. They are moving in together and they are already hunting for apartments in New York City. And Katie just has to tell the girls in the Trump Apartment. Geez Katie, I thought you hated Rachel. Why would you be rushing to go see her right after you gave your title away? Oh, I get it, she's still camera-hungry.
Rachel doesn't have to worry about Katie's "wonderful" news, because she has some of her own. After her graceful plummet at the Miss Universe pageant, Rachel is invited to model at Fashion Week, only the most important fashion show with the world's best fashion designers. Things are starting to look up for you, Rachel. Let's just hope that they don't call up Tara to walk too.
But Katie called her up to join her and Josh along with the other beauty queen for dinner and Josh is always the least pleasant person to be around in any social setting. He's so ignorant, it's embarrassing for even me to watch. Tara finally calls him out and dinner turns into a beauty queen bitch-fest. Katie walks out taking Josh's side and the girls are all behind Tara. Go figure because the whole world, with the exception of Katie, HATES Josh.
This is Rachel's time to shine. But she's psyching herself out about what happened at Miss Universe. Yes, Rachel you fell and it was an amazing tumble, but now you are at Fashion Week, so suck it up! And she does. Congratulations, you walked straight down an even strip without falling.

After all of the drama, Katie and Tara both decide that NYC is not the right place for them to be and the 2007 queens can really begin their reign. And in the last five seconds of the show, we finally catch a clip of Mr. Trump himself. After that, I have to say that the eight daunting episodes of Pageant Place were totally worth it.

Did you know that 66 percent of women in the United States wear a size 12 or larger? This makes shopping for special occasion and prom dresses even harder. It's extremely rare that a dress shop or a boutique would stock 66 percent of their gowns in a size 12 or larger. Thus the frustration begins. But, it doesn't have to. Shopping for prom dresses on the Internet is becoming more and more popular. While the thought can be scary, most online purchases are nothing but success stories. However, there are several things to think about considering the fact that you would not be trying on the exact same gown that you are ordering. Here are some tips to help you avoid having to return your purchase:

- It is important to know what you want and what looks good on you. Visit some local dress shops and figure out what styles and cuts look good on you. You are looking for something that is the right color and works well with your figure.

- The next thing to keep an eye out for is fabrics. This is another thing you can check out at a prom dress store. What textures do you like and what kind of low quality fabrics do you want to avoid? Most dress Web sites should provide information about the prom dress you are interested in such as the fabric and the kind of embellishments on it. Knowing what kind of fabric you like will help you narrow down your Internet search.

- Now it's time to get your measurements. You want to know down to the very inch your undergarments, chest, waist and hip size. Remember not to measure too tightly and to give yourself some breathing room. These are the numbers you should go by when picking a size. There are no standard American sizes, especially when it comes to prom dresses, so it is always best to go by what you know about your own measurements.

- If you know that your measurements are not proportionate, then choose the size that fits with your widest body part.This means that the other parts may be a little large, but it is always easier to take in the dress than to let it out.

- Now you are ready to really shop. There are hundreds of prom dress boutiques online. Use a search engine like Google or Yahoo if you don't know the name of a particular boutique.

- Sometimes plus size dresses have to be special ordered and take a little bit of extra time to be delivered. So, it is important that you order your dress in plenty of time before the wear date.

To get a head start on shopping online for plus size prom dresses, check out Tiza.com and our plus size store.

Swimsuit designer Jamye Shaw has been producing quality and stylish swimwear for pageant since the 1970s. Her extreme attention to detail, style and fit make her designs stand out from all the rest. She also has experience in designing interview suits and evening wear for beauty pageant competitions. Her long resume of pageant experience gives her an original perspective to the pageant industry. She understands pageant style and how to make any woman stand out during one of the most stressful stages of the pageant: the swimsuit competition. One of the best things about Jamye Shaw, Inc. is that her suits can be special ordered and designed to have the fabric, cut, color and accessories that you want in your dream pageant swimsuit.
It's true that Jamye's styles stand out with some of the finest European fabrics and handpicked accessories. Jamye makes sure that each fabric is comfortable, offers support through great linings and elastics and her suits are extremely fashionable. With a wide variety of colors, textures and styles, Jamye is able to stock a warehouse full of different designs. She also keeps a range of possible trimmings and embellishments for her swimsuits such as metallic rings, chains and other decorative hardware. Her brilliantly-cut rhinestone accessories are designed by the Swarovski Crystal Company, just for Jamye. With proper care, Jamye's suits are long-lasting and durable. Another plus is that her suits are all made in the United States and are sweatshop-free.

Jamye's stylish one-and-two-piece swimsuits have been seen on beauty pageant winners from across the nation. Miss New York 2003 Jessica Lynch says, "Never have I worn a swimsuit that was more comfortable, fit better or made me feel as beautiful as [Shaw's] suit. Having the ability to pick the color and style really helped me choose something that was appropriate and worked best for my figure. I enthusiastically recommend her to all my friends and anyone else who wants to be competitive in pageants."
Make your own testimonial and test yourself in Jamye Shaw's swimsuits. Check out some of her styles at Tiza.com.