It is not just any magazine publication today, particularly in the US that can boast of having a pedigree as far back as the 19th Century. One such mag is “Harper’s Bazaar,” which began as “Harper’s Bazar” in 1867 and over the next couple centuries (and ownership changes) established itself as the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.” Not for nothing do they have local editions in 37 countries and territories. One of them, “Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam,” turned 10 years old this year, which would explain their anniversary issue featuring select lovely Southeast Asian ladies, including four Filipina beauty queens.

That is what Inquirer.net tells us about the July 2021 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam which celebrates 10 years of publishing in that country since 2011. This special issue goes all out for cover girls and has turned to the Philippines to provide them. To wit, none other than Megan Young, Angela Ong, Kylie Verzosa and Pia Wurtzbach make for a daring quartet on cover. Yes, they would be Miss World 2013, Miss International 2016, Miss Earth 2015 and the country’s “curse-breaker” for Miss Universe in 2015, respectively, all together.

Leave it to Kylie Verzosa to spill the magnificent cover spread and teaser photo from inside, courtesy of her post on Instagram this past Sunday, July 18. “Me and my girls for Harpers [Bazaar] Vietnam 10th Anniversary issue,” she writes, confidently declaring the Philippines as the beauty queen powerhouse of Asia to boot. The theme of their cover and photo-shoot, as can be seen here, is of Kylie, Angela, Megan and Pia being stuck on a deserted island in colorful if (sexily) tattered dresses. Verzosa’s pics were echoed in the respective Instagram pages of Young and Wurtzbach, the latter even referencing 2011 movie “Temptation Island.”

BJ Pascual, celebrity photographer extraordinaire, provided the cover and spread for Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam. The inside photos frame an exclusive group interview by the mag with Pia, Kylie, Megan and Angela where they share their reminiscences on their respective pageant journeys, plus what post-reign stuff they have been busy with. They described their 10 anniversary cover as a meaningful collective experience for them. This is doubly so for Young, Verzosa and Wurtzbach as they were a trio of cover girls for HBV back in 2018. The Vietnam-published magazine had other Filipina celebrities on past 10th anniversary series covers, such as Alex Gonzaga on the immediate predecessor to this “queenly” issue.

Image courtesy of CNN Philippines