Costume time … Sydenham’s Mary Mekhil spends her days dressing people up at her Moulin Rouge Costume Studio in Sunshine. 58949 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By Belinda Nolan
Instead of wearing a suit to work, Ms Mekhil masquerades as a pirate, Little Red Riding Hood or a Vegas showgirl.
The Sydenham resident owns and operates the Moulin Rouge Costume Studio in Sunshine and says she can’t wait to get to work every morning.
A trained disability worker, Ms Mekhil embarked on an ambitious sea change seven years ago when she decided to buy her first costume store in Deer Park.
And she’s never looked back.
After selling that business a year ago, the 36-year-old opened the new store in Sunshine, a venture which keeps her both busy and entertained.
“I’ve always had a creative flair but running a costume shop is certainly not something I imagined myself doing 10 years ago,” Ms Mekhil said.
“But I just loved it.
“The people that come into my shop are coming in because they’ve got a party planned so they’re in a party mood which is infectious.
“We have a lot of fun and laughs with our customers and we always try to do our best to make them leave with a smile on their face.”
But it’s not all fun and games, the costume maestro says.
“There’s a lot of behind the scenes work that people don’t know about,” Ms Mekhil said.
“There’s loads of washing, mending and ironing which is all part of keeping the costumes beautiful.
“We also make a lot of our own outfits which have to be researched to make sure they’re historically accurate.”
After seven years in the industry, Ms Mekhil has had many interesting costume requests but says she’s never met anyone she couldn’t dress.
“I like to think I can put together just about anything,” she said.
