A GOWN TO WIN THE CROWN

If Lana Fuchs' fashion career was required reading in a high school English class, you could call her childhood knack for designing Barbie doll duds the foreshadowing. Fuchs may have long ditched the dolls for runway models as CEO of Lana Fuchs Couture, but her latest project has sparked a few flashbacks.

"When Georgie walked in that first day, I thought, 'Oh, my God. I finally get to dress a real live Barbie,' " says the local fashion designer. "Georgie" would be Georgina Vaughan, the tall, slender, blond Miss Nevada USA contestant who will compete with 50 other beauties for the Miss USA crown Sunday. Fuchs designed 30 looks for the Las Vegas native, which she'll wear during the slew of publicity appearances that preclude the pageant Sunday.

But the real number that has both Fuchs and Vaughan all aflutter is her evening gown. It's the one garment contestants personally select. (Opening number outfits are designed by Carlos Alberto Haute Couture and swimwear comes from the Jessica Simpson line.) For Vaughan, it's her one opportunity to distinguish herself from the other pretty faces.

"There's such a mold of the typical pageant girl," she says. "Being blond, people prejudge you."

According to both Vaughan and Fuchs, the gown -- which neither will provide any aesthetic details for -- marks a giant "risk" for a pageant contestant. Vaughan refers to it as the perfect combination of sexy and classy, while Fuchs insists it could pass as Paris haute couture. Both agree the gown is void of pageant predictability and full of fashion flair.

Fuchs, who designs and manufactures both her lines in Las Vegas (Lana Fuchs Couture and Billionaire Mafia), made a point of studying every contestant and the designers working with them. She came away with the impression that most contestants would be wearing beautiful gowns, but gowns typical of a pageant. Fuchs' intention was to put Vaughan in the kind of dress that stayed true to Vegas' wow factor, but didn't have any chintz. The result, she hopes, will "flabbergast" the judges.

As the youngest person to ever intern at Dolce & Gabbana, Vaughan takes more interest in her style getting noticed than any physical attributes. That said, she also realizes the competition aspect which is why she asked Fuchs to design casual looks that show her range. One outfit appears straight out of the country club while the next could've fallen off the back of a motorcycle.

"If I was to win Miss USA they would be selling me as a product so they want to see different looks," she says.

As a former Miss Teen Nevada USA, she knows the drill. And, as an experienced pageant queen, Vaughan isn't short on confidence. "When I entered Miss Nevada I had Miss USA on my mind," she says. "Now I have Miss Universe on my mind."