Here at Very Vintage Day Out we’re extremely happy for the two New Zealand Pinups who have made it through to the finals of Miss Viva Las Vegas!
We had an e-chat to one of the finalists Dariel Dearlove to find out what she loves the most about the vintage community, why she entered Miss Viva Las Vegas and advice she’d give to anyone looking to enter a Pinup pageant.
How much do you integrate vintage into your everyday life?
I work 50hrs a week at a quarry and start at 6am so it is tricky but I am always awake in plenty of time to apply winged liner, false lashes, red lippy and a light curl in my hair before heading off to work. I do start the day in a complete outfit too (which I normally post on Instagram)- dress, petticoat, shoes and other accessories… the works!. I have a variety of roles at the quarry so if I do have to operate heavy machinery I get changed into protective clothing but if I am just in the office I stay dressed up all day!.
Outside of work, one of my biggest hobbies is sewing and I generally make two items of clothing a week for myself which are pinup/vintage style so that keeps me pretty busy 🙂
Why did you decide to enter Miss Viva Las Vegas 2017?
It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time now but I have made it a priority the last couple of years to save up, work hard and give it my best shot!.
I have spent most of my life competing in dressage (which I have done up to advanced level nationally) and that has always been my primary focus but I have taken a break from competing to give Viva all my effort, I don’t want to look back and wish I had done more so I have made sure to put my whole heart and soul into this.
When the entries opened for Viva I have to admit, it was a terrifying prospect! I would feel my heart beating out of my chest every time I thought of it! I had moments of “I can’t do this!” and flashbacks to being bullied when I was younger for being too weird/too ugly/too fat so getting over that and actually entering has been a huge achievement for me and you know what? I GOT INTO THE FINALS!!!! Life is just too short not to pursue the things you love and sometimes you just have to grab the bull by the horns and do it! Even is scares the bejeebers out of you!.
What are you most excited for at VLV?
Probably the most exciting thing for me is going to be meeting all of the other finalists and seeing all their hard work, over the past couple of months I have been getting to know them all over Facebook and Instagram and being able to finally meet them in person is going to be so fantastic. As a sewer, I am also very excited to see all of their stage dresses! A couple of the ladies have shared little snippets of their fabrics or little teasers and I am dying to see the finished results!.
Seeing Dita perform is also a major highlight! I have never had the opportunity to watch her before so I am very much looking forward to that too.
Other than VLV, will you be doing any other sight-seeing in Vegas?
Of course! My brother in law lives in Las Vegas and we have never met before so that is going to be very special, he has a few things lined up for my husband and I which he is keeping secret but I managed to pry out of him that one of the things on the agenda is a trip to the shotgun driving range which I am super excited about!.
We will also be doing a little bit of travel outside of Vegas before and after Viva, we will land in LA where our first stop will be a private shopping session at B.A.I.T footwear that I am SUPER excited about! As well as a bit of other shopping and a trip to Disneyland. From LA we head over to Vegas and then travel north up through Yosemite to San Fran then over to Honolulu for another week of R&R. I also have my scuba license so I am very much looking forward to doing a dive over there!.
What advice would you give to other kiwi pinups looking to enter Miss VLV or other pageants?
If it is something you really want, just go for it!
Every pinup pageant I have done has been a very supportive environment and a great opportunity to push yourself to do something different and meet new people, even if you don’t win or get selected there is always something to be gained from the experience. There is a lot of time, effort, and planning that goes into it so brace yourself for that but it is all worth it. I am a firm believer that you should always push your boundaries- if you don’t, how will you know what they are?
To quote Erin Hanson “and you ask “what if I fall?” oh but my darling what if you fly?” xx
What a great quote and best of luck to you Dariel!
Are you interested in entering a Pinup Pageant? Miss Pinup New Zealand is back for 2017 – follow our Facebook for updates!