Which Color Dress Wins the Most Pageants? Share on Social Media

Shopping for the perfect gown can be so difficult when there are so many options. When I'm narrowing down the colors to choose from, I like to take into consideration what colors look good with my skin tone, as well as the top three colors that win in that system. Knowing what has worked in the past can help you decide what will work well for you and also what to avoid if you want to be original.

Popular Miss America Gown Colors

For example, if you are competing in Miss America, or a state or local pageant within MAO, the top three evening gown colors for winners are white, black, and red. That is the exact order, those are the most common colors that win. Nina broke the mold this year in her beaming yellow gown (yellow is picking up steam, Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron was also crowned in yellow).

Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin. Photo: Miss America Organization

Popular Miss USA Gown Colors

The Miss USA pageant has exactly the same top three, believe it or not. The style of the gowns may differ, but the color order remained exactly the same, white, black, and red. The Miss Universe pageant is slightly different, with the top three colors (in order) being white, red, and then black. Apparently there's some truth to the whole winners wear white saying.

Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst. Photo: Miss Universe Organization

What Does Gown Colors Mean?

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, and purity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness and usually has a positive connotation. White can also represent a successful beginning. Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, and mystery. Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color and gives the feeling of perspective and depth. A black dress can also make you look thinner (most dark gowns can do that, which is especially helpful for short girls, whose proportions appear taller when they look thinner). Red is associated with energy, strength, power, and determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color and is used to indicate courage.

It pops onstage and looks good with most skin tones. Colors can influence our emotions, our actions, and how we respond to various people, things, and ideas. So when shopping for your next gown, take these three colors into consideration and what they mean, because wearing a certain color can speak volumes about you as a person.