When you're competing for a state title (and even a local one), there are a lot of important factors which contestants focus on. And believe it or not, the evening gown is also an important process for any pageant title-holder. As Miss Pennsylvania Katie Schreckengast shared in her recent Guest post, "Your wardrobe should help boost your confidence and make you feel like a queen." During the recent Miss New Jersey's Outstanding Teen 2018 pageant, we had our eyes out for some unique finds when it came to evening gown choices. Why? Because we absolutely love pageant fashion trends. When watching the pageant, there were three gowns which stood out to us. And we're here to share those with you, and the back-stories!

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Miss Monmouth County’s Outstanding Teen, Jessica Wong
When Wong took tot the stage of the NJOT 2018 pageant, the simplicity of her gown is what captured our attention. Wong said, “When I was picking my gown for NJOT, I had no idea what to expect or even look at. I love fashion and shopping, so I was definitely extremely excited to begin the process!”

She continued, “I tried on many dresses made by different designers, Sherri Hill being one (of them); however, none of them were giving me that WOW feeling. The dress I ended up walking on stage with was a dress my mom happened to stumble upon when she was online. She wasn’t even intending to look for pageant dresses!”

And it’s usually when you are not looking for what you want, you end up finding what you truly want. Wong went onto state, “I ended up going with a stunning, wine colored gown with a beaded bodice from Lord and Taylor, designed by Xscape!  It was kind of ironic, but it turned out to be THE dress for me.”

So what did she learn from this? Simple. “This just goes to show that it doesn’t have to be a designer dress to be a great one!” Wong exclaimed. “I felt confident and beautiful and that’s all that mattered. To this day, I am still in awe of that dress and I hope I can find an excuse to wear it again some time soon!”

Miss Coastal Shore’s Outstanding Teen, Emily Cooney
When Emily Cooney took to the stage we weren’t sure what we should focus on. The color? The detailing? The fact that it was a two-piece? We just knew that this was a gown which stood out. Cooney was one who contemplated what she should do in regards to her gown, stating, “At first I was planning on wearing my gown from states last year because I loved it so much. It was a Clarisse gown, which is one of my favorite designers and it also was the designer of my first ever teen gown.”

But sometimes change can be a good thing! She went onto state, “…one day I was stalking their Instagram and I found my dress but it was in green. It was so gorgeous and I knew that’s what I wanted to wear for MAOTeen NJ.”

So once you found the dress of your dreams, what do you do next?! Cooney linked up with The Right Fit, and said, “I get all my dresses from (them), and she (owner, Debbie Smith), said that we could get it; I was so excited!”

Then we had to know why the change in color? Conney went onto explain, “I decided to get the color wine because it was so different from what I normally wear and once I tried it on in the store I fell in love with it right away! I felt so confident and beautiful on stage and I cannot wait to compete with it again this coming pageant season!”

 

Miss Central Coast’s Outstanding Teen, Maggie DePhillips
White is a color that is considered daring in the pageant world. But Maggie DePhillips found a way to make it work in her benefit; also giving her the award of “Non-Prelim Gown,” during Miss New Jersey’s Outstanding Teen 2018.

DePhillips said, “When I was looking for my gown my mom and I drove down to Coco’s Chateau. George Diaz helped me through the whole process and I’m so grateful for his advice!” She continued, “Before we went to the store I sent George a bunch of different gowns I had found online and he added a few suggestions for me to try on.”

This was a great thing which she did because you want to have many different options when trying to find the perfect gown. In her case, she had an idea of what she wanted because, “I knew I wanted to wear a ball gown for Miss NJOTeen but George also wanted me to try a few softer/flowier gowns on, as well. I tried on about five simpler gowns and then as soon as I stepped into a ball gown we knew that’s the direction we would go in.”

DePhillips continued to state that, “the second ball gown we pulled was one I had fallen in love with; this was the Sherri Hill that I ended up choosing!! I felt like a princess in this gown and as soon as I put it on my face lit up, that’s when I decided I wasn’t going to keep looking for a dress since I knew this was the one I would wear!”

And sometimes you just know when you try it on that this is the one for you! And sometimes you see it online, as Emily Cooney did; and sometimes, well, when you’re not even looking, like in Wong’s case, you end up finding a gem out of nowhere! Stay tuned for Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen, coming up in April, where we will share more favorite looks!