DANI Panagiotopolous’ passion for fashion is undeniable.
The Mildura local has styled women across Sunraysia for events ranging from weddings to birthdays and everything in between, either through her popular online boutique Moirae and Co, or in the well-known local store Iggy and Zee.
Her expert opinion was even called upon as a judge at Fashions on the Field at the recent Mildura Cup Carnival.
“I love making women feel confident in themselves, that’s why I do what I do,” she said.
“To me, there is no better feeling than when someone comes to me unsure of what style and clothing will suit them, and then leaves feeling super confident and beautiful.”
Her love for the fashion industry is written all over her face as she chats happily with her customers while carefully scanning the racks of clothing, creating personalised looks for them with ease and before you know it, she has hand-picked the perfect outfit for them.
But what they may not know is how fashion helped Ms Panagiotopolous find herself again after a cancer diagnosis threw her life into turmoil.
“My mum found a lump in her breast when she was 36 years old, and the doctor brushed it off as a blocked milk duct,” she said.
“By the time doctors investigated properly and discovered it was actually breast cancer, it was too far gone.
“She had treatment for two years but passed away at just 38. I was only eight years old.”
So when Ms Panagiotopolous heard the breast cancer screening van was in town, she called to make herself an appointment.
“I didn’t have any symptoms or anything, but I just figured given the family history, I would be proactive and get checked, but they turned me away,” she said.
“They said because I was only 28, I was too young to have the screening done.”
Eight weeks later, she found a lump in her breast.
“As soon as I felt it, something inside me knew what it was straight away, I just had this sinking feeling,” Ms Panagiotopolous said.
“I went to the doctor and I could tell by the look on his face that he was really concerned too.
“I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer shortly after.”
Ms Panagiotopolous was also found to have a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, putting her at a 70 per cent chance of breast cancer, and 45 per cent chance of ovarian cancer.
According to Breast Cancer Network Australia, just one in 400 Australians will have a mutation of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, but two out of three of Ms Panagiotopolous’ sisters also tested positive for the mutation.
“There’s no way for us to know for sure if mum had the mutation and passed it on to us, but the doctors have said it’s pretty likely,” she said.
“Just like that, my world was turned upside down.
“I had gone from being told ‘you’re too young to have a cancer screening’ to a cancer diagnosis in a matter of three weeks, that’s a lot to wrap your head around.
“Everything moved very quickly and I was undergoing intense chemotherapy before I knew it.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks, it was really very hard on my body, but also on my mind.
“I remember when I started losing my hair; the doctors warned me it was likely to happen, but when it actually happened it hit me hard which sounds silly because it should have been the least of my problems at that point, but in my mind it was just one more thing I couldn’t do anything about.”
In a bid to gain a sense of control, Ms Panagiotopolous took matters into her own hands.
“I decided to shave my own head, just quietly and without any fuss I went into the bathroom and did it while no one was home, put my cap back on and went about my day,” she said.
“It was just a small thing I could do to feel like I still had some say in my own life and it was really empowering to be honest.”
After six months of intense chemotherapy, Ms Panagiotopolous faced her next hurdle; a double mastectomy.
“That’s when things really changed for me,” she said.
“Up until that point, I think I was in autopilot mode. I was keeping pretty positive and trying to go about life as normally as possible and keep my chin up, but once I had the mastectomy, it all really hit me.”
In an effort to find her feet and sense of self again, she turned to something that had always been a huge part of her life – fashion.
In 2017, she started an Instagram page called Wear Did She Get That, sharing her love of styling and all things unique, before partnering with sister Joanne in 2020 to create Moirae Studio, a popular online boutique specialising in curated pieces of clothing, jewellery and footwear.
“Joanne and I have always had a fascination with fashion, even as little girls we loved dressing up and putting together outfits, going through our wardrobes and seeing what we could put together to make different outfits with,” Ms Panagiotopolous said.
“We loved scrounging through op shops and thrift stores to find the hidden gems that we could rework into unique pieces, and Moirae Studio is a way for us to share our love of fashion with the world.
“We source really beautiful, unique and interesting pieces that inspire us and we share them with women everywhere, helping them to discover and embrace their own unique style and feel confident through fashion.
“Good style doesn’t have to cost a fortune, it just has to be your own and make you happy!
“The feedback from our customers has been so positive and we’re even thinking of expanding and branching out into personal styling in the not-too-distant future, that way we can reach and help even more women find their unique style.
“We’re so lucky to be in a position to help women feel confident through fashion, because it’s honestly so rewarding.”
