Miss Bahamas — Braneka Bassett
Sporting pearls, feathers, and a hundred shades of pink, Bassett could be mistaken for an extra in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. But this Bahama Mama insists that her dress actually represents the Flamingo, the national bird of the Bahamas.
Miss Switzerland — Linda Faeh
Fed up with her government's neutral foreign policy, Miss Switzerland plans to dye her next dress using fellow contestants' blood if she doesn't make the Top 15. If she does qualify, she'll celebrate by serving rösti on her shield.
Miss Honduras — Kenia Martinez
Did you hear the one about the drag queen who got in a fight with the cheetah who ate a feathered animal? The result was a dress for Miss Honduras (we kid because we love).
Miss Kazakhstan — Assel Kuchukova
Can anyone say "You go girl!" in Kazakh? One of this year's oldest contestants, 27-year old Kuchukova proves you can show off your curves without sacrificing your dignity. She also brings goodwill to the traditionally catty pageant circuit: her traditional Kazak headpiece features flags representing all 82 of her competitors
... (though perhaps in the interests of good taste, that particular photo wasn't made available so we're left with a more traditional offering). MORE
Miss Puerto Rico — Mariana Paola Vicente
A friend of the environment, Miss Puerto Rico balances exotic flowers on her right shoulder, pulls an elegant train of ferns, and dispenses rainwater from her left arm. Despite Vicente's effort at going green, we worry her sizzling look will only end up contributing to global warming.
Miss Zambia — Alice Musukwa
Whether strutting down the runway or retrieving water from a well, a true fashionista always pairs her calabash jug with the most appropriate gourd bra. Miss Zambia adds phallus-shaped gourds to her dress to give it that extra something.
Miss Dominican Republic — Eva Arias
With her two-foot high Swarovski-encrusted antennae, this Central American beauty never has to worry about TV reception ever again. During the national costume presentation, she brandished a silver whip, perhaps to illustrate the country's uncomfortable history with slavery.
Miss France — Malika Menard
From the home of haute couture comes a woman with a miniature Eiffel Tower on her head. Surely Yves Saint Laurent is rolling in his grave.
Miss USA — Rima Fakih
You may not know it from her stiletto boots or golden brazier, but Miss USA seeks to embody the bald eagle featured on the seal of the president of the United States. In a
video message addressed to President Obama, Fakih explained that her large wings — manufactured by the firm behind the famous Victoria's Secret wings —
... "represent the celebration of love, liberty and all that is American." MORE
Miss Peru — Giuliana Zevallos
Zevallos may have confused the pageant with a costume party: she resembles a matador wearing a lampshade. We applaud her use of color anyway. Olé!
Miss Haiti — Sarodj Bertin
A number of Haitians criticized local pageant officials for staging a beauty contest in the aftermath of the country's devastating January earthquake. But when the 23-year old Bertin literally spread her wings to reveal red roses and images of those affected by the disaster, she made it clear that she is leveraging fashion to
... raise national spirits. "Everybody remembers Haiti in moments of crisis," she told the AP recently. "I want them to see also the beauty that there is in my country."
MORE
Miss Great Britain — Tara Vaitiere Hoyos
As their government prepares to slash public sector jobs and reign in welfare benefits, Britons can rest assured that pageant contestants are suffering too. Bypassing expensive British labels like Burberry and Vivienne Westwood, Britain's 20-year old beauty queen donned a Beefeater costume and threw in wet-look leggings. One
... British paper has already compared her costume to "a cheap souvenir."
MORE
Miss Australia — Jesinta Campbell
In an apparent effort to rock "outback chic," Miss Australia brings together a multi-layered silk skirt, a lambs wool shrug and a one-piece swimsuit hand-painted by an indigenous artist (we're not kidding). Ahead of the pageant, PETA urged the 18-year old Campbell to ditch her high-heeled Ugg boots because they are allegedly
... sourced from mulesed sheep. It may have been more effective for PETA to mention that the boots lost their fashion currency years ago, and now merely put the Ugg in ugly.
MORE
Miss Belgium — Cilou Annys
Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin may have won nine grand slam singles titles between them, but to say that tennis paraphernalia captures Belgian culture is pretty lame — and lazy to boot. Couldn't you have worn a chocolate-colored gown with shades of Godiva and Leonidas instead? That would have been Game, Set and Match.
Japan — Maiko Itai
If you've clicked through this far, your eyes are probably bleeding. We'd like to leave you with a classier, less offensive image courtesy of Miss Japan. The 26-year old Itai re-interprets a traditional Geisha costumes with bold colors, and she plays on proportion with a fan large enough to cool a sumo wrestler. Whether you
... speak Japanese or not, the central theme of this dress — as with so many in this gallery — comes through loud and clear: fabulous. MORE
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