In PICS | Sone ki Chidiya: Divita Rai’s National Costume for Miss Universe hints India as the golden bird’

New Orleans: Divita Rai has landed in New Orleans, USA and has been upping her game for the grand finale. The 71st edition of the prestigious Miss Universe pageant is scheduled to e held on the 14th of January, and over 80 delegates from across the globe will compete for the coveted title.

The winner will be crowned by Harnaaz Sandhu, the reigning Miss Universe, who will make way for her successor.

For the National Costume round, Divita Rai personified ‘Sone ki Chidiya‘ in an opulent golden ensemble. Designed by Abhishek Sharma, she wore an outfit that was “inspired by the ethereal portrayal of India as the golden bird, which is a symbol of the wealth of our rich cultural heritage along with the spiritual essence of living in harmony with diversity”.

The detail is amazing. SO PRETTY. #MissUniverse pic.twitter.com/MjQXST7f5G

— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) January 12, 2023

He revealed that when he started conceptualising the outfit, he had a few key points in mind. “Few of them included purity, serenity, and something that represented us as a whole and not any particular clan or community,” he said.

Up close: details of India’s National Costume, ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ for the 71st Miss Universe pageant 💛✨@divitarai2 @MissUniverse #71stMissUniverse #DivitaRai #MissUniverse #India #JaiHind pic.twitter.com/AMigaHijj0

— Miss Diva (@MissDivaOrg) January 11, 2023

The stunning outfit features intense gold metallic hand embellishments which, the designer says, are “a true example of the finest craftsmanship of our artisans”. He added, “The golden colour of the costume not only represents gold as an element but also the inherent value of gold – purity. There’s an intense work of pearl embroidery on her costume which represents the delicacy and feminity of the whole idea. Just like gold, in its purest form, is very soft and easy to mould, our country, despite its rich diversity, is moulded into one.”

Presenting LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2022, @divitarai2’s National Costume for @MissUniverse : ‘Son Chidiya’ 💫#71stMissUniverse #DivitaRai #MissUniverseIndia pic.twitter.com/TKDK40Kf7U

— Miss Diva (@MissDivaOrg) January 11, 2023

Representing India’s rich diversity of flora and fauna, the ensemble also features daisy flowers, different kinds of leaves, and also very distinctive geometric divisions between the parts.

Coming to the various elements, the ensemble features a blouse, a lehenga, a dupatta and structured wings. “The whole blouse and the waist of the skirt are embellished with gold metallic leaf embroidery along with fine pearl detailing. The skirt is made using handwoven tissue Chanderi, which is sourced from the Chanderi district of Madhya Pradesh,” Sharma said.

He added that he picked the combination of golden and ivory as they mean purity and serenity. “We also have geometric lines on the ensemble to bring out the edginess and the modern aspect of us. Alongside, there’s intense applique embroidery of gold flowers. Then, there’s a draped net dupatta with zari embroidery along with fine pearl detailing. Finally, there are structured wings strapped onto her back,” the designer explained.

The wings, according to him, represent the power of nourishment and care that India has shown in the difficult times towards the citizens of the world and took care and stood as a support with the notion of ‘One World One Family’.

He added that the National Costume “in its true sense is the essence of modern India and its approach to progressive thinking.”