Fit for a queen

Meehan called arts-friendly Lawrence mayor Michael J. Sullivan; Sullivan connected Rosario with Castillo's agent. "Jeury is very shy, but I knew his talent would speak for itself if I made the call," Meehan said. His former pupil, who graduated in May from MassArt, e-mailed eight sketches to Castillo in July.

"They were amazing," Castillo said. "Jeury is truly an artist."

It makes sense that Rosario's clothes would capture a beauty queen's attention. His specialty, silk and satin haute couture evening wear that he often beads and embroiders by hand, echoes the timeless glamour of Bill Blass and Valentino.

Castillo chose a red evening gown and a shorter "geisha" cocktail dress to wear to black-tie events she attends to champion official causes. Rosario, a soft-spoken 24-year-old, found himself in New York in August, nervously taking Miss USA's measurements (he won't reveal them).

What was the gorgeous 24-year-old, who swept the swimsuit, evening gown, and interview category, like? Were there claws beneath her royal veneer? Apparently not. "She's so nice and down to earth," Rosario reports.

What a relief.

Now he's stressed about finishing the strapless red dress, which took about three weeks of four-hour days and required 9 yards of four-ply silk crepe.

Well, not the whole 9 yards, but in his nervousness (Miss USA!) he may have miscalculated the fabric's tendency to grow after it's cut. "Next time, I'm using a stiffer fabric," he vowed. The corseted dress has pleats in the front and back that meet for a braided effect.

The off-the-shoulder corseted geisha dress, fashioned from Chinese silk hand-painted with a flower and bird motif, is red, fitted, and micro-short (he only bought 2 yards of fabric for this one). Soft chiffon ruffles of varying lengths lend a Spanish flair; their edges are shaped with fishing wire.

Rosario was inspired to create this "Engawa" (it means "the edge of things" in Japanese) collection by Japanese exchange students he met at MassArt. (They taught him about the geisha lifestyle; he showed them how to make Dior roses.)

Last month, Rosario went to Castillo's parents' house in Lawrence for a fitting. The beauty queen's mother, sister, and boyfriend were there. "I think he opened up more because he was more relaxed at my house," Castillo said.

"The dress fit nicely; I only had to make a few changes," said a relieved Rosario, who brought a high school pal along for the fitting. "Her parents are really nice."

Later this month, Castillo and Rosario, who have become friends, will meet again for the final fitting.

As Castillo's reign winds down, ending March 24, she's planning to make a bid for Hollywood. What's next for the artist who once saw designer Michael Kors in Provincetown but was too shy to say hello? "Maybe one day she'll wear one of my designs on the red carpet at the Oscars and say, `This gown is a Jeury,' " Rosario muses. "I have some new ideas for evening gowns. But for the next ones, I'm going to take my time."