‘National costume’ given pageant revamp

LOOKING more Zena than Granuaile and with enough cloth to clothe a small village, Rozanna Purcell unveiled a new take on the Irish national costume in the latest round of Miss Universe.

The Clonmel-born beauty was lining out in the National Costume section of the Miss Universe beauty pageant wearing an assemblage of garments nothing like the garish gúnas traditionally associated with Irish dance.

Wearing a headpiece held in place by a headband and a skirt of similar size, there was little to immediately hint at a gaelic association, with the exception of the word “Ireland” emblazoned across a sash held in place by a tiny tricolour.

The whopping wedge heels were certainly not in vogue at the time of the Pirate Queen, but those in the know say the 19-year-old’s costume incorporated Irish lace, Celtic symbols, and the rich colours of Ireland.

Most of the entries in this category were equally outlandish and more likely to prompt a national dressing-down than the likelihood of being feted.

Among them was Ms Australia, Jesinta Campbell, who strode on stage at the Mandalay Beach Resort and Casino in Las Vegas wearing high-heeled Ugg boots, a brown one piece swimming costume hand-painted by an Aboriginal artist and a lamb’s wool shrug. The ensemble was topped off by a voluminous flamenco-inspired rainbow skirt symbolising God knows what. Australians would argue they do not have a national costume.

The Ms Universe competition will culminate in a grand finale in LA on August 23, which Poison rocker and Celebrity Apprentice winner Bret Michaels and NBC anchor Natalie Morales will host.

Before that, Ms Purcell, who is an economics student in UCD, will also take part in a swimsuit show in one of Las Vegas’s nightclubs this week.