Despite her dress failing to arrive on time, beauty therapist Monique Cooley (21) won the Miss Otago pageant in Dunedin on Saturday night.
After the dress she ordered on the internet failed to arrive, Miss Cooley (21) went to plan B and wore a loaned gown for the contest.
In preparation for her first beauty pageant, Queenstown-based Miss Cooley ordered a red dress she fell in love with online, and was able to track its progress from China to New Zealand. The only problem was the gown - described as a size 6 custom-made "stunning red gown with a mermaid finish" - did not arrive.
"I was calling people over the world asking 'where is it?' "
Miss Cooley said it was the first time she had bought a dress online, and she had paid extra for it to arrive in time for the pageant, but its no-show forced her to go to "plan B".
"There were no tears, no tantrums. I held it together and I was determined to find another dress," she said yesterday.
Just before she and her mother, Linda, were due to travel to Dunedin on Friday afternoon, they were lent a Grecian-style dress from Solo boutique owner Reiana Tainui, of Queenstown.
"If it wasn't for her, I don't know what I was going to do," she said.
Rather than telling the story of her dress to the judges and the estimated 500 people who gathered at Otago Boys' High School auditorium to watch the pageant, she decided to focus on "doing my best".
That resulted in the Michael Hill-sponsored contestant winning the titles of Miss Swimsuit, the People's Choice Award, and Miss Otago.
It was the first time the contest had been held in 12 years.
"It is a little bit nerve-wracking being in front of 500 people in a bikini trying to look your best. But that is what pageants are all about."
She admitted to a few tears after being crowned Miss Otago in front of the appreciative crowd, which included her mother and boyfriend.
"I wore the tiara home."
The only Miss Otago contestant from outside Dunedin, Miss Cooley will now represent the province in the Miss Universe New Zealand contest in Wellington next year.
After failing to make the second round of New Zealand's Next Top Model because she was too "commercial", she was delighted to have entered Miss Otago after being spotted two years ago in Queenstown Mall.
The red dress, which was expected to arrive this week, would be saved for the Miss Universe New Zealand contest, she said.
