Miss USA Wears Tribute Coat to Miss Universe
Justus Kelley honored 1957 winner Mary Leona Gage, who was stripped of her title for being married with children.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Fashion
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Justus Kelley, 31, wore a black-and-white TTON Couture coat printed with an image of dethroned 1957 Miss USA Mary Leona Gage as she left for the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico. Kelley became the first married woman, foster mother, and oldest-ever Miss USA winner on August 27.
Why it matters
Kelley's win and tribute highlight how the Miss USA organization, founded in 1952, barred married women and mothers from competing until 2023. Her coat frames the pageant's history of excluding women and how far the competition has moved since Gage's 1957 disqualification.
The TTON Couture coat bears an image of Mary Leona Gage on the shoulders, worn over a custom white pantsuit with a sheer corset top and matching bra. The ensemble also includes a Miss Universe USA sash and a newspaper-print saddle bag by Christian Dior.
The players
Justus Kelley
Kelley is a Virginia-born philanthropist and founder of the Foster Footprints nonprofit who became the first married woman, foster mother, and oldest-ever Miss USA winner.
Mary Leona Gage
Gage was the 1957 Miss USA whose title was revoked and who was disqualified from Miss Universe after officials found she was married with children and had lied about her age.
Miss USA organization
The Miss USA pageant, founded in 1952, is the national competition that barred married women and mothers from entering until 2023.
The details
Kelley shared a post captioning the coat as telling a story about her journey and how far women have come. Officials stripped Gage of her 1957 title and disqualified her from Miss Universe for being married with children and lying about her age.
Timeline
1952: The Miss USA organization is founded.
1957: Mary Leona Gage is stripped of her Miss USA title and disqualified from Miss Universe.
2017: Justus Kelley marries her husband, Tyler.
2023: Miss USA begins allowing married women and mothers to compete.
August 27, 2026: Kelley wins Miss USA.
Industry Dynamics
Kelley's coat revisits the 1957 revocation of Mary Leona Gage's Miss USA title, a precedent that marked the pageant's exclusion of married women until the organization changed its rules in 2023. The tribute places Kelley's win within a documented shift away from the marriage and motherhood bars that shaped the competition for decades.
Viewers can follow Kelley's representation at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico, where her tribute coat was on display as she departed. The coat itself and its sash and saddle bag are described as the visible elements of her ensemble for anyone tracking the event.
The takeaway
Kelley's tribute shows that a pageant's past exclusions can be recast as a visible story of progress. Readers following style and representation can use the coat as a reminder that eligibility rules often change slowly and are worth tracking.
Further reading
For more on how the pageant's dress and style have shifted over time, explore Fashion coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Beast.
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