Alyssa Campanella
Alyssa Campanella
Alyssa Campanella
Auburn-haired California beauty Alyssa Campanella wowed the crowd Sunday night as she took home the new title of Miss USA 2011 — and she did so in a stunning custom dress by designer Sherri Hill. The pageant princess’s gown featured a tulle bodice studded with French beads, sequins and Swarovski crystals, and a skirt made of silk taffeta, which was then fashioned with horsehair to give the dress its architectural shape. “Alyssa broke all ‘pageant rules’ by wearing an unusual high fashion design,” Hill tells InStyle.com, “and choosing emerald green for competition rather than a more traditional pageant color.” Campanella — a natural blonde and self-proclaimed “history geek” who dates actor Torrance Coombs — will represent the United States in fine fashion at Miss Universe in September.