Chelsea Manalo wears national costume inspired by religions in the Philippines

Chelsea Manalo paid homage to the Philippines' religions with her national costume during the Miss Universe preliminary competition on Friday.

The Filipina beauty queen, who hails from Bulacan, wore a gold dress with white sleeves. She also had on a silver and gold headpiece and held two fans as she walked, reminiscent of what is used in the Philippine Muslim ethnic dance, the singkil. Chelsea’s dress had a bright blue train with an image of the Virgin Mary.

The Miss Universe preliminary competition kicked off in Mexico on Friday, hosted by previous winners, R’Bonney Gabriel from the USA and Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua.

Chelsea will vie for the country's fifth Miss Universe crown on the coronation night on November 16 (November 17, Philippine time).

The 25-year-old won the Miss Universe Philippines 2024 crown in May, making her the first Filipino-Black American candidate to ever win the national title.

Chelsea has stunned audiences with her portraits and outfits, even getting support from supermodel Tyra Banks. —Nika Roque/JCB, GMA Integrated News