There's no denying that Catriona Gray has soared enormous heights, what with being the fourth Filipina to bring home the highly coveted Miss Universe crown. Her reign may have ended but our very own Miss Universe 2018 continues to pilot upwards as a musician, host, and advocate. What's even more impressive is how she has remained gracious and down to Earth despite all of these.
In this episode of The Making Of, we go behind the scenes of our March 2023 cover shoot and get transported to an era of chic nostalgia with a heavy sprinkling of sparkle and glamour thanks to Bvlgari. Press play to find out how the team brought this vision to life and why there is no one better to front Preview during International Women's Month.
WATCH: The Making Of Catriona Gray's Preview March 2023 Cover
"March is International Women's Month so gracing our cover is Catriona Gray, who's essentially the poster child for women empowerment," Preview's Editor-in-Chief Marj Ramos-Clemente shares. "Since her Miss Universe win, she had been nothing but inspiring and graceful, and we wanted to emulate everything that she represents in this month's cover."
The team made their way bright and early on a Wednesday morning to Fliteline Aviation School in Plaridel Airport to mount this exciting cover collab. "We wanted to make it big, so we decided to shoot her in an airport runway against private airplanes," our Art Director Bacs Arcebal explains. It was a beautiful day that became all the more sunnier when Cat arrived and greeted everyone with a chirpy good morning and a warm smile.
Inspired by the glamour of vintage aviation, the concept was a luxurious modern take on the '50s to '60s. "We didn't want it to look too costumey," Marj declares, "We still wanted it to be classic and elegant, but sort of [with] an edgy flavor to it, like a modern Jackie Kennedy."
Dressed in fabulous pieces by Chris Nick, Prada, Carolina Herrera, Roger Vivier, and Fendi that were further elevated by a helping of glitz and sparkle, Catriona looked like she was delicately plucked out of a wistful retro daydream. "The hero pieces were the bags and jewelry from Bvlgari. They were really the perfect finishing touch, it really added that spark and elevated the looks to the next level," Marj notes.
Makeup artist and Most Influential 50 honoree Anthea Bueno veered away from the usual warm tones and played with cool toned neutral makeup for a fresh yet glamorous look. Meanwhile, hairstylist and Best Dressed List 2019 honoree Jan Edrosolan transformed Catriona's locks to a striking Old Hollywood meets '90s bombshell blonde.
Tying all these together is photographer Renzo Navarro who skillfully framed each shot and brought to life the vision that has been driving the team behind the scenes.
Check out the full cover story here.
