Speaking with the Sunday Chronicle from the comfort of the living room of his Bel Air Park home, the strain of the past few weeks evident in the dark circles under his eyes, Moore recalled that that first sighting took place during the course of the last Miss University of Guyana (UG) pageant.

With him at the time were fellow designer, Michelle Cole, and Miss Guyana World 2001, Olive Gopaul.

Turning to them both, he said: "This could very well be our next Miss Guyana."

He was right on the button, as months later, Odessa was indeed crowned Miss Guyana World.

And, now that she is about to go to Nigeria, he is again assailed by that same uncanny feeling.

"I know," he said. "I just have this gut feeling that she will do us proud."

Strange enough, he also feels the same way about himself. "I also have a gut feeling that I, also, will excel."

It's a luxury he could ill have afforded last year when he accompanied Olive to South Africa to contest the pageant there. Being wet behind the ears and all that, he said, he was more nervous than anything else.

"I was so nervous," he said, bursting into a hoot of sudden, raucous laughter at the memory and incongruity of it all, "I was the only person who was sweating in that AC room when Olive was not announced in the top ten finalist."

Now that he's gotten the hang of things, however, he's not allowing that to happen to him again this year.

"I've been there before; I know what they like," he said, referring to 'the Miss World people', as he likes to call the organisers of the pageant, "and I'm prepared for that."

Sticking to wraps
Feeling compelled, perhaps, to explain just what he meant by that, Moore said that like he, 'the Miss World people' are also receptive to fresh, new ideas.

"And I intend to give them something that is fresh; new; and different this year. I'm going strictly with my wraps," he said, with an air that brooked no argument.

He said, too, that whereas last year the focus of his attention was on turtle conservation, "which is not such a big thing with the Miss World people," this year, it is more on humanitarianism as this is more in keeping with their motto, which is 'Beauty with a purpose'.

Which brings us to the whole question of what exactly it is 'the Miss World people' are looking for when they host these contests.

To which Moore replied: "They're not looking for no scholar [or] no drop-dead gorgeous young lady. They're looking for a young woman between the ages of 17 and 25, who is very matured, very ambitious, and who has achieved a lot in her life."

In short, he said, "they're looking for a young woman that can sell."

A bill, he feels, Odessa fits perfectly as at just 20, she's already on her way to becoming a successful lawyer. "They like that," he said, noting that in addition, they also look favourably upon such features as "nice teeth [and] nice skin."

Though he subtly resisted being drawn into comparing Odessa's strong points with Olive's, he did conceded that while Odessa's chances at bringing home the bacon "are excellent," Olive did do remarkably well for herself last year, copping the Global Beauties 'Woman of Substance' title for all of South America.

And, reacting to the criticism that he doesn't seem as comfortable with Odessa creative-wise as he was with Olive, Moore said he doesn't need to as "Odessa has a fantastic body."

"She has lovely curves," he said. "She doesn't need much in terms of putting together stuff for her."