THE name Ybonne Ortega may no longer be a stranger in the world of fashion and pageantry. With the numerous runway shows and beauty tilts she has joined since 2015, she has definitely built a record for herself.
I met this 21-year-old model-beauty queen from Davao City during a pageant late last year. One can easily notice her because of her looks. And the moment she shared her thoughts during the Q&A rounds, you would like her even more. Yes, she could be our next bet in the Binibining Pilipinas.
In an interview, Ybonne shared that her fashion style was somehow a journey for her.
“Before I even started joining pageants, clothes rarely excited me. I was a typical teenager who was simply trying to find my way in life. I had a laid-back and comfortable sense of style where I’d prefer clothes one or two times larger than my size because I thought wearing something too skimpy or fitted would negatively catch the attention of other people just as any introverted teen would think,” she said.
She also revealed that she merely followed what was in trend to fit in —not even knowing that in the pursuit of comfort with blending in, she lost the chance to share the uniqueness in her.
However, she eventually realized that clothes shouldn’t be worn out of following trends. Instead, it should be a reflection of one’s personality.
Following her latest win as Krishael’s Bridal Queen 2019, the first beauty and lifestyle pageant among women in Mindanao, something has changed.
According to her, this gave her the opportunity to highlight the importance of beauty and intelligence with a heart to foster a positive lifestyle and image in the fashion industry.
“This is certainly why my taste in fashion had immensely changed for the better after this pageant. I’ve incorporated an array of colors to my style from bright solid prints to pastel tones to make others understand that you are what you wear,” she said.
She added that she dresses up as an empowered woman who empowers other women to highlight who they really are by expressing themselves in their taste in fashion.
For her, a beautifully fashionable individual is someone who knows his or her style best and makes the most of it.
“It’s not about the price; it’s how you carry yourself with what you wear. Gone are the days when fashion is only appreciated in designer runways or magazines because this individual makes the world his or her runway. Long as you celebrate your own style and express who you are then that to me is the essence of fashion,” the 5th year Physical Therapy intern from Davao Doctors College pointed out.
In the next issue, the Pia Wurtzbach look-a-like Dabawenya beauty will share her fashion tips for the morena. Keep posted!
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If you have special events and fashion tips to share, or just want to discuss about any fashion-related concerns with me, you are always free to reach me at mendoza.jennygrace@gmail.com.