LOOK: Miss Universe R'bonney Gabriel embraces her Filipino roots in a butterfly sleeved gown
The queen has arrived.
Fil-Am Miss Universe R'bonney Gabriel looked stunning in a sparkly Filipiniana ball gown by Mark Bumgarner as she attended the Fashion and Charity Gala Night hosted by Miss Universe Philippines on May 10.
The Texas-born beauty queen fully embraced her Filipino roots by opting for a butterfly sleeved dress from Mark's Philippine Terno Collection, which featured a whole lot of stunning details, including Swarovski embellishments and a clover silhouette. She styled her look with shoes from Jojo Bragais and earrings by Christopher Munar.
For her beauty look, R'bonney's hair was styled in a top bun, while her face was made up to make heads turn, thanks to her high-drama eyes.
At the event, R'bonney also had the chance to speak to her Filipino fans, saying she has always loved visiting the country and that she was inspired by the Miss Universe Philippines pageants.
"I have been waiting to come to this beautiful country. It has been five years since I last visited, and I have so many memories of visiting my father's country growing up as a child."
"As a half-Filipino, half-American, I feel quite lucky to be Filipino. I would say we are one of the best countries to compete, one of the best countries that actually put our all into pageants. The Filipino people have given me so much support as I trained for Miss Texas, as I trained for Miss USA and for Miss Universe," R'bonney said, adding she always thought that the Miss Philippines competition last year was "inspiring" and the ladies were "top tier."
"I haven't even won a pageant yet, but I felt so inspired to watch that competition. It really gave me that extra motivation as I trained for my local pageant back home in Texas. I wanna thank everybody for the continued inspiration," she said.
R'Bonney then congratulated this year's candidates for their hard work.
"I just wanna wanna commend all the girls that have put themselves out there. Pageantry has changed my life like no other it has really pushed me to be the highest truest form of myself and I know that these girls have their own unique journey," she stressed.
R'bonney is in the Philippines as a guest for the upcoming coronation night happening on Saturday, May 13.