PETALING JAYA: The reigning Miss Malaysia Universe, Deborah Henry, is set to wow the judges at the Miss Universe finals in Sao Paolo, Brazil, with her sexy Wau Bulan-inspired national costume.

Designed by celebrity designer Amir Luqman, whose resume includes Malaysian pop queen Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, Malaysian jazz queen Datuk Sheila Majid and Indonesian pop diva Krisdayanti, the exquisite outfit costs a whopping RM350,000.

Flying high: Henry parading the ‘Wau’- inspired dress designed by Amir (left), which will be her national costume at Sao Paulo, Brazil in September.

“It’s easy to wear,” said a beaming Deborah, who previewed the traditional attire at a special media conference at Sunway Lagoon on Tuesday.

“It’s very elegant.”

Its semi-transparent fabric – a gorgeous combination of lace and the finest traditional Malay songket from the Royal Terengganu Songket – adds sensuality to it.

“I’m fine with showing some skin,” the 26-year-old beauty queen told The Daily Chilli.

“It doesn’t scream super sexy. There are a lot of flower details on the fabric that will draw people’s attention.”

Designer Amir said:“ I like to show some skin in my designs. To me, it’s just about being honest. It’s not sexual.”

It took Amir about four months to conceptualise, design and stitch his masterpiece together.

“We got the inspirations from fans of Miss Malaysia Universe who e-mailed us and said they wanted me to design something based on the Wau Bulan.”

When asked if she was ready to fly high at the grand finals on Sept 12, a super confident Deborah said, “I’m not nervous. I’m extremely excited and feeling a little bit of pressure. Miss Universe is tougher than Miss World.”

Citing her past experience competing in Miss World 2007, where she made it to the top 16, the two-time beauty queen, top model and TV host added: “Being a beauty queen is not just about being beautiful. People want to hear your opinion. I want to keep things interesting and catchy at the Miss Universe finals.”

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