At the semifinal of the contest hosted in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on Tuesday, Juliana Habib Lorduy, a Colombian contestant, wore a cut-out sequin gown designed by Le Ngoc Lam, with a touch of Swarovski crystals to create an effect when walking on stage.

Le Ngoc Lam and Andrea Montero backstage.

Lam said the dress was inspired by the sunshine on the water in the afternoon. The 2022 Miss Vietnam Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau brought the gown to the international Miss Universe in January but didn't have a suitable time to wear it.

Lordruy and Lam met at an event of Miss Charm and began to follow each other on Instagram. When Lordruy saw Lam posting a picture of the gown, she texted him saying that she wanted to try it on. After that, she chose that gown for the semifinals.

The Colombian is currently the top contender for the Miss Charm crown. She is 22 years old, 1.72-m tall and is a currently a student majoring in social science and journalism. Lorduy, who made it to the top 10 of the 2021 Miss Colombia, is good at dancing, modeling and presentation.

Andrea Montero from Costa Rica also chose one of Lam's gowns for the semifinals. She will be wearing a gown with crystals and rhinestones and a white-silver color scheme, which was made by 10 craftsmen in five days. In the Miss Charm competition, Montero also chose a coral reef-inspired see-through dress designed by Lam.

Lam talked to Montero on Instagram many times prior to the contest. A week before the semifinals, she wanted to try on some of his designs, even though she had already prepared her outfit. After Montero tried five gowns on but none of them fit, Lam decided to make one just for her because he was impressed with her beauty and effort to win the Miss Charm title.

Juliana Habib Lorduy in a sequin gown by Le Ngoc Lam for Miss Charm semifinal.

Montero was the 2020 Miss Costa Rica competition. The 1.7-m tall beauty is currently a student majoring in English at the University of Costa Rica, and studying business management at Tecnológico de Costa Rica. During the two weeks of the competition, she has often been ranked among the top contestant thanks to her consistent performances.

Le Ngoc Lam, who was born in HCMC in 1990, is a graduate of Hanoi Architectural University. In 2015, he was the runner-up of the Triumph Inspiration Award in Berlin, Germany and Aquafina Pure Fashion.

His designs are associated with many Vietnamese beauty queens such as Do My Linh, Luong Thuy Linh, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau, Tran Tieu Vy and Do Thi Ha. He has introduced many of his designs at beauty contests, including Miss Universe Vietnam and Miss World Vietnam.

The 2023 Miss Charm takes place at Hoa Binh Opera House, HCMC from February 4-16. This is the very first edition of the international beauty contest.

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Source: VnExpress