Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil’s national costume malfunctions

All eyes were on Miss Universe Australia when she took to the stage in her national costume – only for an unlucky mishap to occur.

Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil has taken to the stage at this year’s pageant in her national costume – but one showstopping element was unfortunately missing.

The 27-year-old’s costume, which she unveiled on TV last month, was inspired by Australia’s black swan featuring 105 feathers and a motor that made the wings spin.

But just before Ms Thattil took to the stage for the pageant’s national costume segment she made the “heartbreaking” discovery that the outfit’s most spectacular element had malfunctioned.

“Five minutes before going on stage, we realised the motor on my wings was damaged in transit and they had broken,” she wrote on Instagram.

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Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil has revealed her national costume’s motor sadly wasn’t working. Picture: Instagram/@mariathattil.

Despite the stressful discovery, Ms Thattil said she had remembered the advice of her family that “when things go ‘wrong’ that you flex your muscles of grit and resilience”.

“So as a real Queen would, I adjusted my ‘Crown,’ and went out there with a smile, gratitude and poise anyway,” she wrote.

“That’s your reminder that when life throws you curveballs, big and small, and when things don’t always go right – what matters is how you respond.”

Watching Ms Thattil’s performance you’d had no idea there was never anything wrong: the Melbourne-based influencer confidently walked on the stage at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, with a smile on her face.

Her performance – and admission about what had gone wrong – won Ms Thattil plenty of praise online.

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Watching Ms Thattil’s confident performance it was impossible to know her costume had malfunctioned just before going on stage. Picture: Instagram/@mariathattil.

“So proud of you,” former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers commented on Instagram.

“You never would have known because you absolutely killed it on stage,” another commented.

“Maria you were glowing on stage! Only you knew on stage in front of an audience that the motor wasn’t working properly. To the rest of us, you showed immense confidence,” one follower wrote.

Maria’s costume was designed by Nicola Yeung and consisted of cigarette leg trousers and a corsetted top that featured sequined, red and white accents.

Her performance won plenty of praise from fans. Picture: Instagram/@mariathattil.

Ms Thattil was granted a travel exemption to go to the United States and compete in the Miss Universe competition. Picture: Instagram/@mariathattil.

The 105 feathers were handmade and engineer Stuart Bryce came up with the motor that made the top wings spin.

“The Black Swan is a symbol of the unexpected and overcoming the impossible. It symbolises the beauty and wonder in being open for CHANGE,” Ms Thattil wrote about the costume on Instagram last month.

“As the Black Swan defied generalised assumptions, similarly, I have challenged many norms in order to stand as Miss Universe Australia, and believe in breaking barriers and expectations of women and people of colour in society.

“It is imperative that I embody this symbolism of the Black Swan because it is in line with the true Australian spirit of challenging moulds to be more inclusive and open to ALL.”