Beauty queen hopefuls dazzle Dubai

The glittering city of Dubai was treated to a show of beauty and fashion Wednesday as a segment of the Miss Europe Continental competition was hosted at the glamorous Palazzo Versace hotel.

During the competition in Dubai, 19 contestants from across Europe — from the UK, Russia, Germany and more — were whittled down to three finalists who will go on to compete in Spoleto, Italy, against 30 others from all over Europe. The glittering finale will be held on Nov. 25.

The Dubai competition, which began with a stunning dance performance by light-adorned dancers, was made up four segments in which the women walked the stage in various outfits.

Judges included high-end Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran, beauty entrepreneur Joelle Mardinian and last year’s lucky winner, Russian contestant Anna Semenkova.

The 26-year-old flew into Dubai fresh off a whirlwind modeling tour of Europe, which she began soon after her win and when asked what advice she would give to the next winner, she said they should have a sense of purpose to “show people that you can be beautiful and strong, smart and intelligent.”

The beauty stars took to the stage in a variety of black evening gowns, complete with glittering jewels, perfectly curled hair and Hollywood-style make up.

The contestants then graced the catwalk in typically Emirati outfits — jalabeyas in a rainbow of colors. Dripping in gold, the women glittered under the spotlight as their red, green and cream flowing dresses wowed the crowd.

After taking to the stage in a plethora of colorful evening gowns, eight semifinalists went through a question and answer round. Then the final three contestants were chosen to head to Italy.

In November, the pageant hopefuls will compete for the chance to earn the Miss Europe Continental crown, which this year is a tiara ringed with gem-encrusted hearts, in a finale that will be broadcast around the world on Fashion TV.

Speaking at a press conference in September via Skype, Alberto Cerqua, owner and creator of the pageant, explained why he had chosen Dubai as the first non- European city to host the event.

“Our main goal is to create a strong bond between Italian fashion and UAE fashion,” he said via a translator.

“We love women who love fashion, who specifically love ‘Made in Italy’ fashion… Our goal is to scout beauties who can bridge the cultural gap and to scout people who love fashion.”

The organizers say the pageant is a platform to allow European women to display their artistic skills, intelligence, confidence, cultural pride and leadership skills in order to further advance themselves in the European fashion, movie and beauty industries