"Everyone loves dressing up, it's always fun to be someone else for a night!"
Patsy Commerford says she isn't surprised to see an increase in the number of people looking to hire costumes for parties or events.
"Murder mystery parties have become really popular over the past couple of years, plus people celebrating their 40th or 50th often decide on a themed dress up party."
Every Saturday Patsy plays her own role, that of wardrobe mistress of The Abbey, the costume hire division of Stratford on Stage.
Between 9.30am and noon The Abbey is open for people to come in, explore the wide range of costumes and accessories for hire and find the perfect outfit for their event. With nearly 3000 items available, Patsy is thrilled with the "fantastic space" The Abbey now has available.