It was not your typical fundraiser.

Hot red lipstick, thick black false eyelashes and petticoat dresses straight out of a 1940s pinup calendar replaced the all-too-common summer party dresses and seersucker pants worn at many North Fork benefits. The Rescue Vixens, a sister group to North Fork Country Kids Animal Rescue, held a benefit on a recent Saturday at Twin Fork Beer Co. in Riverhead, their eye-catching retro costumes helping to raise money to rescue homeless cats.

A retro twist on rescue fundraising

Aquebogue resident Virginia Scudder leads a busy dual life: an English teacher in West Islip five days a week and a pinup “Vixen” at antique car shows. A few years ago, she challenged her students to develop a unique fundraising idea for her animal rescue group.

“We thought, ‘why don’t we take vintage-style pictures — because I love classic cars and the ’50s?’ Some of my students were good at photography and, with the support of my good friends at The Snack Bar, Otto and John, we put together a pinup calendar, and last year we sold 1,200 of them.” The models range in age from their 20s to their 70s.

But it costs a lot to cover the medical costs of caring for the cats.

Classic cars, cats and couture

So, at the fundraiser, the ladies gathered, their floral and flashy multicolored skirts accenting their flashback footwear. To add authenticity to their look, each woman has a pinup name, including Diane Krygier, of Bayshore, aka “Hot Rod D.” An animal lover, she said their appearance brings attention to their cause.

“We like getting dolled up, and it breaks my heart that so many cats are in need of medical care. Even if I reach one person, maybe they will donate or help.”

“Tenacious Tina” is Kristina Seyfried’s alter ego. Dressing flamboyantly, she said, is a lot of fun, and it combines her two passions — cars and cats.

“The car community follows us. And we also go out to veterans homes and assisted-living places to bring attention to our cause.” She wears Victory Curls — her auburn locks twisted into coils and ringlets — a trademark coif reminiscent of how women wore their hair after World War II.

Heels on the ground for a cause

The Vixens are Long Island’s oldest independent pinup group and the only all-female car booster club dedicated to more than just classic cars and vintage style. A fashionable booster club to Scudder’s rescue organization, their monthly events attract men, too, many of whom arrive behind the wheel of a classic car. Many of the 20 or so Vixens in the group roll up in their own vintage cars.

“Kimberli Rouge,” calling attention to the vibrant red blush on her cheeks, is Kim Toyas, of Holtsville, who said she and the ladies are passionate about how they can help cats.

“I put on my red lipstick and I’m there! Look at those little faces,” she said, pointing to the cats and kittens peering out from pens at the event.

More than vintage glamour

Their vibrant clothing revives the postwar era when glamorous models’ pictures and photographs became a part of popular culture. Their mass-produced images of semi-nude bodies were often pinned to walls and displayed on postcards and calendars. From burlesque beginnings to contemporary cat chic for these women, the passion the volunteer Vixens feel for pinup couture is their connection to female empowerment.

“It represents confidence, resilience and women embracing their strength,” Scudder said. “Inspired by women like Betty Grable, we carry that spirit forward by blending vintage glamour with compassion to empower women, build community and support animal rescue.”

More foster homes urgently needed

Because the rescue group is not a brick-and-mortar operation, all of the cats are placed in foster homes.

“It makes them more adjusted. They get petted and hugged on a regular basis,” Scudder said. The felines, many of whom are rescued from hoarder environments, can also be visited at PetSmart in Riverhead and Petco in Hampton Bays.

Board member Christine Lange, of Ridge, said she has probably fostered 150 cats in the past year and a half “because Virginia keeps showing up at my house with cats!”

Scudder said right now they need more foster homes because they are at full capacity and can only handle emergency calls. She spreads the word about her mission on social media and relies on friends and neighbors to take cats in.

“A lot of people don’t realize rescues are expensive.”

Outstanding medical bills are close to $27,000.

Every month, the group creates a new beer can featuring pictures of the pinups and cats, which are sold in six-packs as another fundraising effort to support the rescue.

“Rescue and fundraising are like being on a hamster wheel,” Scudder said. “You may have paid off the bills, but they keep coming and nothing is provided for free.”

She encouraged people to donate locally to small groups like hers instead of sending a check to large national rescues.

Always on paw-trol

Once the cats are trapped — some of them are feral — they’re spayed, tested for feline AIDS and leukemia, vaccinated for distemper, defleaed, dewormed, and then returned to their colony or placed in a foster home.

The motto of the rescue group is “Always on Paw-trol,” and for the Vixens it’s “Heels on the Ground.”

Scudder, whose Vixen name is “Madame Purrr,” said that “everyone laughs when they are sitting next to me because my phone is going off 24/7, always buzzing about rescuing cats.”

Their next Cars and Cats event, called “Deuces Wild” — a rockabilly roundup car show — will be held July 25-26 at The Maples in Manorville. More information can be found at https://www.rescuevixens.com and https://www.northforkcountrykids.org.