Downes won the Miss New Zealand title and went on to represent her country at the 1983 Miss Universe pageant broadcast live from St. Louis , Missouri in July 1983 . After the preliminary competition , Downes made the top twelve cut in sixth place , but placed second in the final evening gown competition , third in the interview competition , and fourth in swimsuit . She made the final five in third place behind Julie Hayek of the USA and Lolita Morena of Switzerland , and was eventually crowned Miss Universe . She wore a midnight blue gown and long gloves during the competition . Downes ' win was New Zealand 's first in the pageant 's history , although Diana Delyse Nottle had placed second runner-up to Shawn Weatherly in 1980 and Donella Thomsen was a semi-finalist in 1981 . No other delegate from New Zealand made the cut until 1992
1983 Miss Universe pageant
Miss Universe 1983
Lorraine Downes