Since the world went into a plague spiral, I haven’t really been able to do many pageants. Perth has very few pageants hosted throughout the year and travelling wasn’t an option but I’ve noticed there have been quite a few online pageants. I kind of wish I did a few more online pageants but I wasn’t in the best mental state so when I heard that Miss Dale (one of my favourite Aussie pinups) was hosting a national pageant again this year, I signed up and threw caution to the wind. Miss Dale is hosting the 2022 Miss Vintage Pinup Australia competition which is a mix of three separate categories, Miss Classique (true vintage focused), Madame D’Elegance (over 40’s category) and Miss Moderne (vintage reproduction), all done online. The competition divides Australia into three sections, The West Coast, Central and East Coast which are all held on separate days with the winners from each category going into a final round facing the other winners from each state in their respected categories.

After looking at the categories on offer for us on the West Coast, I signed up for the Miss Classique category and set about slowly starting to plan my routines. Under each category are three rounds, Day wear, Sleepwear/lingerie and a quick Q&A round which are a minute long; we were required to film our routines as if we were to perform them on stage with our own music selection and then send the results. We got told that the pageant will be held on Facebook live and all the rounds will be posted to youtube.

Round one was Daywear and we were told to dress how we would going to a high tea, the races or a ladies luncheon. I decided to wear one of my favourite true vintage dresses which was a purple floral chiffon number with a multi tier waist and a beautiful full skirt. To match, I wore vintage gloves, accessories, a vintage petticoat, vintage feather hat and pair it with a reproduction handbag and shoes. I thought my outfit was super cute and I made up a routine to match. I decided to do a high tea routine but to add a little bit of humour, I decided to pretend to be attacked by bees and other insects because as you know, any outdoor dining involves a myriad of creepy crawlies. As we got to have our own music, I added the sound of buzzing bee’s throughout my routine. I came out, showed off my outift, sat down for tea and was chased away by bugs all set to the boppy tune of “Afternoon Tea” by The Kinks.

Round two was Sleepwear/Lingerie and as I’m not comfortable wearing just lingerie on stage, I opted to stay in the sleepwear section of this category. As I know pageants don’t favour too much exposed skin, I made sure to pick sleepwear that wasn’t see-through and didn’t show off too much. To make sure I was covered, I added a slip underneath to cover my bottom half a little more and my vintage nightie had a matching cover which I kept on for my whole routine. To match my vintage sleepwear, I wore a vintage scarf in my hair and some reproduction fluffy slippers and earrings. My routine was a “getting ready for bed” kind of routine where I was on my way to wash up for the night set to the classic “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin. I originally had part of my routine where I put on a bright green face mask but I ended up sending in a routine where the mask wasn’t included.

The joys of pinup pageants means you can tell whatever story you wish whilst on stage. We often see images of pinups where they look perfect, prim and proper which is far from my reality. Lately, due to a medication change, I’ve been struggling with my cystic acne and even after the cyst is gone, there’s lot of hyper pigmentation on my face making me feel very self conscious and gross. I decided, instead of hiding, I would make this issue front and centre of my routine for sleepwear and I did. During my routine, I made note of pointing out my acne and then going ahead to treat it with some creams. It kind of felt great to represent others with acne prone skin and not hide it like I would normally. It’s not a huge thing, but I’m glad to finally have made my flaws something I show off instead of hide.

The final part of the pageant included us speaking for a minute answering why we should win the title we were going for. I wore my favourite true vintage dress and after a few takes I finally had a submission where I didn’t get overly tongue tied. This round was mixed into the two videos instead of being it’s own video which I thought was a great idea.

The great thing about online pageants is that you can do as many takes as you need to get your routine right as opposed to your one and only shot onstage at a live pageant. Currently two of my neighbours are doing some major renovations and building so during filming, the sound of angle grinders, machinery, hammering and yelling was heard throughout so it was nice knowing I could mute all the noise and put my music over the top. I decided to film in the back of my house and I just set up a frame with some bed sheets hanging off so my awful garden couldn’t be seen. We got told to film all our rounds in one take and in one location so set up was pretty easy once it was done.

When it came to the day where results would be announced, it reminds you just how odd online pageants were. Normally you’re all dressed up and there’s a big crowd cheering you on but for online pageants, you’re just at home doing normal things. I was sewing during the pageant and I’m pretty sure I was just in pyjama pants and a hoodie so it’s not my normal glamorous outfit for crowning. Miss Dale is an absolute sweetheart and she did a great job going live, hosting the pageants, putting up the youtube videos with our rounds and of course, announcing the winners. If you’re an Aussie pinup, you absolutely have to do one of Miss Dale’s pageants as they are always loads of fun, really chilled out and all the themes, and rounds are a lot of fun. Miss Dale is such an inspirational pinup whose kindness, generosity, acceptance and love literally radiates all around her and she makes everyone feel accepted, understood and a part of a community.

We all know it takes team work to make a dream work and Miss Dale cannot do a pageant like this alone. It’s time now that I take a moment to share those behind the scenes of such a pageant who bring this whole event together. Our wonderful judges include the iconic pinups Miss Dee, Miss Crystal Belle and Miss Memphis Melle. All the judges are esteemed members of the Aussie pinup community and hold enough titles between them all to sink the Titanic twice over. As well as judges, sponsors of such pageants really are an integral part to a pageant. The sponsors for Miss Vintage Pinup Australia West Coast include Vespa Photography, Pearl Davies Vintage Pinup and Boudoir Photography Newcastle and Atomic Hideaway Newcastle, Viva La Vintage, Pin Up Girl Garage, and Miss Velvet Rose Pinup Closet and Miss Silla Black sponsoring the Madame D’Elegance category. The time and generosity from all these sponsors is greatly appreciated.

I suppose it’s time for the exciting part, the announcement of the winners and I wish each and everyone of them a huge congratulations and a big hug. The winner of the Madame D’Elegance was Miss Delza Skye and her runner up was Miss Goddess Michele. The winner of the Miss Moderne category was Miss Meleva Thorn (there was no runner up) and finally, the winner of Miss Classique was yours truly with Miss Babe Birdette being the runner up.

I am truly honoured to hold the title of Miss Vintage Pinup Australia Miss Classique West Coast. This pageant was honestly a lot of fun and a chance to do something a little out of the ordinary and try new things. This win also means that later in the year, myself and my fellow West Coast queens will take part in national finals Miss Vintage Pin Up Australia with the winners of the two other rounds (Central and East Coast). It is yet unclear wether this will be a live pageant or another online pageant but as soon as we know, I will update this blog with a note below.

As part of our winnings, we have all been spoilt with a wonderful prize hamper including some accessories, a handmade crown bag, crown, sashes and loads of vouchers. I’d love to wish a huge thank you to all the sponsors and competition organisers who created such a wonderful pageant and who put in so much time and effort amongst all their other commitments. As it stands, the Central competition will be held very soon and I will for sure tune in to watch the Facebook live pageant when it is held. I am so excited to see this pageant continue throughout the year so keep an eye out on the pageants Facebook page.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.