Local designs grace Miss Portugal South Africa pageant
The glamorous Miss Portugal South Africa 2014 gala crowning was held at Carnival City on July 19, and Benoni designer Marisela Veludo was chosen to design the nine finalists’ smart/casual wear.
Also a modelling coach at Marisela Veludo Modelling School and Performing Arts, Veludo coached and choreographed their opening act for the event.
This performance, called Esperanca, means “hope” in Portuguese and consisted of the girls revealing their dresses by removing their capes.
The capes were used to spell words in Portuguese since it was a proudly Portuguese performance.
Among these were; Esperança (hope), Paraiso (paradise), Sucesso (success), Portugueses (Portuguese people) and the Portuguese flag.
Andreia Frade was crowned second princess, Leanne Borrageiro first princess, Miss Popularity and Miss Photogenic, and Teniqua Fonseca took the title of Miss Portugal South Africa 2014.
Veludo said the pattern for the fabric of her designs was inspired by Portuguese tiles, which are an ancient form of art.
She explained that the name of the collection, Azure Impressions, was inspired by the colour of the print and the actual prints, called an impression.
What makes these dresses unique for Veludo is that she worked on different hemlines and necklines, keeping comfort in mind.
Veludo’s name, Marisela, translated to English, means star of the ocean.
“I think it’s a nice touch, it’s symbolic, like including your signature without putting it there,” she said.
She added that, if you look closely, the print plays with the eye and you will see many shapes and patterns within it.
Guests were also entertained by Portuguese-style performers, Micasa, Leandro Coimbra, Katia Dias and Fado Tocado.
Veludo said the night was a fun experience, adding that there were approximately 2 000 people in the audience.
“It was great meeting MiCasa and the other celebrities — I could see this becoming a bigger and more successful event every year, with a few improvements, such as the MC speaking English and Portuguese,” she said.
“I must be honest, I think the contestants’ nerves kicked in and, while doing the choreography, the last word, Portugueses, was not completely spelt, but besides that the compliments and remarks I received from the audience reflected that the performance was amazing and it brought tears to some of the Portuguese people in the audience.”
Veludo added that she thought the dresses looked great on the girls.
“What I pictured they would look like on stage is exactly what I got; stunning.”
