Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters is Miss Universe 2017! The women’s self-defense trainer beat out Miss Colombia Laura González and Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett for the title, and won for herself a Chinese Laundry shoe wardrobe, a year-long salary, access to a luxury apartment in New York City and other exclusive prizes.
For her winning moment, Demi-Leigh was outfitted in a sheer, nude, long-sleeved evening gown custom-made for her by South African fashion designer Anel Botha. The 22-year-old Western Cape beauty sparkled and shone even more thanks to the 30,000+ Swarovski crystals painstakingly hand-applied one-by-one onto her dress. She rounded out her moment-of-glory look with a classic pageant updo and a pair of gold ankle-strap platform sandals from Miss Universe shoe sponsor, Chinese Laundry.
Miss South Africa and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters posing in the press room after winning the 2017 Miss Universe Pageant held at The Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 26, 2017.
Details of Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters’ gold ankle-strap platform sandals.
Demi-Leigh’s exact coronation sandals are not available online, but she did wear a similar gold pair in an earlier part of the pageant. Those strappy sandals are the Chinese Laundry “Alyssa” platforms and are available at Amazon, Nordstrom and Zappos.
She and the other contestants also wore the nude patent color of the Chinese Laundry “Teaser” platform sandals (as low as $41.54 at Amazon and Zappos) during the preliminaries and swimsuit categories of the competition.
Chinese Laundry “Alyssa” platform sandals, $55.97 to $79.95
Congratulations, Demi-Leigh, for winning Miss Universe 2017!
Miss South Africa and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters’ national costume inspired by the country’s national flower, the King Protea (Protea cynaroides).
Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters’ swimsuit and evening gown during the 2017 Miss Universe Preliminary Competition.
Credit: Judy Eddy / WENN