Leela Cosgrove doesn’t mind spending thousands of dollars on a dress, and then cutting it up.

As the chief executive of a multimillion-dollar business, Ms Cosgrove, 38, has to look the part.

“As the business approached the $1 million mark … I started going on a transformation in terms of fashion. I had to lift my game,” she said.

And while Ms Cosgrove shops at the Paris end of Collins Street, you won’t find her at Gucci or Chanel.