PH Miss Universe representative Catriona Gray delivers stunning performance during preliminaries

My preliminary gown was inspired by the ‘Ibong Adarna’: a prominent Filipino folklore that is a mythological bird. Story goes, the Ibong Adarna’s enchanting voice can enable complete healing to anyone who hears it. Some artists liken it to the mythological Phoenix where it recurrently regenerates itself by arising amidst a spectacle of flames and candescence. This makes it a fitting symbol of resilience, rising and rebirth. (Photo: @catriona_gray/Instagram)

Twenty-four-year-old Catriona Gray from Albay easily became a crowd favorite during the Miss Universe 2018 preliminaries that occurred in Bangkok, Thailand last Thursday, December 13 as she wowed pageant fans worldwide with her performances during both swimsuit and evening gown portions.

One particular highlight of Catriona’s performance included her “slow-mo twirl” while sporting a pink one-piece, that included a hair flip and fierce facial expression which she admits to ABS-CBN was intentional, but not expected to cause so much noise. In the interview, she jokes, “I don’t know, that wasn’t me. It just happened that way.”

For the evening gown portion, Catriona also made headlines as her self-designed outfit, which was created by Mak Tumang, paid homage to the Filipino epic “Ibong Adarna.” She shares, “Every single stone was hand-placed, so when you think of that – and it’s how many different tones of crystals, just the effort and love that went into this dress – I feel so proud and so honored to wear it.” She also sported dangling earrings by Tessera Jewelry to represent her home country, reporting that “The design is another ode to the Philippine sun and golden South sea pearls, our national gem.”

The day after preliminaries, Catriona also re-posted videos of her entire performance from the night, captioned, “Philippines, it brings me so much joy to carry you across my heart. Laban tayo!”

When asked what her strategy is for the finals, Catriona answers that she “just wants to be in the right headspace,” stating, “I want to enjoy at the end of the day because I’ve already prepared, so it’s my time to enjoy.”

Catriona will be competing for the 67th Miss Universe crown in Thailand on Monday, December 17 at Impact, Muang Thong Thani in the hopes of bringing the Philippines their fourth title after 1969’s Gloria Diaz, 1973’s Margie Moran, and 2015’s Pia Wurtzbach.