The Australian Filipina sneaks backstage to find out how the Crown winner and the two Princesses of this year’s Mardi Gras Queen of the Night prepared for the competition.
It may be just three hours in front of the audience but the candidates poured lots of hard work and preparation in the lead up to the night. The Australian Filipina asked this year’s Crown Winner, Rainbow Princess and Triangle Princess what they did to clinch the coveted titles last night.
Victoria Martin
Winner, 2013 Mardi Gras Queen of the Night
Best in Swimwear
Best in Evening Gown
Miss Photogenic
Being a fashion designer by trade, Victoria said it was easy to sit down and draw or write the ideas for each themes or segments of the competition.
“I made the evening gown and finished it in three days. It’s got a total of 32 metres worth of fabric, which included the massive flare,” she said.
As for her swimwear, Victoria took advice from a close friend Darlenee and walked away with two items to choose from. “I got the black and gold and the other was white and pink.”
The toughest outfit to complete was her breathtaking see-through beaded Mardi Gras costume. “I got the idea from an amazing movie I saw which was filmed in 1995. It took me two weeks to finish because of all the individual gluing of the sparkles and beads for it.”
Erica Duque
2013 Rainbow Princess
First Runner-Up, 2013 Mardi Gras Queen of the Night
Best in Catwalk
Best in Naughty Costume
Melbourne-based Erica Duque is studying dental technology with plans to specialise in prosthetics. Even without a fashion background, Erica also made her costumes, which took a month to finish.
She bought her white swimsuit from the US but the rest of her costumes were from the Philippines.
Sharleng Gonzalez
2013 Pink Triangle Princess
Second Runner-Up, 2013 Mardi Gras Queen of the Night
Miss Charity Queen 2013
Darling of the Crowd
Sharleng had a swag of awards by the time she left the stage. Not only did she take home two crowns (the other for Miss Charity Queen), but she also wowed the audience with her dancing talent and Tina Turner impersonation.
Like Victoria and Erica, it also took Sharleng a month to prepare for the event. Her black swimwear was bought locally, from a shop in Liverpool.
“For my long gown, I give credit to my dear friend, mentor and partner in the entertainment industry and his name is no other than Brian Lorenz Babon.”
“For my Mardi Gras costume, I borrowed it from Sade who happens to be one of the contestants, too, so I'm grateful that Sade trusted me to wear one of her beautiful creations on a very special night of my life.”
Photo credits: Ramil Balingit