Miss Universe 2024: see the best national typical costumes

() – Is it a bird? Is she a winged goddess? Is it an ode to the history of traditional Dutch ceramics?

At Miss Universe 2024, it was all of those things, and much more, as the annual pageant kicked off with its extravagant national costume competition this Thursday night.

Tasked with modeling outfits representing their homelands, 126 contestants took the stage at the CDMX Arena in Mexico City ahead of Saturday’s grand finale. And while many drew inspiration from folk arts, deities or the flags of their nations, others took more extravagant approaches.

Miss Nicaragua, Geyssell García, dressed as her country’s famous León Cathedral. Kenyan beauty queen Irene Mukii’s outfit, meanwhile, featured the faces of several notable athletes, a nod to her country’s prowess in long-distance running. And Miss Chile, Emilia Dides, came out dressed with a huge roulette wheel as a tribute to the popular Chilean variety show “Sábado Gigante.”

Elsewhere, contestants were inspired by the national flora and fauna, from Miss Bangladesh Aniqa Alam’s tiger-themed outfit, to the red-eyed elephant poking out of Miss Ivory Coast Marie-Emmanuelle Diamala’s outfit. Miss Myanmar, Thet San Andersen, emerged from a golden owl costume to reveal a pair of sparkling wings, while Britain’s Christina Chalk arrived on stage in a foliage-covered outfit inspired by the 121 million oak trees found there. in the UK.

Part of the preliminary round of the glamorous pageant, the suit segment was immediately followed by a swimsuit contest. The winners of both will be announced on Saturday before the finalists are narrowed down to a list of 30, who will compete to inherit the Miss Universe crown from current titleholder Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua.

Scroll down to see some of the most striking national costumes.