New Delhi: During the National Costume Round of the 71st edition of the Miss Universe pageant, India’s representative, 25-year-old model Divita Rai went on stage as a ‘Sone ki Chidiya‘ or ‘golden bird’, in a shiny golden outfit with wings. The pageant, which is scheduled to be held on 14 January at the Ernest N. Moral Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, will have over 80 delegates from across the globe competing for the crown.
With flapping wings, Divita graced the stage — personifying India’s rich, cultural heritage. She also wore accompanying golden headgear and jewellery to complete the look.
However, people on the internet have mixed feelings about Rai’s gleaming outfit. While some called her look, ‘elegant’, others said that such an idea was a ‘disappointment’.
The dress, which has turned heads online, was put together by Delhi-based fashion designer, Abhishek Sharma. In an Instagram post, the designer talked about the ensemble and promoted India’s artisans, saying, “The intense gold metallic hand embellishments are a true example of the finest craftsmanship of our artisans. The lehenga is made from a hand-woven tissue fabric from the Chanderi District of Madhya Pradesh with the drape representing the image of a modern India.”
Apart from representing India’s culture, Sharma also hoped to promote India under a spiritual light through this ensemble.
“Our country is so diverse in terms of culture, traditions and ethics. Thus, it was very important to combine all of these together in a cohesive way. This time, we went ahead with the idea of India being known as ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ or the ‘Golden Bird‘. It is, in a sense, representative of the serenity, purity, and spiritual angle of our country in a modern light,” he said.
Evlin Khalifa, representing Bahrain, too showed up in entirely golden attire. Her outfit was called ‘Al-dahr’, meaning ‘forever’ in Arabic. She said that her national costume represents the golden celebration of the Middle Eastern country
Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel too, celebrated her country by wearing an outfit called ‘Woman on the Moon’. By choosing to showcase her home state Houston’s space credentials, her costume sought to make an ode to Nasa’s upcoming mission to send the first woman on the moon.
Also read: Former Miss Indias making ‘fashion to Forbes’ transition. Entrepreneurship is their new crown