Miss Virginia Justus Kelley made history on August 27 when she won the Miss USA 2026 title. The 31-year-old is the first mother and first married woman to win the crown in the pageant’s history. Kelley has two foster children and is the founder of the organization Foster Footprints.
While glitter and glam are staples of pageants, the gorgeous gowns and over-the-top outfits aren’t exactly inexpensive. And as any young parent knows, every penny counts. Kelley recently revealed that her winning look on Thursday came courtesy of former Miss Georgia USA, Savannah Miles.
Miss USA 2026, Justus Kelley on stage during the 2026 Miss USA Final Competition and Coronation at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on August 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)After her win, Kelley told PEOPLE, “I know within the secondhand and thrifting community, a lot of folks are talking about sustainable fashion, and that’s so important, but for me, another thing I like to bring into that space is accessibility and how shopping secondhand makes this stage, makes this space more accessible to women.”
The newest Miss USA shared a few tidbits about her 2026 pageant outfit, adding, “So that was a piece that she had made that I was able to get from a sister queen…And I think that just makes it even more special when you know the story behind something, the life that it lived before you. I’m very sentimental, so I love things that can have another life, another use, and another purpose.”
The 2026 crown-holder also shared with Business Insider, “I had gone into the competition weekend wearing an all-thrifted wardrobe for each phase.”
Was the 2026 Miss USA pageant the first time Justus Kelley wore a secondhand dress?
No, this wasn’t the first secondhand pageant ensemble for Kelley. She’s reportedly made thrifting for her looks a tradition, revealing to PEOPLE, “I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling people to compete if I knew you cannot be successful in competing unless you spend above your means. I want to be an example of what pageantry can be, and that’s accessible.”
Justus Kelley, on stage during the 2026 Miss USA Final Competition and Coronation at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on August 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)Kelley went on to explain: “No matter where you come from, no matter what your means are, that you can be creative in sourcing the things that you need, that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a gown.”
According to Business Insider, Kelley said (of her thrifting history), “I loved one of my first USA state pageants, walking in with a really special suit that I found in Goodwill, and as soon as I walked in, the judges said, ‘Oh, you look stunning.’ And I said, Thank you, $9.99 at Goodwill.’”
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