Rachel Peters, the Philippines candidate to the Miss Universe 2017 paraded in her national costume during the pageant’s preliminaries in Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, Saturday evening.
In her Instagram account, she posted, “A modern twist of the legendary Sarimanok. A symbol of good fortune for the Maranao people.”
The Filipina beauty queen was dazzling in her golden Sarimanok bathing suit costume, designed by Dubai-based Filipino fashion designer Val Taguba and gladiator shoes custom-made by Jojo Bragais.
The revealing costume drew mixed reactions from Filipino netizens, saying it’s not a traditional Philippine costume and don’t represent the country’s culture.
But some others were saying that it’s a new and bold concept to show the Philippines in a modern way.
Rachel Peters, #MissUniverse Philippines 🇵🇭, during the National Costume Presentation. #MissUniverse2017 #MissPhilippines
Photos 📸 Voltaire Tayag pic.twitter.com/u1axuVBLao
— Miss Philippines 🇵🇭 (@MISSPHILIPPlNES) November 19, 2017
The body to die for!!! #MissUniversePhilippines on her national costume. #MissUniverse #Philippines pic.twitter.com/mV9n7pxVTe
— jay harris (@jayharris0923) November 19, 2017