It dawned on me Monday morning when I glanced at my work calendar that there is only a month until I will live out my dream of performing on the Miss Georgia stage.
Now as I am sure I have mentioned before, I have been prepping for Miss Georgia since the moment I found out I could go to the competition. But I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I about had a heart attack when it hit me just how close I am getting to the competition.
Last night I spoke to my local director, Michelle McClure, and confessed that I did not have my entire wardrobe lined up yet. She laughed and said that I was, undoubtedly, at a code yellow panic mode.
One of the biggest aspects of preparing for Miss Georgia, if not THE biggest, is picking out a wardrobe.
Wardrobe is key to not only leaving an impression on the judges, but making yourself feel confident and as result, leaving an impression on the judges.
What goes into selecting a Miss Georgia wardrobe, you may ask? The simple answer is A LOT. There are four areas of competition: private interview, talent, on-stage interview and social impact pitch and red carpet wear. Each of these areas require their own outfit, with shoes and accessories to match.
Now like I said in my first blog post, I have always been girly, so picking out a wardrobe is, for the most part, exciting. But when you try on dress after dress and nothing fits right, or the interview outfit that you have your heart set on is nowhere to be found, even the most prim and proper pageant girl might be tempted to go out on stage in sweatpants and a T-shirt.
Beginning with private interview, because you stand only a few feet from the judges (but at least six feet, kudos to COVID-19), you want to wear an outfit that shows your personality but is not too flashy. Polished but professional. Comfortable but complimenting.
Most candidates opt for cocktail dresses with appropriate neck and hem lines for private interviews. However, as the Miss America Organization has gravitated away from the “beauty queen” stereotype to the young female professional, many candidates have opted for jumpsuits or pantsuits.
Next outfit on the list is the talent outfit. A good general guideline is to match your outfit to your talent. If one is performing a sassy Broadway jazz number, as is my case, then it is appropriate to wear something blingy and fitting for that number’s time period.
However, if the talent performance is something like singing opera to “O mio babbino caro”, an evening gown with a long, flowing train is probably the best bet.
On-stage interview and social impact pitch is a new area of competition to me this year, hence my delay in choosing an outfit. In the past, contestants typically wore the same dress or outfit for on-stage question that they wore for private interview. However, we are no longer contestants, we are candidates. In addition, I cannot stress enough how we are interviewing for the job of Miss Georgia, not just a crown and sash.
If you watched the Miss America competition last year, you probably noticed that the social impact pitches resembled a Ted Talk. If you did not watch the competition, I highly recommend it. Especially the social impact pitches. They were phenomenal.
Finally, red carpet wear, previously known as evening gown. This outfit is typically the audience’s favorite, but it can make or break a candidate’s score. The red carpet wear outfit must not only wow the judges and audience, but it needs to fit well, move well and represent a candidate’s personality.
If the candidates does not love their gown, everyone will know it. The judges will know it and the score will reflect such.
As you can see, there is more to selecting a Miss Georgia wardrobe than just what “looks pretty”. It is strategic. We are interviewing and performing for our dream job. The outfits must reflect such devotion.
