As I write to you, I am currently sitting on a couch in my most homeless looking clothing. My entire body is sore, and my hair looks crazy. But it was all worth it because I tired myself out at the most fun event ever, The 9th annual Arizona Rockabilly Bash!

Every year (usually in the spring, but because of covid it was in autumn this year), everyone with classic cars, classic fashion sense, and classic music taste gets together for one rockin party that spans a whole weekend. The Rockabilly Bash is all about living the vintage lifestyle and kustom kulture. I’ve actually never been so this year was my first attending, and I was also lucky enough to be in the pinup pageant! I had an incredible time.

The Preparation

I would just like to preface this with saying that this whole event took so much preparation from so many people! Miss Honey De Luxe ( my best friend) and I both entered and we decided to prepare together and road trip together all the way from Lake Pleasant.

Not only us though, but so many amazing people who put the event on this year despite covid. And especially the incredible women who organized the pinup pageant portion of it. They got so many great sponsors to donate, beautiful women to attend, and ran a very well organized event. So thank you to you beautiful ladies for doing such a great job! You know who you are.

Friday Night

The festivities started on Friday night, with a meet and greet for all of the contestants to get to know each other, and also get to go up onstage and introduce themselves to the crowd. Honey and I rolled up to the Rockabilly Bash at around 6pm to Lake Pleasant Harbor. The grounds had been turned into a fairground full of classic cars and vendors.

First thing, we went and checked in and got a cute water bottle, goodie bag, and our rosettes. Then, my favorite part, we got to eat sub sandwiches and mingle with all the other dolls that had entered. I ate so many pickles that night! I should probably be embarrassed but I’m not. No regrets here.

While all of this was going, live bands were playing some amazing rock and roll music and we got to jam out. Then it was our turn to go up on stage, we went up and each gave a short bio about who we are. It was nice to hear about the other ladies and get my sea legs on the stage.

Unfortunately, it was already dark when we got there and so there weren’t many pictures taken. I wish there were because both Honey and I looked really cute! I thrifted a really cute dress so you will likely be seeing it more later on instagram.

After that, Honey and I were dead tired from out trip to Lake Pleasant, so we headed to the store to get some last minute supplies (who forgets bobby pins?!) and back to the hotel. Needless to say, we did not get a whole lot of sleep.

Arriving There

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning to get dolled up for the all day extravaganza. And let me tell you, there was a whole lot of stuff. You would not believe the amount of makeup, clothing, shapewear, accessories shoes, and hair supplies needed to get two pinup girls ready for the day. Somehow though we managed to do it, and get out on the road to the Bash.

When we arrived, the party was in full swing at 10am. It made Friday night look super desolate in comparison. The amount of cars had doubled and the amount of people had tripled! If I was nervous before, this did nothing to calm me down. We hurried back and got officially checked in.

Round One

The pageantry officially started right away, so we all had a few minutes to put on the final touches to our look. There was a nice pep talk from one of the coordinators, and then we were all in line to go up onstage! The excitement in the air was palpable and even I was terrified because I had never been to a competition of this magnitude before.

When we went up, we walked around the stage while the coordinator read our bio and a few facts about us. I tried my hardest to dazzle the crowd and do some cute poses and facial expressions. Honestly, I was so nervous, but I felt happy with my performance.

Then the coordinator asked us a question that we had to answer onstage. Mine was “which pinup icon are you most like and why?” I said Grace Kelly, because she is classic, feminine, fun, and I too intend to marry a rich prince! Luckily I got a good laugh out of the audience, which was my goal.

One thing that I thought was really fun was that we got to participate in a limbo contest with all f the pinup ladies. Truth be told, it was mostly for show and for us to be silly to get some pictures. I actually fell down, but I thought it would be really funny.

Free Time

Once that was over, we all felt a lot better! And it was time to let loose and relax. We had a few hours to roam around, mingle with the crowd, and go peruse the vendors. Honey and I had a great time talking to everyone at the Rockabilly Bash, and got some delicious handcrafted sarsparilla. Wow! That was amazing.

Then it was once again time for us to take the stage as the top twelve were announced to advance to the final round. And I was overjoyed to find out that both Miss Honey Deluxe made it, and were allowed to continue to compete.

Round Two

The final round consisted of each of us choosing a car from one of the many cars that were there, and taking pictures with it. We each got three different poses to wow the judges, and we would then be judged on our pictures. That is, how creative our poses were and how photogenic we were in them. The pictures are going to be used for a calendar and I cannot wait to see it!

Usually pose-offs usually involve posing live in front of everyone and you are judged on the poses themselves as well as your charisma and confidence as you do them. When I realized that we were doing it differently, I was really scared. Because one, I don’t feel super photogenic. And two, I rely a lot on my charm in person to do well.

I resolved to do my best and get the most unique, creative poses and hope that it translated well in pictures. We were supposed to choose a vehicle that would complement out outfits, so of course I went with something teal to bring out all the little tiki outfits on my dress.

It was a long and painful wait to find out the winners. There were more bands, and I got to see lots of friends that I haven’t seen for months due to covid! There were lots of laughs and dancing.

The Crowning

FINALLY it was time for us to grace the stage one final time for us to announce the winners. My heart was beating so hard I felt like it was just going to fall out. My poor stomach was doing flips like crazy! It was agony having to wait for the results up in front of everyone. It felt like forever just waiting there. (Especially because I was wearing super tall heels).

At last they crowned the winners and I was lucky enough to be crowned first runner up of the Rockabilly Bash! I was a little bit stunned because competition was fierce this time around. There was no question that I gave it my all, though. Everyone brought their A-game. Truly, there wasn’t one lady that didn’t look amazing and do a great job onstage. So honestly, I just feel lucky to be able to take part in it all!

After that, there were some pictures, some swag bags, and the car show awards! There was also a Halloween party afterward. Honey and I had wanted to stay but both of us were so tired and had family plans in the morning, so we started the long drive home.

It’s always particularly satisfying to be able to drive home with a car full of fun stuff and new memories. Then, the all time best part: getting t. take your corset off. I was asleep the second my head hit my pillow and I am still recovering. Overall, it was a fun event and I am excited to get back next year to the 2021 Rockabilly Bash. Especially to get some more of that sarsparilla!

Outfit Details

I’ve already been asked several times about my outfit details, so I thought that i would leave them here and give you beauties all of the information!

The main part of my outfit was a playsuit with a detachable skirt from She’s Dynamite. I could write a whole blog post on how much I love this company and how high the quality of clothing is. But suffice it to say, I was more than pleased with this item.

Funnily enough, it is custom made, but not for me! I had been eyeing these playsuits for a while but they wouldn’t have been shipped in time to be worn to the Rockabilly Bash. There happened to be one on a Facebook group in my size for a highly reduced price so I snatched it up! Turns out it’s one of a kind, and I was in love. She doesn’t make this exact kind, but you can get the same outfit in a different print here.

Accessories

My hair flower, bamboo earrings, and bamboo bangles all came from Lady Luck’s Boutique. I recently discovered their products and totally fell in love! They are all well made for great prices.

The necklace I wore and the rest of the bangles are from Splendette, a long time favorite of mine. What Katie Did made the tights with the bright green back seams. They too have been a favorite of mine for a while! The shoes came fro the ever popular Pinup Couture, and I was excited to have found them because they matched my outfit perfectly.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe so you can be notified every time I post something new! Also, don’t forget to check out my other posts on pageants such as the one on how to act in a pinup pageant, or my answering common pageant questions. See you next week!

SURE LOVE YA! — Miss Aphrodite Darling

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