India’s Harnaaz Sandhu brought the Miss Universe title home 21 years after Lara Dutta’s win in 2000. It was not just her final answer that impressed the judges but the 21-year-old’s beautiful gown designed by Saisha Shinde added to her charm too.
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Harnaaz Sandhu‘s stunning silver gown with its beaded embellishments and plunging neckline became part of the historic moment – and its designer could not be happier.
“We did it,” Saisha Shinde, who came out as transgender at the beginning of the year, wrote in an Instagram post after news of the big win made headlines on Monday.
Saisha also shared a picture of the newly-crowned Miss Universe in the floor-grazing gown.
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Saisha Shinde (formerly known as Swapnil Shinde) came out as a transwoman in January this year. Talking about the journey, Saisha said, “It was only in my early 20s at NIFT where I found the courage to accept my truth; I truly bloomed. I spent the next few years believing that I was attracted to men because I was gay, but it was only 6 years ago that I finally accepted to myself, and today that I accept to you. I’m not a gay man. I am a Transwoman.”
Saisha earlier spoke to News18 about designing the gown for the Miss Universe pageant and how her transition helped the process.
“There is a certain expectation from Miss India at an International pageant. She has to look elegant, exquisite and the gowns needs to look delicate and dainty but at the same time powerful, strong, which incidentally my brand has become now after I have transitioned into a woman,” Saisha Shinde said.
