FLY HIGH | Michelle Dee stuns, soars in national costume as bid for Miss Universe continues

November 17, 2023 , 02:39 PM

By Martin Dale Bolima

(November 16, 2023) – Michelle Marquez Dee continued her quest to bring back the Miss Universe title to the Philippines on Friday, strutting the runway in a unique, aircraft-inspired, “solihiya”-adorned getup for the much-anticipated national costume competition of the annual pageant.

According to Dee’s post on Instagram, the Michael Barassi-crafted costume is a “salute to her role as an Air Force reservist.” She added that it’s also an homage to the country’s “boundless adventures awaiting in the skies.”

The post described the attire as adoring Dee with the nation’s pride and heritage “with each thread woven into the ‘solihiya’ pattern, an iconic design used in the tropics of the Philippines.” The unique getup also “embraces her body flawlessly—unfolding the story of the islands’ unity and artistry.”

Additionally, Dee said it reflects the Philippines itself as “resilient, radiant, and ready to embrace the universe.”

Dee’s latest performance in the Miss Universe, which is being held in El Salvador, should only bolster her chances of making it to the top 20—a scenario that pageant vlogger Norman Tinio said is very likely. In three words, he described Dee’s stint in the preliminaries as “sharp, flawless, and clean.”

“Malinis ang lahat ng presentations ni Michelle,” Tinio said on One News’ The Big Story on Thursday. “What’s more interesting is to note that she also paid homage to her mother, Melanie Marquez, during her two presentations. So it’s a connection of different interesting details, actually. But over and above everything, she performed splendidly.”

He was also quite confident that the 28-year-old Dee, who draws inspiration from her mother, who was named Miss International in 1979, will bring the crown back to the Philippines.

“Let’s just say that I am positive about her chances,” Tinio said. “But at this point, let’s take it one step at a time. I’m very sure she will make the top 20. I’m also confident that she will make the top 10. If she aces both categories, she will make it to the top five, wherein dun na magsisimula ang kudaan.”

Should Dee make it that far, Tinio also expressed confidence that she will ace that part of the competition, particularly the highly anticipated question-and-answer portion.

“Having listened to Michelle being interviewed in the past, I know that she’s capable of acing her interviews kasi first of all, she has a very calming voice and whenever she speaks, you know that she’s not speaking from rehearsed answers. She’s speaking from the heart talaga—thinking on her feet, speaking from the heart.”

The actress-model, a product of De La Salle University, is looking to follow in the footsteps of Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018) as the only Filipino bets to have won Miss Universe.

The coronation night will be held this Sunday at the Jose Adolfo Pineda Arena.

(PM)

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