International pageantry in Mount Airy
Near the intersection of Howard, Carroll, Montgomery and Frederick counties sits a quiet nexus of the international beauty pageant world.
Dejavu Boutique in Mount Airy has been quietly sponsoring competitors in the Miss America, Miss Universe and other pageants for almost a decade, according to owners Joanne Sapp and her daughter, Kirsten.
When a young woman wins a contest they are sponsoring — say, Miss Maryland or Miss Universe Germany — “We provide her wardrobe for her competition, so that whole week she is dressed wearing our stuff,” Kirsten said.
On a recent Friday, three of the boutique’s most recent sponsored contestants met to select their wardrobes for their upcoming competitions: Miss Universe Iceland 2018 Katrin Lea Elenudottir; Miss Queen Beauty Iceland Sunneva Sif Jonsdottir; and from Rockville, Miss Maryland 2018 Adrianna David.
“I have known Joanne Sapp ... for probably 10 years and she is gracious enough to be one of our sponsors,” said Jorge Esteban, owner of Pageant Smart Interview Consulting and the national director of Miss Universe Iceland. “The girls get to go shopping here and she outfits them for several of their appearances.”
The Miss Universe competition will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in December, and the Queen Beauty Universe contest in Valencia, Spain, in November, according to Esteban, with the first taking place over three weeks and the second over 10 days.
“That’s a lot of appearances, dinners, rehearsals where they need a lot of wardrobe for those events,” he said.
David, meanwhile, was leaving for the Miss America contest, which will be held Sunday, and had come by Dejavu for some last-minute wardrobe enhancement. It was not her first time at the boutique.
“Dejavu is the best sponsor ever. They outfit all of my appearances throughout the year,” she said. “I am so grateful to them, I do not know what I would do without this extra closet that I have.”
David also had no idea that Elenudottir and Jonsdottir would be in the shop.
“It’s so awesome, so crazy. I didn’t anticipate this,” she said. “It’s such a great surprise to walk in and meet fellow sisters who are also title holders.”
Elenudottir grew up in Russia, emigrating to Iceland when she was 8, but she said Iceland certainly felt like her home country as she was crowned Miss Universe Iceland on Aug. 21. She was looking for cocktail dresses and evening gowns, the many outfits she will need for all kinds of appearances, from dinner to rehearsals, during her three weeks of competition in Bangkok. Her preferred color scheme? “I love [the] blue color,” she said. “I think about royalty, and about the ocean we have everywhere in Iceland. I love also sparkling and I am searching for a sparkling blue dress.”
Having been to New York and California, but never Maryland, Elenudottir was impressed with Mount Airy’s small-town charm.
“I love this Main Street you have here,” she said. “It’s so sweet and so wonderful! I feel like I am on the set of film, some movie making.”
“But we’ve gone to some of the local eateries already and they’ve done some shopping,” Esteban said. “we also went to have lunch down at Carter Cues.”
That trip to a local barbecue establishment was a highlight for Jonsdottir.
“I had a pulled pork sandwich,” she said with a laugh. “It was so good. So good.” jon.kelvey@carrollcountytimes.com
Dejavu Boutique in Mount Airy has been quietly sponsoring competitors in the Miss America, Miss Universe and other pageants for almost a decade, according to owners Joanne Sapp and her daughter, Kirsten.
When a young woman wins a contest they are sponsoring — say, Miss Maryland or Miss Universe Germany — “We provide her wardrobe for her competition, so that whole week she is dressed wearing our stuff,” Kirsten said.
On a recent Friday, three of the boutique’s most recent sponsored contestants met to select their wardrobes for their upcoming competitions: Miss Universe Iceland 2018 Katrin Lea Elenudottir; Miss Queen Beauty Iceland Sunneva Sif Jonsdottir; and from Rockville, Miss Maryland 2018 Adrianna David.
“I have known Joanne Sapp ... for probably 10 years and she is gracious enough to be one of our sponsors,” said Jorge Esteban, owner of Pageant Smart Interview Consulting and the national director of Miss Universe Iceland. “The girls get to go shopping here and she outfits them for several of their appearances.”
The Miss Universe competition will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in December, and the Queen Beauty Universe contest in Valencia, Spain, in November, according to Esteban, with the first taking place over three weeks and the second over 10 days.
“That’s a lot of appearances, dinners, rehearsals where they need a lot of wardrobe for those events,” he said.
David, meanwhile, was leaving for the Miss America contest, which will be held Sunday, and had come by Dejavu for some last-minute wardrobe enhancement. It was not her first time at the boutique.
“Dejavu is the best sponsor ever. They outfit all of my appearances throughout the year,” she said. “I am so grateful to them, I do not know what I would do without this extra closet that I have.”
David also had no idea that Elenudottir and Jonsdottir would be in the shop.
“It’s so awesome, so crazy. I didn’t anticipate this,” she said. “It’s such a great surprise to walk in and meet fellow sisters who are also title holders.”
Elenudottir grew up in Russia, emigrating to Iceland when she was 8, but she said Iceland certainly felt like her home country as she was crowned Miss Universe Iceland on Aug. 21. She was looking for cocktail dresses and evening gowns, the many outfits she will need for all kinds of appearances, from dinner to rehearsals, during her three weeks of competition in Bangkok. Her preferred color scheme? “I love [the] blue color,” she said. “I think about royalty, and about the ocean we have everywhere in Iceland. I love also sparkling and I am searching for a sparkling blue dress.”
Having been to New York and California, but never Maryland, Elenudottir was impressed with Mount Airy’s small-town charm.
“I love this Main Street you have here,” she said. “It’s so sweet and so wonderful! I feel like I am on the set of film, some movie making.”
“But we’ve gone to some of the local eateries already and they’ve done some shopping,” Esteban said. “we also went to have lunch down at Carter Cues.”
That trip to a local barbecue establishment was a highlight for Jonsdottir.
“I had a pulled pork sandwich,” she said with a laugh. “It was so good. So good.” jon.kelvey@carrollcountytimes.com
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