Laura Jane Aulsebrook loves 1950s fashion. So much so, she says she doesn't own any items of modern clothing.
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She fell in love with vintage clothing as a child but in the past two or three years her passion has become her everyday wardrobe.
"My whole entire wardrobe is original 1950s," she said.
"I don't go to normal shops. I don't own a pair of pants. Everything I wear, from my stockings to my hat to my petticoats, my dresses, are all original 1950s.
"It's lots of fun. It's nice because you look a bit different, you look like a lady. The clothes were made to last in the '50s – they were beautiful.
"I also love wearing vintage because it's really nice to think about the fact that somebody else once wore this. I think the fact that you can have this history with the dresses you're wearing, it's just a lovely idea."
The Sydney-sider travelled to Canberra for "The Way We Wear" Fashion Vintage Fair, where she was crowned joint winner of the Best Dressed in Vintage, along with Jane Dernelley. Ms Aulsebrook was also the best dressed winner at the Sydney fair.
Ms Dernelley was wearing a 1950s wool suit that she bought from Coutura Vintage.
"It's lots of fun and I love vintage clothes," she said.
She said she loved vintage clothing for "the beauty of it and the fact that it fits well, it looks beautiful and it's made to last".
"It makes me feel special," she said.
Organiser Keith Baverstock said the weekend's fair had been very successful.
The twice-yearly event features dealers from across the country, and items for sale range from books, artwork and costume jewellery to one-off garments and accessories costing well into the thousands of dollars.
Mr Baverstock and his wife Fiona now spend 40 weeks of the year on the road, taking the travelling fair to Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart and Brisbane, plus regional towns in between.
"We're both social historians in one way – every bit of clothing tells a story," he said.
Mr Bavestock and his wife have been collecting vintage clothing for many years and he estimates their collection – which includes prized items like King Edward VII's driving coat, Princess Victoria's shoes and a ball gown that belonged to Queen Alexandra – would worth be a six-figure sum.
