Meet Wendy McPherson Benitez of Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy McPherson Benitez.

Hi Wendy McPherson, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in Southern California. For over 30 years I’ve been a costume designer and manager bringing imagination to life in some of the world’s most iconic theme parks. From Disney to Universal, I have worked with major brands all over the world. I have been lucky to have worked all over the world, opening theme parks in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East. I started out in our backyard at Disneyland in Anaheim, having been recruited from the Textile department at Cal State Long Beach. (Long Beach State, now) Been so fortunate in the last several years to design costumes for characters at Universal Studio in Osaka, designing for my favorite character since childhood, Hello Kitty.
My work has always been about transformation, storytelling, and helping performers step into magical characters that delight and inspire audiences.
But beyond the lights and spectacle, I’ve always been fascinated by personal style—how what we wear can shift how we feel and how we show up in the world. I’ve loved fashion since I was a kid, always hunting for something a bit different. So I have decided to take that passion and make a mid-life pivot. Now, I am working to help GenX women rediscover their confidence and creativity through style, we’ve earned the right to wear whatever makes us feel amazing. I am weaving in my love of travel and giving tips on solo travel and then incorporating your travels into your style.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is it ever a smooth road! Of course there have been struggles along the way. When I first started in the industry, I was laid off from Disneyland several times (luckily, they brought me back!) I got divorced while I was unemployed and had to declare bankruptcy to survive. My first contract overseas was a bit scary, as I was leaving my hometown by myself with 2 suitcases to a country I’d never stepped foot in prior. I think the struggles are a part of life and give us grit to move forward. I have been wanting to start a personal style business for almost 30 years and life got in the way, but I’m glad in the end that the timing turned out to be perfect!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As mentioned previously, I have had a tremendous 3o year career working in the costuming field. For most of that time I was an employee at theme parks around the world, with stints of freelance work in between. My specialties lie in 2 placed, 1. Opening theme park costume departments, I have been on the opening team of Disney California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios Singapore, Dubai Parks and Resorts, and Warner Bros World, Abu Dhabi. I also was a consultant on Sea World, Abu Dhabi and 6 Flags in Saudi Arabia (currently working on this project, flying out there in a few weeks.) In management roles for opening, there is a huge amount of work that needs to be done. Creating budgets, proposing your team breakdown. Helping design the backstage area and overseeing the installation of all items required- washing machines, racking, floors (yes, I am out on the work site in hard hat and boots with no floors and walls, up until the point we open for business). Writing training manuals, training a team, creating detailed lists of every little item we need to operate, from character head blowers (we had to design from scratch) to a box of safety pins. Then you need to coordinate the procurement of all those items within the budget you have created. It is hectic, fast paced, but a hell of a lot of fun! I am the most proud of the fact that my crews over the years have been very complementary of me and my leadership style. My philosophy is to treat everyone with dignity and have fun at work. Warner Bros was a pleasure to work at and I feel that I was able to set the team up for future success, which I am incredibly proud of. What sets me apart from others, is my patience and calm demeanor. People comment on how I can keep calm and collected in the most chaotic environments. 2. My second specialization is Character Costume Design. I love designing for characters. Capturing their personality while working around the parameter of their oddball shapes. I got started at Disneyland working on the Light Magic Parade’s character pajamas and most recently I designed Hello Kitty’s Christmas dress for Universal Studio Japan’s holiday show. My proudest moment, though is a costume I designed for Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel for Universal Studio Japan’s Halloween last year was cosplayed!! A couple showed up to the opening night of Halloween this year dressed exactly like my designs! To me that was better than any award!

I am now pivoting into a new chapter of life by helping other Gen X women reinvent themselves! I have a great passion for helping women get back in touch with their personal style- not other peoples style, but get in touch with who they are now and how they want to show up in the world. Gen X women are at a crossroads of their lives and many are experiencing empty nests or grey divorce and looking to start travelling on their own, but don’t know where to begin. I have been solo travelling for over a decade now and since travel has influenced my style, I will be giving tips on solo travel and how to incorporate those adventures into your style. I have a free mini journal to start them on their style path. I am currently working on a online course, a book and I will be working one on one with clients in the new year. Please follow me on social media to hear about all the exciting updates.

How do you think about happiness?
Curiosity, wandering and adventure. Most people might call it travelling, but I think it is more about having the curiosity of a child. Seeing the world as a place of wonder. Seeing a crow cawing at the beach bluffs, as a light cool wind is blowing across my face. Finding a new antique store in the neighborhood, or wandering through a pet cemetery in Paris, I absolutely love discovering something new. So exploring is what makes me happy. Why? I love when you stumble across something fabulous, whether it is a fun necklace on Llama island in Hong Kong, or a delicious sweet bun and tea from a small cafe on a side street in Seoul. To think back on all the various adventures makes me happy all over again!

Contact Info:

• Website: WWW.winniemac.com is my costume website www.wanderzandwearz.com is up and coming style/solo travel site
• Instagram: @winniemacwanderz
• Facebook: @Winnie Mac Wanderz & Wearz
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendymcphersonbenitez/

Image Credits
Hello Kitty picture by Daniel Blumberg. All other images by myself.