she created the regional costume of Miss Picardie, a nod to Charlemagne

During the Miss France 2025 ceremony, the Picardy candidate wore a medieval dress, in reference to Charlemagne. According to certain sources, the king of the Franks was born in Aisne, in Quierzy. Narrative.

She did not win the crown, but managed to make Picardy shine. Marina Przadka, the candidate born in Senlis and who lives in Villers-Saint-Paul, climbed into the top 15 of the Miss France 2025 competition, this Saturday, December 14. However, she failed to make the top 5 and finally finished in 8th place. “I carried Picardy with my heart, I had fun on stage, and I took advantage of every moment“, she wrote the day after the election on her social networks.

General culture prize and parade prize, the 25-year-old young woman stood out during the month of preparation which preceded the evening as well as on the TV set, notably through her sense of rhythm. Some Internet users have also praised his performance on stage.

Another highlight of the show, the parade in regional costume. Miss Picardie was dressed in a medieval dress. It was Marilou Soulas, a 22-year-old from Beauvais, who imagined and created it.

The young woman started her own business in October 2024. The one who started sewing at the age of 12 years old is passionate about historical costumes: “I like the idea of ​​transmitting a period that we have forgotten, that we have fantasized a little about, through clothing.“She responded to the call for projects from the Miss France company for the start of the 2024 school year and sent three ideas:”I proposed a very feminine First World War soldier's costume, another with the poppy related to the Battle of the Somme and a medieval dress.“

It was therefore towards her last proposal that the jury turned, an unexpected choice for the designer: “It was the one I thought wasn't going to pass, because he didn't look very missy. It's something very simple, not as extravagant as what we're used to seeing. Perhaps the historical side appealed.“

This costume is, in fact, a reference to Charlemagne, king of the Franks (768 to 814). To understand, let's go back in history… Located between Laon, Soissons and Compiègne, the village of Quierzy, called Carisiacum, was a royal town in the times of the Merovingians and then at the beginning of the Carolingian era.

Charles Martel chose the Axon commune to set up his base camp on the ruins of an ancient villa. His son, Pepin the Short, inherits the office of mayor of the palace, the highest rank after the king. Subsequently, Pepin the Short became king of the Franks and, according to different sources, his wife, Bertrade de Laon, gave birth to their son Charlemagne between 742 and 748. According to one of the hypotheses, he was born in Quierzy. The place is not mentioned in any period document, but the name of the Isarian commune often appears. Indeed, his grandfather, Charles Martel died there in 741 and the royal villa was regularly occupied by the family.

Marilou Soulas learned on social networks on October 1, 2024 that she was selected. “An honor“, for her, but also “a heavy responsibility“and the beginning of a”intense work“. Because we had to wait for Marina Przadka's coronation, on October 20 in Beauvais, to start working on making the outfit: “I took measurements on Marina almost immediately after her victory and got to work“. It took 150 hours to create the costume in just three weeks: “It had to be finished by November 12, because the candidates were leaving for the preparation trip to Ivory Coast.“

The entrepreneur invested 500 euros: “I took beautiful materials: silk velvet, linen, satin. I did all the embroidery by hand, the same for the accessories.“

There are no purchases of finished items. I did everything from A to Z.

Marilou Soulas, creator of the regional costume of Miss Picardie

The company does not compensate, only the winner of the regional costume receives a check for 1,500 euros. It was the stylist Manuarii Teauroa who won the prize with his Moulin Rouge costume made for Miss Île-de-France, Julie Dupont.

The seamstress still had to make some modifications, imposed by the Miss France company. “I had to make the costume a little sexier, more glamorous. On my basic sketch there were lace sleeves that I was asked to remove. The dress also came below the knee, I shortened it a little“, she explains. On this point, she regrets itpositioning” of the outfit during the parade of 30 regional misses: “It was too far up on the left side. As a result, the drape was not optimal, it was a little asymmetrical.“However, she says to herself.”understanding” : “With the conditions of the show, it's not easy. I suspect that dressing 30 girls at the same time is a lot.” “And then, the main thing is that Marina and the viewers liked it“, she adds.

Moreover, the work of Beauvaisienne has already been noticed: “I'm starting to get costume proposals for a theater. A troop contacted me. That was the goal of my participation in Miss France, to have visibility. When we are 22 years old, there are very few people who dare to give us work. So, I'm super happy.“Marilou Soulas must collect the dress in the coming weeks, an opportunity for her to keep a memory of this experience, a springboard for the start of her professional career.