Michelle Dee wore a green gown for the Miss Universe 2023 prelims
Filipina beauty queen Michelle Dee honored her mother Melanie Marquez through her green gown in the preliminary competition of Miss Universe 2023.
The beauty queen/actress received overwhelming support from Filipinos for the prelims. Michelle showcased a gown created by designer Mark Bumgarner. While walking on the amazing Miss Universe stage with her signature “pasarela,” Michelle confidently flaunted her green sparking gown.
After the evening gown portion in the prelims, Michelle shared a video on her Instagram page with Mark.
“An ode to my family legacy and a gem to my country, ang minamahal kong #FILIPINAS,” she wrote in the caption of her post. In another post, she thanked the designer and her team for this.
On Instagram, Mark Bumgarner shared the story behind this beautiful gown he created for the Filipina beauty queen. He said that it was a tribute to Michelle’s mother, Filipina Icon, Melanie Marquez.
Melanie won the Miss International in 1979. She was the first Filipina who got the crown for this beauty pageant title. Before flying to El Salvador to personally support her daughter, Melanie admitted in an interview what she was feeling. It was a mixed emotion for her but she is definitely confident that Michelle will do a great job in representing the Philippines.
Mark shared a series of photos showing the inspiration and the process of how it became as it was. He also included a photo of a green viper which symbolism also reflected Michelle Dee’s personality.
“This evening gown is encrusted with thousands of different shades of emerald green and black Swarovski crystals. I wanted it to shimmer just like a skin of a green viper; a symbol of wisdom, power, and transformation,” the designer shared.
The green color is also Michelle’s “nod to her advocacy for autism awareness,” based on the shared by Vogue Philippines. This green gown that Michelle Dee wore for the Miss Universe 2023 prelims was lauded by past beauty queens like Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and Miss World 2013 Megan Young.