The American Girl Fashion Show featured on Miami.com | AMERICAN GIRL FASHION SHOW

The hugely popular doll brand to host fashion show soon — here's how you can participate in the actual show!

by Maria Tettamanti

This December, American Girl, the hugely popular doll brand, invites girls and their friends and families to experience the American Girl Fashion Show on Sunday, December 8, 2013 at Shula’s Hotel & Golf Resort in Miami Lakes. This fun, engaging program showcases historical and contemporary fashions for girls and their dolls. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Embrace Girls Foundation’s after-school programs and camps. South Florida girls have until November 20th to sign up and participate as models in the show.

American Girl is known for its flagship line of historical characters, representing pivotal times in America’s past. Each girl modeling in the fashion show has fundraised for the Embrace Girls Foundation and will model her favorite American Girl character. Funds raised will support the Foundation’s after-school programs and events.

The fashion show will celebrate girls of yesterday and today through a colorful mix of historical and contemporary fashion. Guests will enjoy tasty refreshments, enter to win grand door prizes, and will experience how clothing has changed over the years to reflect history, culture, and girls’ individual styles.
Additionally, 12-year-old local singer-songwriter and philanthropist, Savannah Maddison, will give a performance as well as model in the fashion show, which will be emceed by current Miss Florida Teen USA, Natalie Fiallo, and Miss Miami Lakes Teen USA, Jackie Garcia- Casals.

Tickets are $25 for regular admission and $50 for VIP tickets and can be ordered by calling the Embrace Girls Foundation at (305) 779-3780, or emailinginfo@embracegirlpower.org.

Executive Director of the Embrace Girls Foundation Velma R. Lawrence says, "It's going to be a beautiful and entertaining event with holiday decorations as a backdrop, an awesome performance by Savannah Maddison, and an empowering show that every little girls should experience."

Cover designed for the AMERICAN GIRL FASHION SHOW Program Book (South FL edition, produced by the Embrace Foundation) • We offer graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! • ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANT SYSTEMS WELCOME!

Greenwich woman wins Miss Connecticut title

by Eve Sullivan - www.stamfordadvocate.com

STAMFORD ­-- A 25-year-old Greenwich woman took the crown of Miss Connecticut Sunday night at the Marriott Hotel, while the runner-up was a Fairfield woman recently named to the New York Jets cheerleading squad.

As Desiree Perez received the crown from the reigning title holder, Erin Brady, she hinted she wanted to follow in her footsteps. Brady went on to win Miss USA and placed in the top 10 in the Miss Universe pageant Nov. 9 in Russia.

"I'm thinking back-to-back baby Connecticut," Perez said, with a laugh.

Perez wowed the judges in a sparkling gold dress and tugged at their heartstrings with her touching story about suffering from a tumor in her jaw and having to undergo reconstructive surgery to her face. The beauty queen said she has tried to bring inspiration to others through her hardship.

"It was the only thing I could do at the time," she said.

Of the 35 contestants in the pageant, Fairfield County dominated the competition by taking all of the top five spots. Along with Perez, there were women from Fairfield, Redding and Bridgeport. The fifth woman was from New Milford.

The pageant began Saturday, with a total of 65 contestants -- 30 competing for Miss Teen Connecticut and 35 competing for Miss Connecticut. They underwent the swimsuit, interview and evening gown portions, before being pared down to 15 women.

On Sunday, the final 15 contestants marched onto the stage in their evening gowns and were introduced to the crowd. Among the group, five finalists were named and each had to answer a few questions.

As the panel of judges made their decision, Brady took the stage to a round of applause and the announcer said, "She made everyone proud."

The 26-year-old walked the stage for the last time as Miss Connecticut, as a tape of her voice played in the background. She thanked her grandmother, sisters, parents and fiance, saying she can't wait to spend the rest of her life with him.

"So take the reigns and run with it because it is the opportunity of a lifetime," Brady said to the women, as they stood waiting for results.

Fourth runner-up went to Ranya May Rasamny, of Redding, who said she was an English major who wants to inspire people through her writing. Third runner-up went to Jessica Bouwman, of New Milford, who works for Hearst Publications and is also a belly dancer/instructor who finds dance routines for people of all shapes and sizes.

Second runner-up was Tiffany Teixeira, of Bridgeport, a nurse who said she doesn't mind the "blood and guts." She also said she wants to break the stigma attached to coming from the inner-city that "you're from the ghetto and you're going to end up pregnant." 

"I'm street smart, but I'm poised," Teixeira told the crowd.

First runner-up was Nikki Delventhal, of Fairfield, a model and dancer who said having a good body image is important. Wearing a flowing black dress, she told the judges that she's been a competitive cheerleader her whole life and recently won a spot on the New York Jets cheerleading squad.

"In a few days, I pushed myself and I made it and my dreams came true," Delventhal said, of the grueling tryouts.

After the competition, Perez stood on the stage for several minutes, taking pictures with Miss Teen Connecticut, Sydney West, of Vernon, and some others.

Perez said she grew up in New York City and moved to Greenwich two years ago. She still works in the city, running a marketing company that endorses products through social media.

Since discovering she had a tumor in her jaw at age 7, Perez said she has had to receive treatments for many years. Though the tumor was benign, it required a series of operations.

"My last surgery was two years ago, but I'm healthy now," she said.

Because she's of Venezuelan descent, Perez said it's natural that she has competed in pageants her whole life. She took fourth runner-up in this competition last year and wanted to give it one more shot.

"I saw it, I believed it and I think I owned it," she said of the night. "This was my last time competing in a pageant."

Cover designed for the very first MISS TRI-STATE official Pageant Program Book | MISS TRI-STATE

Cover designed for the very first MISS TRI-STATE official Pageant Program Book • Contact the Miss Tri-State office and be a part of the Final Countdown for the "Face" of the Miss Tri-State Cover Girl Contest! Who will be featured front and center? Votes and ads are still being accepted until Dec 1st for the contest! For more info: www.misstristate.com • We offer graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs! • ALL STATES, ALL AGES, ALL PAGEANT SYSTEMS WELCOME! 

Miss Earth holds pageant in PH amid typhoon devastation

ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA -- This year's edition of the annual Miss Earth pageant, which continues to push for environmental awareness, will once again be held in the Philippines, this time amid one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country. International contestants started to arrive in the Philippines on Wednesday, less than a month before the finals night on December 7at Versailles Alabang in Las Piñas.

mong the preliminary activities of the 90 candidates, pageant organizer Carousel Productions told ABS-CBN News, is taking part in relief operations for the survivors of super typhoon "Yolanda."
A number of contestants assisted Thursday in repacking goods at the Quezon City headquarters of ABS-CBN's Sagip Kapamilya, which continues to send aid to devastated communities through its "Tulong Na, Tabang Na, Tayo Na" initiative. "I can only hope that we can bring as much awareness to it as possible, worldwide, to bring support to the Philippines," Miss USA Nicolle Velez told ABS-CBN News. "The roads are closed," Miss Guam Katarina Martinez noted, "[so we] can't travel there and help and assist in the way that we want to, so we have to do more on our part."

On its official Facebook page, Miss Earth Foundation said the pageant "more than ever, is not only timely but completely relevant," in light of the recent calamity. "Miss Earth will show to the world that beauty is not just an eye candy but a tool to help Mother Earth recover from disasters brought about by climate change," it said.

The international pageant, whose slogan is "beauties for a cause," has been held in the Philippines annually since 2001, except in 2010 when Vietnam hosted the finals night.

Jesica Ahlberg is Miss Alabama USA 2014

(by Auburn University staff writers)

Jesica Ahlberg, Auburn alumna '12 in public relations, is Miss Alabama USA 2014.

Ahlberg was selected on November 16, 2013 in Montgomery at the state pageant competition featuring women from all over Alabama. More than 100 contestants were in Montgomery competing for the titles of Miss Alabama USA and Miss Teen Alabama USA, according to WSFA. The competition serves as a preliminary for the Miss USA pageant which will take place in Miami, Florida.

After graduation, Ahlberg has been acting and modeling and is represented by agencies in Atlanta, Nashville and Los Angeles.

Among her acting credits, Ahlberg has a role in the upcoming Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie, the second in the series. Jesica is also appearing in Spongebob Squarepants 2 in theaters soon.

Miss Virginia USA - New "misses" crowned in Bristol

BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Fredericksburg, Va., swept Saturday’s Miss Virginia USA/ Miss Virginia Teen USA honors at the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown Bristol.

Olivia Fletcher was crowned Miss Virginia Teen USA 2014, and Arielle Rosmarino was named Miss Virginia USA 2014. Fletcher was the Miss Fredericksburg Teen USA entrant and Rosmarino was the Miss Fredericksburg USA entrant.

Maggie Lawson, Miss Bristol USA, was the first runner-up in the Miss Virginia USA pageant while Cameron Smith, Miss Bristol Teen USA, was the first runner-up in the Miss Virginia Teen USA pageant.