Cebuana stunners sizzle in swimwear, gowns: Binibining Cebu 2018
Cebuana queens rocked the runway as they showcased their sizzling swimwear and haute gowns specially designed by Cebu’s top fashion designers in the Binibining Cebu Swimwear and Long Gown Competition last Wednesday, Sept. 26 in The Tent at Mandani Bay.
Fifty-four stunning candidates conquered the runway with confidence wearing longgowns each specially designed by 18 young designers from the Fashion Association of Cebu’s Elite Talents (Facet). Celine Borromeo, Diane Ty and JP Cabigon were chosen as the top three designers of the night.
Celine Borromeo draws inspiration from the sun, associating it with how Cebuanos shine with their happiness and positivity. Lou Dominique Piczon (Ronda), Ivy Esparcia (Samboan) and Mary Grace Castillo (San Fernando) wore Celine’s elegant canary yellow gowns with extreme confidence.
Inspired by flowers and roots, Diane designed navy blue gowns for Steffi Abersaturi (Mandaue City), Sheena Balansag (Medellin) and Kristine Gillamac (Minglanilla). Diane thought of the design out of the blue, spanning the depths of her very own imaginations.
JP tapped royalty, designing three royal blue gowns for Princess Donah Paraiso (San Francisco), Shaznay Corres (San Remigio) and Kimberly Gillamac (Santa Fe).
The blazing hot swimwear competition started with the candidates wearing their blue two-piece swimwear paired with raincoats and umbrella as props. Dancers from the University of Cebu gladly joined candidates on stage. With the winding runway, audiences got a good view of the candidates in all angles. This year, Kenneth Cobonpue, the creative director of Binibining Cebu 2018, decided to have the swimwear competition in a rainy and gloomy setting in contrast to the sunny weather people usually associate swimsuits with.
SOLTI Activewear’s Kymberly Maitland-Smith designed the stunning masterpieces. She specially made each swimsuit to have all the sizes customized for the candidates’ comfort in their shoulders and necklines. Kymberly is fond of sustainable fashion, so the pieces used textiles discarded by large-scale manufacturers.
The pre-pageant is essential for choosing the top 20 which will be announced during the coronation night. To keenly judge the candidates, the organizers invited this set of judges: Cebuano actor Richard Yap, Dr. Cecilia R. Bernard, pageant blogger and coach Norman Tinio, Miss Manila 2018 Kathleen Joy Paton and Kymberly Maitland-Smith. The coronation night will be on Oct. 19 at the Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.