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By day, Emma Ashton works full-time in accounting. However, in her spare time she swaps spreadsheets for vintage dresses and the colourful world of pin-up pageantry.
In 2023, Ashton won the Waiau Pa (now Franklin) Hop pin-up title. The Kingseat local is now preparing to represent Franklin on a bigger stage, at the upcoming Miss Vintage Australasia competition.
“I’m the only representative from Franklin going to Miss Vintage Australasia,” she says. “The opportunity is amazing, just to make it as a finalist, in the top 10 is amazing.”
Despite having no prior modelling background, Ashton discovered vintage pageantry in 2014.
“I was always interested in the tailored fashion of yesteryear, in particular the 1950s,” she says. “I came across a pop-up [vintage clothing] store at a car event in Taupo, which is when I discovered there’s a whole community involved with it.”
For Ashton, pageants have never been about winning titles alone – they have helped her grow in confidence. During more than a decade in the pin-up community, she says friendships have been as rewarding as the competitions themselves.
“One of the reasons I started doing pageants is because I’m naturally shy and quite introverted, so it was a way to put myself out there. Since then, I’m slowly becoming more confident on stage,” she says.
“A big part of the pageant side of things is the friendships that you build along the way.”
Every pin-up has their own signature style – Ashton’s is one filled with colour. As a teenager she wore mostly black and white clothing – this inspired her to embrace bright colours as an adult.
“When I got through that awkward phase and started discovering colourful clothes, it was so freeing,” she says.
Also, Ashton jokes that her cat, Oaty, decided that black wasn’t her colour because: “white fur shows up on black.”
Above all, Ashton hopes her story proves there is no right person for pageantry as anyone can give it a go.
“It sounds like a cliche, but just do it!” she says. “When ladies say, ‘I love this dress, but I just don’t know where I’d wear it,’ I’ll reply: ‘Just buy the dress! Wear it and enjoy it!’”
Miss Vintage Australasia is a Christchurch based pageant launched in 2022 as a part of the NZ Vintage Festival. Now, it sees contestants from all over New Zealand, Australia and occasionally further afield participate.
This year’s competition will feature A Vintage Cabaret, promising a night of glitz and glam that will take guests on a trip back to experience mid-20th Century tease. The event is set for Saturday, September 26 at 17 Carmen Road, Christchurch. See Missvintageaustralasia at Facebook for details.
