Celeste Cortesi to wear gowns by Oliver Tolentino. Here are other big names he has designed for
As the preliminaries of the 71st Miss Universe pageant will finally commence on January 12, Celeste Cortesi will be donning the stunning gowns of Filipino fashion designer Oliver Tolentino.
In an interview, Miss Universe Philippines Director of Communications Voltaire Tayag revealed that the Los Angeles-based fashion expert has crafted two different gowns that Cortesi will wear at the pageant's preliminary competition and in the final show.
When asked about the gowns, Tayag stressed that the Philippines' bet "looks so phenomenal and beautiful in it."
"She glows and she looks like a queen," he added.
He also shared that they experienced difficulty in choosing which gown to be worn during the preliminaries to be held tomorrow, Jan. 12 and which one for the final performance on Jan. 15 because both gowns are "so beautiful and gorgeous."
It is not the first time that Tolentino has lended his expertise in style and fashion for the Miss Universe competition. In fact, he even rescued Pia Wurtzbach, who won the 2015 edition of the pageant, from having a wardrobe mishap during the evening gown preliminary competition.
This was because the original gown that she was supposed to wear allegedly did not fit her well, so the organization called up Tolentino and he lent the beauty queen a red sleeveless crepe de chine gown encrusted with Swarovski crystals as a substitute.
With years of experience in the fashion industry, Tolentino has become a recognizable name among Filipino entertainers, such as Lea Salonga, Kuh Ledesma, Arnel Pineda, Regine Velasquez, and the late Cherie Gil.
But perhaps one of the biggest personalities he has designed for would be former first lady Imelda Marcos, the mother of the country's current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In an interview back in 2008, Tolentino said that he was called up by her secretary and was asked if he could design Imelda's dress for her 79th birthday. After being impressed with his creation, he has since become a go-to designer for Imelda.
He has also designed for international faces such as Jessica Alba, Emmy Rossum, Carrie Underwood, Mel B, Carrie Fisher, Anna Paquin, and Sophia Bush.
