Iyak malala, ano ba yan! Shakeet 💔@michelledee 🖤👑🇵🇭 - @MarkBumgarner : Thank you for the love guys! Just wanted to share some behind the scenes noments in the making of the “Whang-Od” inspired dress. The moment i told michelle about the idea, she instantly said YES. The message resonated with her: a legendary Filipina whose art symbolizes bravery, beauty, and identity , and whom has become a symbol of timeless beauty being the oldest woman to grace the beauty issue of a magazine (Vogue Magazine @voguephilippines). Coincidentally this year the Miss Universe Org has also lifted its age restrictions sending a strong message that women are not be defined by their age any longer. We wanted to showcase the pintados or the Filipino tattoo art to a level where it is not just a costume but could be elevated and applied to an elegant evening gown. We wanted to show the Universe our vibrant culture and world class fashion combined. It was a long and labor intensive process. I wanted it to look like @michelledee ‘s second skin. Like it was tattooed on her when worn. I wanted her to look powerful, like a warrior. The beading process is not my comfort zone but i was too inspired I had to make this dress impactful. And that it resonates to my countrymen, mga kapwa kong Pilipino. If not i, hope it piqued their curiosity on this iconic Filipina. I hope you guys feel how much work was put into this dress , not just about how long it took, but also the message and symbol it represents. @michelledee was the perfect muse and i cldnt have come up with the idea if not for her. She’s brave, resilient, and has broken barriers. Thank you Michelle for this opportunity.❤️ To everyone in the team , @ryujishiomitsu , @ianlorenz , @iamdoc , @joshuasalvs, the @themissuniverseph team voltairetayag jonasempire.ph ,Miss Shamcey…and of course to @earlsemitara and the rest of the MB team who has been working tirelessly the last few weeks, thank you 🙏🥹❤️ PILIPINAS my heart is broken but im so proud of how you all rallied behind Michelle. MARAMING MARAMING SALAMAT.🙏🏻❤️🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭 #markbumgarner #michelledee #missuniverse #teamfilipinass - @teamfilipinass