House of Priscilla

Eclectic costume hire and dancewear store House of Priscilla should be proclaimed a national treasure. When it doors first swung open in 1999 it staked its claim as Sydney’s only one-stop drag shop where our city’s finest drag performers could pick up a pair of sequinned platforms, glitter faux lashes or a handmade wig that Cher herself would die for. These days, House of Priscilla has evolved into a providore of all things ‘showtime!’ and services a mixed clientele of gender illusionists, pole dancers and children who eat rock eisteddfod for breakfast. Costumes are made bespoke and just about every shiny, glittery, glitzy accessory you can think of is available. Fake lashes will set you back a mere $8, Indian Mohawk head pieces start at $65 and top-of-the-range deluxe costume jewellery is pegged at $350. The brains behind this pretty little outfit is Anthony Defina, known to many as glamorous drag personality Chelsea Bun. Defina is a lethal weapon when seated at a Pfaff and could turn Tony Abbott into Audrey Hepburn. While the store still claims a loyal drag customer base, Defina tells us that these days, “show kids are Priscilla’s best customers.” With shows like Glee for inspiration and a new generation of Young Talent Time nipping at our heels, Priscilla has had to expand with a second showroom across the street just to feed her younger clientele’s appetite for jazz hands and spirit fingers.