Today I had the pleasure of joining Miss SA, Tamaryn Green, at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, to celebrate her farewell ahead of her departure to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. It feels like each time I am in the presence of Tamaryn, she seems to be more radiant and beautiful than the previous time. Her confidence, her smile, her ability to captivate her audience with the way that she speaks in public, makes one, or at least me, feel very proud to have her represent our beautiful country.
Tamaryn also revealed two of her outfits. Here are more details about each of them:
This is her breath-taking official national costume which pays homage to the Blue Crane.
It was designed by Malikah Hajee and Lloyd Kandlin and their team at The Costume Department, while Galluzzi e Gini has designed a number of her outfits including
the farewell gown.
Hajee explains that the Costume Department took inspiration for the show-stopping national costume from South Africa’s national bird, the blue crane: “More than 1000 bluish grey and black feathers have been hand placed on the costume and resemble underwing feathers.
The headpiece is encrusted with crystals depicting the beak. The custom feather print fabric is designed
locally. The structured, tailored jacket is reflective of the esteem that blue crane feathers are held in within some African cultures such as Xhosa, Zulu and Ndebele.
Chiefs were bestowed with the honour of wearing blue crane feathers for their acts of bravery and hunting prowess.”
Galluzzi e Gini has designed Green’s farewell dress, her
preliminary dress as well as the finale dress for Miss Universe.
“Working with her has been incredible and she has been the
biggest inspiration for the designs we are creating. Tamaryn is our idea of the
modern 21st century woman; one that exudes confidence, intelligence and beauty,
and whatever we put on her we always want her to be the star with simple and
clean lines, modern shapes and cuts and silhouettes that highlight her frame
and her personality,” they say.
“Inspiration for the farewell gown (below) has been drawn from current trends in fabrics and silhouettes that can be seen on Bella Hadid or Kendal Jenner. This dress is cheeky and sexy, with a lot of sheer elements and cut-outs. We
want the dresses to be modern and adaptable so that they can be worn on the red carpet as well as on the stage of Miss Universe.” according to
Miss Universe 2018 takes place on Monday, December 17, in Bangkok in Thailand and South Africans are hoping for a consecutive win as reigning Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa will crown her successor at the end of the event.
Miss Universe is known for only one “double win” in its history – Venezuela’s Dayana Mendoza and Stefanía Fernández took the crown consecutively in 2008 and 2009.
Suzette van der Merwe, on behalf of the Miss South Africa Organisation, announced that South Africa is currently the top pageant country in the world based on wins and finalists in the Top 10.
The 67th edition of the pageant features contestants from 95 countries, surpassing the previous record of 92 contestants in 2017, and is watched by millions of people around the globe.
Twenty-four-year-old
Green, from Paarl in the Western Cape, was crowned Miss South Africa 2018 in
May this year. At the time of winning the title, she was a sixth and final year
medical student at the University of Cape Town with her sights set on
specialising in paediatrics once she qualifies.
Green explains how her preparations for Miss Universe
are going: “The training is going very well. There is a lot more that goes into
it than people think. It requires mental, physical and emotional preparation
which includes practicing hair, make up, styling, public speaking, keeping fit
and so much more. However, I am confident that I will do South Africa proud and
will give it my all. I can’t wait to represent our beautiful and vibrant
country on a global platform.”
The Miss Universe Pageant will be
screened live from Bangkok on DStv on Monday, December 17, at 02h00 (SA time).
Miss World South Africa 2018, Thulisa
Keyi, will be competing in the Miss World contest which will be held on
December 8 in Sanya, China.
Go to:
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Website: misssa.co.za
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Facebook: facebook.com/MsSouthAfrica
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Twitter: @Official_MissSA
Ø Instagram: @official_misssa
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YouTube: youtube.com/TheMissSAPageant
I don’t know if I like the Blue Crane outfit, I am in mixed minds about it. She is however stunning so I guess it doesn’t matter what she wears.
She is amazing!!
I know right, I feel amazed even more each time I hear her speak. What a fantastic ambassador for South Africa
Miss Green is beautiful. She Looks divine in the Black dress.
and she has an equally (if not more) beautiful personality, I am amazed every time I am in her midst and hear her speak – such a natural.