The Miss Universe pageant took place this week at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Contestants from 92 countries and territories participated in the event that was hosted by Steve Harvey and Ashley Graham. While there were many memorable moments from the night (like the fact that Miss USA, Kára McCullough, landed in the Top 10), the costumes portion of the event has been getting a lot of buzz.
The National Costume competition gives the contestants the opportunity to wear an outfit that represents their country. Some go wild with the challenge, while others take a much more subdued approach to the event.
Miss Thailand’s costume was easily one of the more beautiful among the bunch:
Miss Cambodia was also stunning:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbp_omUFDf_/?hl=en&taken-by=miss_universe_cambodia_fan
Miss Peru definitely pulled out all the stops:
And Miss Myanmar went for it. Yes, that entire thing is her costume:
Miss USA is a youth STEM advocate, and so the theme of her costume was rooted in science:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbqvDL4l3Gk/?taken-by=realkaramccullough
But the winner of the National Costume competition went to Miss Japan. At first, she emerged in a short, striking, Ninja-inspired black outfit. And then before the audience’s eyes, her costume transformed into a traditional kimono. You can watch the video of the on-stage costume change in the video below.