Pinup darlings
Who will wear the crown?
With winged eyeliner in place, petticoats fluffed and hair meticulously styled, a trio of Wellington pinups are ready to make their mark.
Alice Flaws, Libby Greatnews and Anna McIntosh are three of the 10 finalists who will be competing at this year’s Miss Pinup New Zealand pageant in Auckland this weekend.
The annual competition is held as part of The Very Vintage Day Out, or as Flaws describes it – ‘‘our own Viva Las Vegas ... but in Auckland’’.
The goal of the pageant is to encourage women of all shapes and sizes to feel confident, step out of their comfort zones and to show off their inner and outer beauty through the art of pinup.
It will be the first time Flaws, aka Miss Flossypots, has attended the vintage day out after several years of watching from afar.
‘‘I’ve definitely had FOMO [fear of missing out] in previous years, always wanting to go to it.’’
Flaws has been a ‘‘full-time’’ pinup for the past three years, meaning anytime she leaves the house, she’s fully styled.
‘‘It’s all about dresses, winged eyeliner and then slowly you start to do the hair and then the petticoat last ... that’s the real statement piece.’’
While Flaws gets most of her outfits online, fellow finalist Anna McIntosh – also known as Xamia Arc – has been hard at work sewing all her own garments for the competition’s three categories – daywear, swimwear and eveningwear.
In addition to the fashion element, the top 10 must prepare an act for the talent portion of the day-long contest.
‘‘Everyone is being a bit secretive about what they’re doing because you don’t want to spoil the surprise,’’ finalist Libby Greatnews says.
In past years, contestants’ talents have included singing and dancing as well as a few more obscure offerings such as a live hair tutorial and a demonstration on how to crack a whip.
Greatnews, who goes by Mrs Greatnews, had fully embraced pinup style about 18 months ago after a life-long fascination with the style.
‘‘I’ve been interested in it since I was a kid, all the really girly dresses – Sunday best every day basically.
‘‘I would buy 50s-style dresses and they would just sit in my closet because I didn’t have anywhere to wear them and thought they were too dressy.
‘‘But then one day I just decided life’s too short, you know.’’