IT MIGHT look a little like there has been a time warp when a Bendigo woman takes her place at an international competition in London this weekend.
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Laura Hipwell - or rather, her alter ego Bettie B Goode - will compete in the Miss Pinup International competition at the London International Tattoo Convention on Saturday, which will see several women from around the world dressed in styles inspired by the pin-up models of the 1940s and 50s.
Miss B Goode first began flirting with “kustom kulture” - the subculture and styles associated with those involved in custom cars and motorcycles from the 1950s to present - when she began going to car shows with her now-husband Luke’s family.
She admired the women with their 1950s-inspired hair and clothing, and before long began to get to know them, making some “wonderful friends” and picking up styling techniques.
It was about five years ago that she started entering pin-up competitions and last year won Pinup Doll Australia, which put her on the path to competing in London.
For Miss B Goode, dressing in the fashions of the mid-20th century is about celebrating life and embracing every day - something especially poignant for her following the loss of her mother to motor neurone disease.
“Life’s too short to wear boring clothes, as they say,” she said.
She wears pin-up clothing every day, whether it be traditional vintage style or something with a more modern twist, and says the response from the community has been “wonderful”.
For many people, she said, seeing her dressed in such a way was a hit of nostalgia.
But for her, having been born in 1990, her favoured style is a nod to a time when she believes fashion hit the nail on the head with its silhouettes.
Miss B Goode picks up some of her clothes in local op shops and also sews many of her own.
She has made all the costumes she will wear in the pageant on Saturday and will be wearing accessories made in Maryborough.
During the competition, Miss B Goode will have to convey a story with her appearance on the stage – hers will be based on the concept of what people in the 1950s imagined today would be like, set to the soundtrack of Australian hip-hop outfit Hilltop Hoods’ song 1956.
As well as posing like the original pin-ups of yesteryear, contestants will also show off a special talent, and Miss B Goode’s is poi twirling.