Kazakhstan's representative at the Miss World 2026 pageant in Vietnam, Bagym Baltabayeva, stunned audiences and social media users with her striking swan-themed outfit, reports infohub.kz.
She took to the stage in a luxurious white corset dress, complemented by voluminous feathered wings and a massive swan headpiece. Despite the headpiece looking somewhat controversial and breaking from the dress's elegant silhouette, the audience greeted her appearance with sheer delight. Comments under the posts describe the look as "royal" and incredibly delicate.
"Wow! A worthy costume," "Queen," "You had the best look," users wrote.
This year, Kazakhstan decided to move away from the usual image of the warrior Tomiris. As Baltabayeva herself explained, the national costume was instead based on the image of a swan.
"Usually, Kazakh women are portrayed as strong and warlike. I wanted to show another side—beauty, tenderness, wisdom, and inner harmony. That's why the swan became the main symbol," she said.
The model noted that the swan symbolizes purity, fidelity, and spiritual strength, and is also associated with the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan's natural heritage.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that at the Miss World 2026 pageant, Uganda's representative Triviah Elle Muhuza walked the stage in a dress called "Layers of Life." As designer Kisha Abdallah, who created the outfit, explained, it was inspired by the layers of a woman's body that a doctor cuts through during a cesarean section.