Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 12) — Celeste Cortesi, the Philippines’ bet to the 71st Miss Universe, sparkled during the evening gown portion of the preliminary competition of the pageant on Thursday (Philippine time).
The 25-year-old Filipino-Italian beauty wore a bedazzled yet subtle sky blue strapless gown crafted by renowned Los Angeles-based Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino, who will also design Cortesi’s final gown.
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The Miss Universe Philippines Organization explained the story behind her glistening blue gown.
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“In the poem her father wrote for her, he writes that when he was holding her in his arms he knew her name would be Celeste. Celeste means heavenly and sky blue in Italian,” it said in a social media post.
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OWNING the stage! 🤩
Tune in NOW to the 71st #MISSUNIVERSE Preliminary Competition airing LIVE on the official YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/sLOFeODK6v
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) January 12, 2023
