THE PAGEANT ISSUE STARRING PIA WURTZBACH-JAUNCEY
Written By: William Buckley
Miss Universe, shimmering in a galaxy of glittering stones from Bvlgari's Eclettica High Jewelry collection - emeralds, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires set in golds and platinum - shot in the sweeping halls of an ancient villa in the heart or Rome.
Under the Roman sun, Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey takes over a sprawling villa in the center of the city, slipping between terrace and marble hall in couture and some serious stones. Crowned Miss Universe in 2015, soaring to icon status in her native Philippines, Pia knows the spotlight well. Around her neck and on her wrists and fingers, Bvlgari High Jewelry flashes with a rainbow of precious colors. The curves of Divas’ Dream, the coils of Serpenti, and sculptural Tubogas all catch the light and glow like they know that for now they’re home.
Eclettica High Jewelry necklace, ring, transformable earrings, and bracelet, BVLGARI; Dress, SALVATORE BURGIO
Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey – crowned Miss Universe 2015, and now a global fashion KOL, activist, and Bvlgari brand ambassador – was due to board her flight from the UK to Rome at 2am on the morning of our cover shoot. We had originally planned to fly her in the day before, with a stay in a suite at the Bvlgari Hotel Roma, naturally, but Pia had prior plans. She would board the plane at 2am, and come direct to set from the airport – trooper.
If the date had been flexible, we could have moved the shoot, but this was a singular opportunity; the entire Bvlgari High Jewelry collection, all in a villa in Rome, with attendant security (a small army), for one day only. We woke up with the dawn at 6am, rubbed our tired eyes, rolled over, and reached for our iPhones to news that, due to inclement weather in the UK (what a surprise), Pia’s flight had been cancelled… panic!
Then word came she would try for the 6am flight; slightly less panic.
We rallied the troops and headed to the villa. Producer, photographer, stylist, and glam team assembled. We explained Pia would now arrive closer to 11am. Tight, but manageable. A few minutes later, another message: the 6am flight was cancelled too. She would try the 9am. Arrival around 1pm – one hour in glam; jewelry locked back in the vault at 6pm. Four hours to shoot eight looks. “Call the whole thing off,” announced our Editor-in-Chief, Ali. “Eight looks in five hours? Impossible.” We talked him off the ledge.
High Jewelry Divas’ Dream necklace, earrings, and rings, BVLGARI; Dress, SYLVIO GIARDINA
When Pia arrived, her game face was firmly on. “Let’s go,” she said, stepping straight into hair and makeup with the calm focus of someone who had already decided the job would get done. Cameras fired, gowns changed, diamonds flashed. Eight looks. Four hours. Finito! But if you know anything about Pia’s journey so far, it makes sense.
You don’t win Miss Universe with a smile. It takes a lot of hard work and total dedication. Not to mention Pia won the Miss Universe crown on her third attempt – that’s tenacity. That kind of persistence shapes a person. Long before fashion weeks and high jewelry entered the chat, Pia spent years modeling, acting, and working steadily in the Philippines, building experience and confidence piece by piece.
When people told her Fashion Weeks weren’t for her, that Pageant Queens wouldn’t be welcomed on frows and red carpets, Pia rose to the challenge. In 2023 she attended Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks as a correspondent for Vogue Philippines, documenting the shows with the fun and fascination of someone discovering a new playground. Invitations soon followed. Houses took notice. And Bvlgari got on board.
Eclettica High Jewelry necklace and earrings, and High Jewelry rings, BVLGARI; Dress and coat, JIL SANDER X MONCLER
WILLIAM BUCKLEY: So fashion and luxury are a big part of your career. How was stepping into that world from the Philippines and Miss Universe? There’s obviously an alignment there, but now you’re on this global stage.
PIA WURTZBACH-JAUNCEY: I started as a model and actress when I was very young, and then in the pageant scene, joining Miss Philippines, and eventually Miss Universe. So there are some parallels to it, in the fashion and beauty space, but this is a whole different level. I’ve always had an interest in it, but honestly, I never had the resources to explore, have fun, to be part of it.
When I was starting out, it was more of a survival thing for me – I was the breadwinner of my family, so anything I was earning from that was going towards necessities, mostly. Even when I was joining pageants, I always had an interest but it was never my own direction; it was always what was needed for the competition, what my mentors told me would look good on me. I think those days were my self-discovery, trying to find my look, what exactly about fashion and beauty I’m interested in. I worked with different creatives, stylists, designers, makeup artists, and it’s a lot of trial and error figuring out what works best for me.
When I finally competed at Miss Universe, and got the crown and was earning enough, I was, like, ‘Okay, now I can buy the things that I’ve always wanted to wear, hire people I’ve always wanted to work with.’ It gave me more flexibility to scratch that fashion itch I’ve always had, to explore and have fun.
It wasn’t until, I would say, three years ago that I made a real effort in pivoting to luxury fashion.
For a long time in the Philippines, I was doing a lot of commercial work, and of course, I appreciate it. Not every Miss Universe winner, not every pageant girl is able to sustain a career in front of the camera for that long, and I’m very grateful that the work kept coming, but I felt like I wanted to explore now – to grow and try something new.
I didn’t mind being an underdog again, starting from scratch and reintroducing myself. That was my rebranding, my pivot into something I wasn’t exactly familiar with. I wasn’t even sure if this was going to work because I’d been told there’s no room for pageant girls in fashion, that it was going to be really tricky to get into brands, into shows. I was, like, let me just try. I’m hearing all these things, but I want to know for myself if the doors are going to shut or if they’re going to open. So, I gave it a shot.
Eclettica High Jewelry Monete necklace, watch, High Jewelry rings, and earrings, BVLGARI
Where it really kicked off for me was, when you’re Miss Universe, you live in New York, so I attended Fashion Weeks there. But Milan and Paris, the first time was in 2023. I was a Vogue Philippines correspondent then, so I was invited as press. I had some deliverables that I needed to do, though it was still me in front of the camera and my voice, how I would explain things.
They gave me the freedom to be myself, and go to the shows while doing content about what it was like for me. It went so well, the audience reaction was so good, it felt like I was bringing everybody along with me. I wasn’t pretending to be an expert, either. You could see it in my face and my commentary that I was new to this, that I was excited. Every other day, I was doing a video diary of the experience.
After that, the invitations were coming in, not just as a correspondent, but as a talent. I was like, ‘I want to do this again, this is fun, I feel like I’m accepted here.’ That’s how it started.
WB: You mentioned that pageant queens can’t always build a career off the crown. Do you think the culture of pageantry in the Philippines – because they’re nationally recognized and revered – enabled you to build that career?
Eclettica High Jewelry necklace, and High Jewelry earrings and rings, BVLGARI; Dress, RAHUL MISHRA
PWJ: Oh yeah, that helped for sure. They are the best supporters in the world, even if you’re trying something new outside.
I’ve always been an open book; I bring them along, and it feels like we’re all going on the journey together. It’s still relatable, even though it’s aspirational – it’s luxury fashion, so it’s a little different.
A big part of my success is the love and support I’m getting from fans. Maybe they’re pageant fans, maybe some of them have just decided to be supporters, or silent supporters following my journey, whether they still watch the pageants or not – because some of them are growing with me as well, and probably going in different directions in our lives.
But I do feel that connection, and I have to thank them for a big part of what I’m able to do now successfully. That’s something very unique to the Philippines, that Filipinos support other Filipinos, especially when they try to represent you abroad on the global stage.
WB: You started modelling at a young age. Was it a natural progression to compete in pageants?
PWJ: Nowadays it is, but when I started off 13 years ago – 2015 was the year I won, but 2013 was my first competition, and I just kept joining and joining – every year I would come back and they’d be like, ‘It’s you again?’
WB: Perseverance pays off.
Polychroma High Jewelry pendant, Eclettica High Jewelry ring, High Jewelry ring, BVLGARI; Dress, SYLVIO GIARDINA
PWJ: Yes! But it wasn’t planned, for sure. Modeling and acting weren’t really kicking off for me. I was getting a few jobs here and there, but I wasn’t getting the break that I was hoping for.
I was walking in a mall in the Philippines with my friends, and I got scouted by a pageant mentor. He said, ‘What are you doing now?’ I said I was just waiting for the TV network to give me some projects. Then he’s like, ‘What’s your shoe size?’ Nine. ‘Okay wear these heels.’ He made another friend take off their shoes. I tried them on, did a little walk and a wave, and then they’re like, ‘Do you want to join the Miss Philippines competition?’
Without batting an eyelash, I just said yes right away. My exact words, translated from Tagalog, were ‘Thank God, now I’ll have something to do with my life.’
I also just got off a breakup, so I was kind of lost and looking for direction – maybe a distraction, but more direction. And I felt like I’d finally found a place where I’m not just a model where you glam me up and take photos of me.
In the pageant space, you have to present yourself, talk to people, have an answer to questions. You have to know what’s going on in the Philippines or around the world, know where you stand on certain things. It challenges you beyond the surface level. That was something I really liked about it. I’ve since dedicated all my time to that, because I felt seen. Somebody saw potential in me, and that’s all I needed. I just needed somebody to say, ‘We believe in you. We think you have what it takes to be a winner,’ and then it was all up to me to make that happen and make that a reality.
Looking back now, I would say all I needed was a little push, and I got it from the mentors I met that day. It was unplanned, for sure, and unexpected. At that point, I didn’t even know that I wanted to be Miss Universe yet, I just wanted to do something. Of course, after training and seeing what it’s really about, I said, ‘Alright, I’m going to go for it.’
WB: It’s interesting you mentioned the part of pageantry that’s not modeling. Do you feel like pageantry is misunderstood?
PWJ: Oh, yeah. I think any career in front of the camera is a little bit misunderstood. People believe stereotypes about models, about people in the fashion industry, about people who join pageants and people tend to put us in a box and say, ‘All right, this is where you came from, so this is all you can do.’
But I took that more as a challenge than a restriction, because I would look at other winners like Olivia Culpo, and Jennifer Hawkins from Australia, and they have amazing, long careers, and they have their businesses, they’re still out there. So I’m thinking, it might be a little bit of a challenge, but then I just thought, no, I’m really going to make this work. And if it doesn’t, it just means keep trying.
WB: You’ve done so many things since, particularly with charities for HIV/AIDS, wildlife. How did you step into that?
PWJ: In my first competition, I was first runner-up, so what happens is you join all the winners. I was being interviewed, and I was asked, ‘How does it feel to be the spare tire?’
WB: Rude.
PWJ: Really badly put, right?
But as a runner-up, I had to join the winners in their training, just in case one couldn’t compete and I had to replace them. Part of that is doing the advocacy work they’re doing. So, I’ve been invited to hospitals to visit kids undergoing cancer treatment. I’ve been invited to an operating room where they were doing surgery for a cleft palate. I’ve also been invited to pack relief goods for towns that had been hit by calamities. So you’re kind of exposed to advocacy – maybe something health related, maybe something environment related.
Doing all of that, I was having fun, I was learning a lot. It also opens your eyes and really brings you back to Earth, you know.
WB: I didn’t know advocacy work was part of the pageant.
Eclettica High Jewelry necklace and earrings, BVLGARI; Coat, JIL SANDER X MONCLER
Polychroma High Jewelry pendant, Eclettica High Jewelry ring, High Jewelry ring, BVLGARI; Dress, SYLVIO GIARDINA
PWJ: I don’t know for others, but in the Philippines it’s part of your activities. I remember we were invited to visit people living with HIV and I noticed the energy in the room shift. There were questions about whether it was safe – ‘Can we talk to them? Can we shake their hand?’. I was like, they wouldn’t invite us if it was unsafe, right?
So I did my own research, and realized I didn’t know much about this and I’m supposed to be talking to people about it, supposed to be a spokesperson and a role model. So if we are misinformed, we have to change that. Slowly I realized that it’s actually closer to home than I think, because I am now learning about people close to me who are living with HIV, and unfortunately, I’ve also had friends who passed away because it progressed to AIDS because they didn’t get the treatment early on because of fear, because of stigma.
The Philippines is also very religious, predominantly Catholic, and it’s pretty conservative still, so there’s a lot of fear that comes after you get diagnosed. So it became real to me. And of course, I am close to the LGBTQ+ community. They are my parents, they’re the ones who made me who I am, they’re the ones who saw the potential in me, the ones who discovered me, trained me, molded me and gave me the confidence in everything that I needed, and then, people are pinning HIV on them.
Eclettica High Jewelry Serpenti necklace, Eclettica High Jewelry earrings, BVLGARI; Dress, FERRAGAMO
This is a part of the stigma and the judgement. And it’s more than just HIV, it’s also the discrimination and unfair treatment. It’s also mental health. There’s so many layers to it. And if I’m not in front of the camera, I’m listening, I’m learning. I ask questions.
WB: Obviously meeting Jeremy has changed your life, but has marrying him changed your worldview?
PWJ: He’s opened up my world so much. Aside from being with him, I just felt like I could express more emotions; to laugh more, let out my personality more, to joke around. I felt like I had to be careful with everything I say; I was overly careful and almost diluting myself and my personality so I wasn’t too much for anybody. He’s been really helpful with that, and also with the traveling.
He’s brought me to so many different places, places I’d never imagined, different cultures. Traveling really opens your eyes and mind, and he brings me to all the best places. Traveling alone also puts things into perspective. I come from the Philippines, and there’s still a lot of struggles back home, so it opens your eyes to there being beautiful places in the world, but also places that are still facing challenges. You become more empathetic towards people, understanding; you appreciate diversity more, appreciate people more, and I have him to thank for that.
WB: When and how did your Bvlgari ambassadorship happen?
Eclettica High Jewelry Serpenti necklace, Eclettica High Jewelry earrings, BVLGARI; Dress and shoes, FERRAGAMO
PWJ: I actually started by just visiting the store as a curious client, looking at the jewelry. I still have photos from that day. I didn’t buy anything, but I tried them on, and was like, I’m going to come back for these. Since I was already a personality in the Philippines, shortly after, they invited me to a few events there where I had the chance to wear the jewelry. It started very organically. I eventually did get a few pieces for everyday wear, but no big jewelry.
Then, when I did Paris Fashion Week for the first time, I got invited to a Bvlgari event. I didn’t know anybody at the event – there wasn’t anybody else from the Philippines. I walked in and introduced myself to everybody, trying to find people who would talk to me a bit more and introduce me to the next person. The photographers took notice of me when I was taking pictures.
This is still a story that we talk about within Bvlgari, because they remember that night where I walked in wearing a green dress. I had no jewelry on, just a Bvlgari bag. Now I’m a brand ambassador, after absolutely knowing nobody. But it was fun, and I stayed loyal to Bvlgari. And I like doing videos, I like talking on camera, so I was just kind of fan-girling about Bvlgari and learning about the brand also.
So, as I’m going through these events, of course, they explain the jewelry to you, the history, the collection. And I’m learning, I’m absorbing everything. After a few events, they would come up to me and say, ‘So this collection…’ And I’d say, I know – this was inspired by this year, by that icon. And they’re like, ‘Oh, you know it already?’ I did my homework.
I think, even for other talent out there who feel like getting an ambassadorship is a far-fetched dream, it’s not. It’s very possible.
WB: Is there anything that you have coming up in the near future that you’re excited about?
High Jewelry necklace, earrings, bracelet, and Eclettica High Jewelry rings, BVLGARI; Dress, DOLCE&GABBANA
PWJ: I taped two seasons already of an advocacy show that I do. I post it on YouTube and Instagram. I’m interviewing mostly overseas Filipino workers about social issues and their experiences abroad, because I also work with the overseas welfare administration of the Philippines. We’re going to start showing some episodes in maybe the third quarter of this year.
Aside from that, when it comes to fashion and beauty, I’m still attending red carpet events like Cannes and different fashion awards as they come in, also Fashion Weeks. I am slowly starting to be invited as a model, too, for brands. I’m shooting a few campaigns here and there, aside from Bvlgari, for clothing brands, and I’m very excited about that. Without revealing too much, I want people to stay surprised when they see me walking a show or something.
I want to focus on Southeast Asia because that’s where my main audience is, although I’m also trying to grow an audience in Dubai, since the UAE is coming up in my top-three audience on my insights.
WB: You live in Dubai now, right?
PWJ: Jeremy and I have been living in the UAE for five years, Abu Dhabi first, and now Dubai. I’ve attended Bvlgari events in Dubai as well. So, it’s just nice to see that the world is finally opening up for a girl like me, who used to be a small-time actress and model in the Philippines. I continue representing the Philippines.
A big part of that is bringing people along with me, storytelling, and making people feel like they’re on the journey with me. It lets us learn and discover together, see where life takes us.
WB: Of course. Lastly, what is your favorite flavor of sorbet?
PWJ: This is easy: Lemon.
Eclettica High Jewelry necklace, ring, transformable earrings, and bracelet, BVLGARI; Dress, SALVATORE BURGIO
Founder and Editor-in-Chief Ali Y. Khadra | Starring Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey | Editorial Direction William Buckley | Photographer Axle Joseph | Styling Mirko De Propris | Production Jean-Marc Mondelet | Hair Mattia Guiseppe Pongolini | Makeup Silvia Magliocco | Photo Assistant Lorenzo Vecchio | Styling Assistants Flavio Scolari, Elisabetta Carchedi | Jewelry Bvlgari Eclettica High Jewelry | City Rome
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