My ten favorite National Costumes for Miss Grand International 2020 are a mix of the traditional modernized and theatrical culture. It was not difficult to select the ones that occupy the upper half of my selection.

Guatemala, Thailand, Indonesia, Bolivia and Vietnam deserve to be up there. They are either creative/inventive or polished/well-executed. It does help that the pageant organizers released high resolution individual photos of the candidates from where the details can be clearly seen.

My first three, in particular, are prime examples of how the modern National Costume should be conceptualized and presented. While Indonesia’s satay-inspired garb is sort of a mimic of Miss Universe Vietnam 2018’s Bahn Mi outfit in Bangkok, you can still see the craftsmanship that went into creating the visual feast of an ensemble. Guatemala’s, on the other hand, is lovingly put up by its creator – nothing complex but culturally spot-on. Thailand and her boat-on-the-floating-market NC is worthy of a host delegate’s entry. It is an almost real-life show of a tourist tradition that the Thais are known for around the world.

My remaining choices include Sri Lanka, Panama, Malaysia, the Philippines and Nicaragua in that order. This lower half may still be open to opposition from some, but they are included in my list because of specific elements that made them stand out ahead of the rest.

Patrick Isorena’s creation for Samantha Bernardo deserves some kudos for the robust feel of a Philippine Eagle-inspired costume.