Friday, July 18, 2008 Tuxedo touché By Leticia Suarez-Orendain
SHE stood out among the row of long-stemmed, hothouse roses. Your impression of her is that of an orchid blooming from a graceful stem.
Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori’s break from pageant tradition can be likened to what Coco Chanel did for fashion in the 1910s: she freed women from cumbersome clothes by popularizing the little black dress and the minimalist approach to accessories.
Riyo has done the unthinkable also; a kind of touché (a good response) to convention.
On July 14, she made her Miss Universe farewell walk in a stylized black tuxedo topped by an off-white blouse with a plunging neckline.
Apart from hiding and yet amply revealing her twin assets, the tuxedo was all business in statement. Some people even said she looked ordinary especially because she did not wear a tiara.
It was business, indeed. This year, Mikimoto was not a sponsor. The one-year contract went to the renowned Vietnamese CAO Fine Jewelry. So that’s why Mori was deprived of her Mikimoto tiara. In a way, she was cheated of her right to the symbol of sovereignty.
A flowing gown without a tiara doesn’t complete the picture. So Riyo chose a wise solution by treating the entire pageant as nothing but work and business.
She underscored this by wearing her hair in a neat ponytail, a sleek contrast to Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza’s feline mane.
However, there is nothing ordinary about Riyo. Last year, she vowed not to wear fur and declared herself an animal lover.
“I will say this out loud: I will not wear fur. I love animals and I agree with those who oppose wearing fur products,” Riyo told AFP.
And then the moment arrived.
She strode across the stage in quick steps, loose pants swishing as she resolutely moved to her exit.
It was almost as if she were going to a business meeting. Perhaps it’s the business of finding her beat, her voice and her dream beyond being a beauty queen.
Unwittingly, she will be remembered as dearly as we remember Chanel. Both women stand out as graceful icons of womanhood under the pressure of a society that insists on rubberstamp beauty.
