Femme fatales slay in evening gowns

CEBU, Philippines — Three down, one more pre-pageant before D-day.

The search for the ultimate ambassadress of Cebu has paved the way for highlighting the best that the province has to offer.

Wednesday evening was no exception as the 54 Binibining Cebu candidates glided down a unique runway in evening gowns created by local designers handpicked by the ladies themselves.

Comprising 25 percent of the overall score that will determine the Top 20, “Femme Fatale: The Binibining Cebu Evening Gown Competition” at the Centerstage of SM Seaside City Cebu was a performance in itself.

Accompanied by the Cebu Philharmonic Orchestra, the candidates were ravishing in their gowns as they navigated the runway to 007 music sung by multi-awarded singer and songwriter Radha Cuadrado, alongside Joanna “JJ” Jane Ang and Benjamin Layos.

Set against the silhouettes of the ladies themselves, the runway was inclined, and to say the least, challenging to tread on. But despite their stilettos and sophisticated attire, the ladies made it through the six-feet high catwalk without tragedy and with all the confidence they could muster.

The candidates tried to embody the seductive and powerful women of the James Bond Universe, walking down the ramp to the tunes of iconic Bond tracks such as “Diamonds Are Forever,” “From Russia With Love,” “Golden Eye,” “View To A Kill,” “For Your Eyes Only,” “Gold Finger,” “The World Is Not Enough,” “Live And Let Die,” “Skyfall” and “Die Another Die” a la true Bond Girl fashion, with confident strides and coy smiles.

The beauties brought the mystery of the fictional femme fatale to life —someone undeniably beautiful and enigmatic to cause trouble to any man whosoever stands in her way.

Scoring the ladies that evening based on their beauty of face, poise and bearing, and regality on how they carry their evening gowns were Divine Lee-Go, Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal, Jacqueline Tan-Sainz, Njel de Mesa and Kenneth Cobonpue.

Cobonpue, creative producer of Binibining Cebu and set designer for the Evening Gown Competition stage, said they decided to bring the 007 theme to life since the James Bond ideology transcends generations.

“We wanted it to be like a performance, we didn’t want the ladies to seem separate from the production. We wanted them to be part of the performance itself,” explains Cobonpue, adding that they had to manipulate the space and make the most out of the stage, while the ladies conquered their fear of heights, or at least on a runway that was one of its kind.

Three of the pre-pageant events—the Philippine Terno Competition held in the Cabicera de Argao, the Swimsuit Competition at the Grand Convention Center Cebu, and the Evening Gown Competition – mirrored Cobonpue’s promise of bringing “nothing less than world class,” each event a taste of Cebu’s offerings and most importantly executing it with finesse. So one can only imagine what the coronation night will look like.

“Through the pre-pageant events, we wanted to show the different sides of Cebu. The Philippine Terno Competition showed the heritage and historical side of Cebu, the Swimwear Competition represented the tropical, laidback vibe, while tonight showed the sophisticated, elegant side of Cebu. We want the coronation night to be a mix of that,” hints Cobonpue.

Next hurdle for the ladies: the Preliminary Interview on October 25. (FREEMAN)