Miss Israel to Wear Gown Made of 300 Face Masks in Miss Universe Competition
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Miss Israel Tehila Levy modeling a design by Shai Shalom made of 300 face masks. Photo: Screenshot.
Miss Israel Tehila Levy will wear a dress made of 300 face masks in the 69th Miss Universe pageant on May 16, it was announced on Friday.
The black and white off-the-shoulder gown has a long train and includes the elastic cords of the masks in its design. It was created by the Israeli fashion house Shai Shalom, which shared photos of the dress in a series of Instagram posts on Friday. The designer said the dress is a nod to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“It is really a cool and original idea,” said Levi, 18, according to the Spanish-language publication Netnoticias. “The masks show the time that we are passing. They are really the main representation of the pandemic and I am happy to wear them and that they [have] become a fashion accessory.”
Levi, who was born in Yavne, has an older sister who is a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces; a 14-year-old brother who is studying at a boarding school; and her younger brother, 10, was diagnosed with autism as a child. Her parents divorced when she was 14, she told the Israeli magazine La’isha last year. She hopes to be a communication clinician and treat children who have difficulties. The 5-foot-11 beauty queen was crowned Miss Israel in July 2020.
A year and a half has passed since the last Miss Universe contest, which was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The pageant will take place on May 16 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
