Hawke’s Bay woman crowned Burger Fuel vintage fashion winner at Repco Beach Hop

A Waimārama woman and first-time Repco Beach Hop visitor has been crowned the Miss Burger Fuel vintage show winner, with her impressive 1950s-themed costume.

The nostalgic Repco Beach Hop had more than 1000 vehicles participating in the five-day event at Whangamatā and neighbouring towns from Wednesday to Sunday last week.

Crystal Cuvée said her love of the colour aqua inspired her 1950s outfit.

Car and costume enthusiast Crystal Cuvée decided to attend and enter the fashion contest on a whim, saying she was unsure if she would even qualify.

She said her love for vintage cars and all things retro came from Huntington Beach in Southern California, where she has a home.

She said the city “has heaps of beautifully restored and maintained cars from the 50s, 60s, 70s”.

The burlesque dance instructor wanted to keep it classy, so refrained from using her dance moves to win, instead, she felt the description of her outfit won the judges over.

She explained the costume was themed 1950s: “Lunch with the girls, with shopping after” but she wasn’t shopping for shoes, instead, she was after a vintage car.

“I wanted something, bright and light, some of the cars I love the best are the aqua-coloured cars from the 1950s - It’s just a happy colour.”

The dancer splits her time between New Zealand and California with her Kiwi husband Michael Quin, who loved vintage cars.

Passionate about empowering women, Cuvée teaches workshops in both countries and online so that people can learn the dance she said was used by Beyonce and the Pussy Cat Dolls.

“It’s just old-school tease, it’s all about the tease.”

She hoped to return to the Beach Hop next year and was unsure if she would enter the fashion show to defend her title.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.