MANILA – Filipino designer Michael Leyva turned to social media to give his followers a glimpse of a gown he specifically made for Celeste Cortesi, who represented the Philippines in the 71st edition of the Miss Universe pageant.

In a post on Instagram on Sunday, Cortesi is seen wearing a sky blue gown fully beaded with Swarovski and matched with a cape.

“You’re still our Miss Universe. Thank you for making us all proud,” he captioned his post.

Leyva made his post immediately after Cortesi bowed out of the beauty competition as she fell short of taking a spot in the Top 16.

It was not immediately clear whether Cortesi was supposed to wear his creation during the coronation night.

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A post shared by Michael Leyva (@michaelleyva_)

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A post shared by Michael Leyva (@michaelleyva_)

This is the first time the Philippines missed a semi-final placement in the Miss Universe since the stint of Venus Raj in 2010.

Cortesi was aiming for the Philippines' fifth Miss Universe crown after Catriona Gray (2018), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), Margie Moran (1973), and Gloria Diaz (1969).

This year’s edition saw the coronation of R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States as the new Miss Universe.

Gabriel, whose father is Filipino, wore a creation of Filipino designer Rian Fernandez for her evening gown during the coronation night. Fernandez was the same designer who created Gabriel’s gown during the preliminary competition. Her eye-catching “woman on the moon” national costume, meanwhile, was also a creation of Filipino designer Patrick Isorena.