One of the portions of the competition which was changed was the "Evening Gown" segment. Instead of the contestants just walking the Miss America stage in their choice of evening gown, they changed it to a Evening Wear/Red Carpet-style segment. The contestants were encouraged to choose a choice of evening wear which truly represented who they were, and their sense of style - one of the points of the Miss America crown.

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Of the gowns which were seen on the first night of Prelims, there were a few which stood out. Miss Pennsylvania wore an updated version to her Miss Pa gown. She said, “I absolutely loved the gown I won Miss Pennsylvania in and wanted to make a better version of it! I have also always loved velvet and knew if I ever hit the Miss America stage, that velvet is what I wanted to wear! I designed (the gown) with Regalia and it is made by Jovani! I always love a trendy chic style. So I went with a slit and plunge neckline to make it trendy with a classic velvet rhinestone band!

Another unique look on the stage was from Miss Massachusetts. She said that her gown was “custom designed for me by Fernando Wong and friend Jules. I wanted to bring something modern to the Miss America stage and wear something that showed on the outside what I was feeling on the inside which is gratefulness and happiness.”

Another stunning piece was from Miss Tennessee. She said her choice of evening wear was, “a Juan Carlos Pinera gown and I picked it because it felt so modern yet timeless and effortlessly elegant. From the minute I put it on I felt like I could walk any red carpet and speak my voice and felt authentically “me” in the gown!” She also added, “I love the structured bodice and the lace overlay and how they all come together in the perfect harmony of classic and modern fusion.”

Miss Idaho also had a lovely piece on. She said, “it’s an original design from Regalia! It’s really hard for me to find dresses long enough because I’m 6 feet, flat footed, so I loved the length of the dress! I love also how unique the color is. It’s not a true red or a true hot pink. I’m half Chinese and half British so I love how my dress captured how unique I am.”

Another gown which I really liked was from Miss Maine. She said, “I work with AshleyLAUREN because she is absolutely spectacular and I trust her artistic expertise while styling me. She brought to life my dream gown!”

And the finally another pick was from Miss Georgia. She said, “Gregory Ellenburg made it! But I designed it! I knew I wanted my gown to be white, simplistic, but different and unlike anything that’s been seen before. My mom found a similar-ish dress on a European website and we ran with that idea.”

To read more about the first night of preliminaries, check out our coverage here.
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