Miss Universe : InStyle.com What's Right Now

Matt Brown/Miss Universe; Richard Bord/Getty

Miss USA/Miss Universe’s Pageant Gown Designer: ‘We Broke the Mold’

Dec 20, 2012 @ 4:17 pm

When Miss USA Olivia Culpo took home the top tiara last night at the Miss Universe pageant, she walked across the stage in a red carpet-ready velvet gown from Georges Hobeika’s fall 2012 couture collection. “When Miss Culpo and the fashion director of the Miss Universe Organization approached me about selecting this gown, I knew they wanted to do something drastically different and to break the mold of the typical pageant evening gown,” the celebrity-loved Lebanese designer exclusively told InStyle.com. Now, Culpo joins Eva Longoria, Beyoncé, Miranda Lambert, and more famous faces who have all worn his designs. “I loved that Miss Culpo was so confident about wanting to make a statement, because that is very essence of why and how I design.” It’s no wonder celebrity-loved stylist Brad Goreski (amongst other judges) chose her as the reigning queen!

Plus, see what the rest of the top five wore!

miss universe

MORE:
• Miss USA 2011′s Winning Dress
• OPI’s Miss Universe-Inspired Nail Polish
• Ladies in Tiaras: Movie Princesses

— Meghan Blalock

Miss Universe 2012 Hairstyles: Bouncy Blowouts Won Big

Dec 20, 2012 @ 12:57 pm

David Becker/Getty (4); Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty

Goodbye stiff updos, hello bouncy waves! While many pageant contenders opt for prom-esque chignons, the ladies of the Miss Universe competition last night broke the tradition with soft, voluminous blowouts. The styles worn by Gabriela Markus (Miss Brazil), Renee Ayris (Miss Australia), Agnes Konkoly (Miss Hungary), winner Olivia Culpo (Miss USA), and Melinda Bam (Miss South Africa) were among our favorites, and we like how the carefree styles allowed their glamorous ensembles to take center stage. Culpo later swept her hair into an oversized bun before taking the crown, but the soft curls and sexy volume of these looks certainly warrant a tiara and sash. Want to try the winning hairstyle on yourself? Click through our gallery to see our tips!

YOU CAN DO: BOUNCY WAVES

MORE:
• Olivia Culpo Wins Miss Universe 2012!
• Coming Soon: Miss Universe Perfume
• OPI’s Miss Universe Nail Polishes

— Marianne Mychaskiw

Miss Universe 2012: Miss USA Olivia Culpo Wins the Crown!

Dec 20, 2012 @ 10:51 am

Richard Harbaugh/Miss Universe Organization

Miss USA scored a win for the red, white, and blue at the annual Miss Universe pageant last night! Twenty-year-old Rhode Island native Olivia Culpo beat out 88 other contestants to take home the most prized crown in the cosmos—the first Miss USA to do so in 15 years—during an ultra-glitzy Las Vegas affair co-hosted by Giuliana Rancic and Andy Cohen. Not only did she win the tiara, Culpo also won herself a luxury apartment and a scholarship, as well as $84,000 of additional prizes. “What an honor! This night was a dream come true. Thank you everyone for your support tonight!! USA finally did it!” Culpo Tweeted at the competition’s close. Culpo looked stunning as she accepted her new crown, walking across the stage in a velvet Georges Hobeika Couture gown from the fall 2012 collection. Congrats, Olivia, and USA!

Plus, who made the top five? Click through the gallery to see who placed, and what they wore!

— Meghan Blalock

See the Photos

Miss Universe 2012: The Pageant Airs Tonight on NBC!

Dec 19, 2012 @ 4:20 pm

Getty; AP Images; Miss Universe Organization L.P

Who’s the fairest in all the Milky Way? We’ll find out tonight when the Miss Universe pageant airs live from Las Vegas on NBC at 8 p.m. EST! Last year, Leila Lopes from the African country of Angola (above, center) took home the top tiara, beating out 88 other contestants for bragging rights and a year-long contract as a goodwill ambassador for The Miss Universe Organization, complete with luxury apartment and scholarship, and $84,000 of additional prizes. Bubbling Bravo personality Andy Cohen and E!’s Giuliana Rancic will play co-hosts to tonight’s events, with celebrity stylist Brad Goreski serving as one of the judges alongside singer Cee Lo Green, fashion photographer Nigel Barker, and Kourtney Kar dashian’s husband Scott Disick. Cohen is already in heavy preparations for the show, as he Tweeted that he was in a tux by 10 a.m. this morning, and Instagrammed a shot of Miss USA, Rhode Island’s Olivia Culpo, backstage. Tune in tonight to see Culpo and all the other contestants from every corner of the known universe compete for the crown!

See the top five contestants from last year’s pageant!

miss universe

MORE:
• Miss USA 2011′s Winning Dress
• OPI’s Miss Universe-Inspired Nail Polish
• Ladies in Tiaras: Movie Princesses

— Meghan Blalock

Coming Soon: Perfume Inspired by Miss Universe

Dec 19, 2012 @ 3:30 pm

Courtesy of Valerie Macon/Miss Universe Organization

Talk about a winning scent! The Miss Universe Organization has teamed up with Omni Scents to create three crown-worthy fragrances inspired by the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants. ”The Miss Universe fragrance collection will express the extraordinary feminine allure and aspirational glamour embodied by the pageants, and the outstanding women who win the titles,” said Omni Scents founder and president Neil J. Katz. “We hope to tap into that mindset, and with each fragrance, create an aura that makes every girl feel confidently beautiful.” The Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA scents hit stores in June, but the specific notes in each fragrance are yet to be revealed. The three competition winners will act as a muse for each perfume, so be sure to catch the Miss Universe competition at 8 PM EST tonight on NBC to find out who inspires the first fragrance!

Plus, see more celebrity fragrances in our gallery.

CELEBRITY SCENTS

MORE:
• OPI’s Miss Universe Nail Polishes
• Olivia Culpo Wins Miss USA 2012
• Miss Universe: See Last Year’s Highlights!

— Marianne Mychaskiw

Landov

Miss Universe 2011: See the Winner and Top 5 Contestants’ Evening Looks!

Sep 13, 2011 @ 11:00 am

Congratulations, Miss Angola! Leila Lopes of the African country Angola beat out 88 other beauty queens for the ultimate title of Miss Universe last night. The 25-year-old ran on the platform of AIDS awareness, and won over the hearts of the audience with her answer to the final interview question about what on her body she would change. “I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said. “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty.” Miss Universe 2010 Ximena Navarrete crowned the new winner with the coveted tiara. Who also placed? Click through to see the top five contestants, and see the evening gowns that shot them to the top of the ranks.

MORE: Miss USA 2010′s Winning Style

— Sharon Clott

See the Photos

Courtesy of OPI

OPI to Launch Miss Universe Collection!

Jun 21, 2011 @ 9:00 am

Still riding the Miss USA pageant momentum? Don’t stop now! Now that Miss USA Alyssa Campanella won the crown, she will go on to compete in Miss Universe on September 12th. In honor of the competition, OPI teamed up with the Miss Universe Organization to launch the Miss Universe nail polish collection! The line includes four beauty queen-ready shades, from a vibrant bikini blue to a dazzling tiara silver, hues that would shimmer just right on a perfectly-manicured waving pageant girl hand. The polishes are priced at $8.50 each and hit stores in August, just in time for the world event. Score a sneak peek at the new shades in the gallery now!

— Marianne Mychaskiw

See the Photos

Mark Ralston/Getty

Miss Universe 2010′s Winning Style

Aug 24, 2010 @ 11:09 am

Last night, 22-year-old Jimena Navarrete of Guadalajara, Mexico, nabbed the title of Miss Universe 2010 after back-to-back wins by Venezuela at the Las Vegas-held pageant. Hosted by Bret Michaels and Natalie Morales—judges included supermodel Niki Taylor, Olympic figure skater Evan Lysacek, Jane Seymour, Criss Angel, and William Baldwin—Navarrete was crowned wearing an asymmetrical red satin dress by Sherri Hill with oversize chandelier earrings and a red gemstone-studded bracelet by Diamond Nexux Labs. “I chose a red dress because this year Mexico is celebrating 200 years of independence, and this color has a lot of meaning [to Mexican culture],” Navarrete said. Click through the gallery to see more of the gown’s details, plus her other looks from last night’s ceremony, including her sexy swimsuit!