Miss givings

This year's Miss Hong Kong pageant appears to have added a new talent to the list of abilities contestants need to win the coveted title: the ability to squeeze into a virtually non-existent swimsuit and keep it in place.

At Sunday night's pageant semi-final, the extra-tight costumes showed more than they were supposed to of all regions at times, often leaving little to the imagination.

The pageant's image director, Karen Chan Wai-ying, said there weren't any problems during rehearsals, but admitted this year's set-up may have contributed to the case of over-exposure.

'The swimsuits were tailor-made to show the best qualities of the girls' figures on the stage,' she said. 'This year's a bit different because the contestants had to wear the swimsuits walking on the stage and performing for a longer time than last year. This might have caused the swimsuits to move away from their original position.'

Chan said she would adjust the design of the swimsuits for the August 11 final to safeguard the contestants' modesty. 'I will go through the pictures and absorb the comments,' she said. 'The style of swimsuits for the final will be much more classic.'

However, Miss Photogenic, Cerina Filomena Da Graca, and finalist Amanda Edith Boll said they had no problems with the outfits. 'I trust the organisers to make us look good and not ugly on stage as they are professionals,' Boll said.