The 27 wildest state costumes from the 2025 Miss USA pageant

• The 2025 Miss USA costume contest took place in Reno, Nevada, on Monday.
• The contestants represented their states in colorful, bold ensembles.
• One contestant paid homage to french fries, while another donned a sparkly astronaut costume.

With a new CEO and a bombshell lawsuit, there’s plenty happening behind the scenes at Miss USA.

But the show must go on, and this year’s pageant kicked off with the state costume competition on Monday night in Reno, Nevada.

This year’s 51 contestants paid tribute to their hometowns with bright, bold ensembles covered in glitter and feathers.

Here are some of the most daring looks from the state costume contest.

Miss Alabama’s pink-and-green ensemble was inspired by the camellia, her state’s official flower.

Kennedy Whisenant brought spring to the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, with her state costume. The two-piece, decorated throughout with pink and green feathers, was designed to look like rippling petals and shimmering morning dew.

According to Miss USA, Whisenant’s outfit honored the gardens where her “roots were first planted.”

Miss Alaska honored her state’s natural splendor with a costume dripping in gold.

Alaska is home to the largest population of bald eagles, which Kelsey Craft paid tribute to with her dramatic metallic gold wings.

Craft’s sparkling skirt and daring bodysuit with gold detailing honored Alaska’s gold rush, while her metallic crown referenced the state’s famous midnight sun, which is visible during the summer.

Miss Arizona also sported a dramatic pair of wings for her debut on the Miss USA stage.

Elexes Richardson’s costume was inspired by the mythical phoenix, which shares a name with Arizona’s capital.

Richardson wanted her fiery red, orange, and yellow feathers to channel the phoenix rising from the ashes, just as the city of Phoenix “embodies rebirth and transformation,” according to Miss USA. She paired the bold feathers with a white-and-gold two-piece adorned with black beads and metallic gold heels.

Miss California’s costume was a tribute to the Golden State’s resilience after historic wildfires.

Kylie Chang also drew inspiration from the mythical phoenix for her costume, which was designed to celebrate “California’s strength, its recovery from wildfires, and rich cultural heritage,” according to Miss USA.

Chang wore a shimmering gold top and skirt decorated with beads and red feathers, as well as a matching headpiece. Her hands were covered with red gloves, and she carried Chinese silk fans with fabric painted in bright red, yellow, and orange to resemble dancing flames.

Miss Colorado’s fringe-covered costume was inspired by her state’s iconic concert venue.

This ain’t Texas, but Sydney Hella infused the Miss USA stage with some major “Cowboy Carter” energy with her state costume, which paid tribute to Colorado’s famous Red Rocks amphitheater.

Hella’s outfit, which she designed, featured a brown dress and boots inspired by the venue’s sandstone formations. She accessorized with a cowboy hat that shimmered with dozens of sparkling strands of fringe so long they nearly kissed the floor. Their glittering effect referenced concerts under the stars, which Red Rocks is known for.

Miss District of Columbia looked pretty in pink with a costume that celebrated the American Beauty rose, her home’s official flower.

Allison Laforce wore a sparkling hot-pink bodysuit and metallic green lace-up heels designed to look like vines as she walked across the Miss USA stage.

The star of Laforce’s costume was her hot-pink cape, which was decorated with roses. According to Miss USA, the American Beauty rose is also Laforce’s favorite flower because it represents “elegance and the enduring American spirit.”

Miss Georgia was sweet as a peach with an ensemble honoring her state’s nickname.

Savannah Miles wanted to capture the legacy of Georgia’s peaches — over 100 million pounds are produced by the state each year — but add a “fairytale twist,” according to Miss USA.

Miles’ dress, which was custom-designed and handcrafted in Thailand, featured layers of tulle in a soft ombré of peach and pink colors, as well as a ruffled skirt decorated with glittering peaches. She carried a basket full of the sparkling fruit, which also adorned her headpiece.

Miss Florida was ready to reach new heights in her Miss USA state costume.

Lou Schieffelin honored Florida’s Space Coast with her NASA-inspired costume.

The spacesuit ensemble featured a metallic silver jumpsuit with a sparkling star at the center and a blue patch decorated with NASA’s logo.

Schieffelin accessorized the outfit with silver knee-high cowboy boots, a space helmet, and a backpiece designed to look like a rocket taking off in flight.

Miss Idaho brought some fry-tastic energy to the stage with a tribute to her state’s nickname.

What better way to celebrate the potato state than with some french fries? Jenny Ting Crawford did just that with this state costume, which she designed herself.

Crawford wore a sparkling red-and-gold bodysuit with a backpiece of shimmering gold french fries. She accessorized the ensemble with a brown train designed to resemble a burlap potato sack and thigh-high gold boots.

Miss Illinois celebrated the world’s first Ferris wheel with her sparkly ensemble.

The first Ferris wheel debuted in Nikolina Vujcic’s home state at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

Vujcic, who visited the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier throughout her childhood and became a travel enthusiast in adulthood, decided to pay homage to the attraction with her magenta outfit, according to Miss USA.

The backpiece featured lights and was designed to resemble a wheel, while the bodice and skirt of her ensemble were adorned with gems.

A hot-pink train and top hat completed the colorful, sparkly look.

Miss Kansas took inspiration from her state’s wheat fields for her gold costume.

Asia Cymone Smith walked the costume contest runway in a gold-and-green look that celebrated Kansas as the wheat state.

It included a dramatic headpiece, backpiece, and train, all of which were designed to resemble wheat stalks. The intricate bodice and sleeves also featured bedazzled details that glittered as Smith took the stage.

Miss Maryland transformed herself into her state’s beloved crustacean.

According to Miss USA, the blue crab is one of the most iconic animals in Maryland, and Lexia Gillette used the state costume contest platform to turn herself into one.

Her sparkly blue-and-orange look featured a backpiece resembling crab legs with netting surrounding it, and she wore a crown-like headpiece. Her top, skirt, and boots were sparkly as well, and the pièce de résistance of the look was the orange pincers Gillette wore on her hands.

Miss Massachusetts took a punny approach to her costume.

Perianne Caron put a spin on “spilling tea,” celebrating the history of the Boston Tea Party with her ensemble.

Her look featured a white bodice adorned with sparkly blue fabric that flowed into a blue train reminiscent of Boston Harbor. She wore a hat that looked like a teacup and carried a box that said “spill the tea” in sparkly letters.

According to Miss USA, Caron is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Tea Party Chapter, making her outfit the perfect fit for the pageant.

Miss Michigan honored her state’s snowy winters.

Michele Lewandoski’s costume celebrated the snow that covers Michigan each winter, according to Miss USA.

Lewandoski wore a strapless corset and coordinating bottoms, both of which were covered in sparkly, silver embellishments, and coordinating boots.

Her backpiece was designed to resemble a massive snowflake, with crystals jutting out in a circle, and an ornate silver tiara tied it all together.

Miss Missouri’s costume paid tribute to Kansas City’s nickname, the City of Fountains.

Kansas City, Missouri, is home to over 200 fountains, and Shae Addison Smith turned herself into one of them for the costume contest.

Her sparkly gray bodysuit, chaps, and headpiece were made to resemble granite, while strips of glowing blue fabric burst out of her legs, shoulders, and head like water.

Miss Nebraska strutted the runway in a jewelry-inspired costume.

Audrey Eckert celebrated Borsheims, an iconic luxury jewelry and watch store in Nebraska, helmed by Warren Buffett, according to Miss USA.

Her white set featured crystal and pearl embellishments atop a sheer, gem-encrusted layer of fabric. She wore the look with silver boots, a sparkly cape, and a headpiece designed to look like diamonds.

Miss Nevada leaned into the spirit of Las Vegas with her costume.

Mary Sickler took “The Life of a Showgirl” literally, wearing a look inspired by 1950s Vegas showgirls to the costume contest.

Her hot-pink ensemble included a sparkly bodysuit, a feathered backpiece, and a feather-covered headpiece that weighed 20 pounds, according to Miss USA.

Miss New Mexico’s costume celebrated three crops sacred to the Indigenous community in her state.

According to Miss USA, Dominique Ehrl turned to the “three sisters” of Indigenous agriculture with her look: corn, beans, and squash, representing harmony, resilience, and interdependence.

Ehrl wore a beaded set, but her statement backpiece and headpiece were the stars of her look. They featured depictions of corn, feathers in purple and orange that nodded to the earthy colors of beans, sweeping rust fabric, and green accents depicting squash.

Miss New York celebrated her state with the help of some famous icons.

Christiana DiNardo appeared onstage wearing a silver bodysuit that honored her city’s strength and energy with high shine. The suit was decorated with images of New York City staples, including a yellow taxi cab, a MetroCard, the Statue of Liberty, the Charging Bull statue, and more.

The piece was also adorned across its back with a white cape that displayed an assortment of international flags, celebrating the city’s diversity.

Miss North Carolina took inspiration from flowering dogwood trees.

Lulu Madera wore a white set designed to capture the “purity, beauty, and timeless elegance” of North Carolina’s nature, Miss USA said. It included a bedazzled bra, matching shorts, arm bands, leg bands, a backpiece, and a feathered tiara.

The outfit was decorated from top to bottom with crystals to mimic the shine of dew. Layered rows of gems also hung over her waist to evoke the image of sunlight.

Miss Oklahoma graced the stage with a bison scepter in hand.

Zoe Ferraro was partially inspired by the strength and pride of her state’s animal to carry the regal accessory. But she was equally encouraged by Rumble the Bison, the mascot of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team.

She paired the scepter with a sparkling bra and shorts set in blue that mimics the color of Oklahoma’s 200 man-made lakes, according to Miss USA.

Miss Pennsylvania rocked a basketball-inspired ensemble.

Rica Clements used her costume to celebrate the Philadelphia 76ers and other professional sports across the city. It featured a cropped Sixers jersey with a band of red sequins, a matching miniskirt emblazoned with the number three, and a pom-pom backpiece.

According to Miss USA, Clements’ costume also honored athletes who have played in her state, like Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson.

Miss Rhode Island embraced the Ocean State nickname.

Brianna Vega looked like she’d stepped out of the ocean when she arrived at the costume contest. She wore a tan bodysuit decorated with pearls, a backpiece and crown designed to resemble coral, and a feathered skirt that reached the floor.

The latter was designed to create a rolling wave effect, while the costume overall was meant to highlight Rhode Island’s “charm, energy, and seaside magic,” according to Miss USA.

South Dakota took inspiration from old-school mines.

Megan Hiykel sported a sequined bodysuit with shorts, a mesh duster jacket, a bedazzled cowgirl hat, and gold boots. It was her sparkling pickax, though, that really stole the show.

Her costume was inspired by the South Dakota Gold Rush of the late 1800s, when George Armstrong Custer found the precious mineral in areas of the state. According to Miss USA, more than 25,000 sequins were used to make her outfit.

Miss Texas put her own spin on the Texas flag with her costume.

According to Miss USA, Taylor Lauren Davis’ look was inspired by the Texas flag and its iconic symbols.

Her sparkly bodysuit, which had a plunging neckline, was white, red, and blue, much like the flag. The massive backpiece was adorned with a longhorn, monarch butterflies, and peppers, all of which hold significance in the state.

Sparkly tassels framed the backpiece, and Davis carried a sign with Texas atop a star to tie it all together.

Miss Vermont turned to her state’s winters for her costume.

According to Miss USA, Victoria Chuah drew inspiration from Vermont’s over 4 million annual skiers and the snow angel look Elsa Hosk wore in the 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show with her costume.

Her semi-sheer, high-neck bodysuit was adorned with sparkly silver beading in a snowflake-like pattern. She also wore wings made of snowflakes and wintry accessories, including massive, fuzzy earmuffs, gloves, and white boots.

Miss West Virginia’s costume was fitting for fall as she celebrated her state’s official fruit, the Golden Delicious apple.

Erin Wellman’s costume, which was made by her childhood dance teacher, also paid tribute to her parents, who own and operate an apple tree farm in West Virginia, according to Miss USA.

Wellman’s ensemble featured a gold, long-sleeved bodysuit and a metallic bronze train that flowed behind her as she walked across the Miss USA stage. Attached to the outfit was a backpiece decorated with brown and green leaves and a few of those famous Golden Delicious apples.

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