With the advent of online shopping and a spike in credit card related internet spending, a little bit of nostalgia wont go astray. So put a brush through your hair and some shoes on your feet- rediscover some of Melbourne’s fashion retail treasures.
My personal favourite, it’s hard to leave Alice Euphemia empty handed. Stocking and nurturing a healthy stable of Australian designers, Alice Euphemia is renowned for picking up the ‘next big thing’ before they become the next big thing. From Australian design darlings Romance Was Born to veterans like Tina Kalivas and newcomers including Pooja Sharma, make Alice Euphemia your first port of call.
6/35-37 Swanston St, Melbourne
9650 4300
Nestled in the middle of one of my favourite Melbourne locations, Nom*d Inc is the perfect mix of local and international design. Stocking New Zealand favourites Nom*d (of course) and Zambesi with Australians like Therese Rawsthorne and out-of-towners Bernhard Wilhelm and Preen amongst others. Leading the avant garde but with a sense of wearability and dedication to that Melbourne look- layers- a trip to the Nom*d store must always be followed by lunch at Arcadia or dinner at Ladro.
203 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
9416 3500
Like all New Zealand treasures we steal for ourselves- Rusell Crowe, Pavlova- Zambesi has become an Australian institution. The store itself is formidable, the kind of place that’s too intimidating to set foot in. But if you’re brave enough to step into the cavernous environs, you’ll find that, uncharacteristically of such a cool place, the staff are infinitely friendly and will greet you with exclaimations and smiles. As such, you can feel completely at ease browsing racks filled with Zambesi and, my favourite, Margeila.
167 Flinders Ln
Melbourne Victoria 3000
(03) 9654 4299
If you’re feeling girlie, pop into Kinki Gerlinki. Bursting with vibrantly coloured, ruffled, floral delights, Kinki Gerlinki is cute, kitsch, kooky and with a little bit of ultra feminine sex appeal thrown in the mix (think Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf, but what she’d be like if she were a tad more down to earth). With four locations and counting, I’d start with the city store- it’s right next to Jungle Juice so you can grab Melbourne’s best coffee or a famous bagel while you cruise the racks.
22 Centre Place, Melbourne
9650 0465
Broody and witty, Alpha60 is Melbourne’s own, bred from the streets and champion of the fashion pack. Four stores strong and expanding Sydney side, what you can expect to find at Alphaville stores is a local label that is not only affordable but high quality and always stylishly edgy. Along with Swedish favourites Dr Denim and Cheap Monday, Deadly Ponies bags punctuate the racks while jewellery sees the likes of T Mod displayed on the stands.
201 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
9663 3002
The epitome of cool, head to Fat for everything Australian and cult. Bassike, Friedrich Gray, Dress Up- the bread and butter of Australian fashion can be found here. There are four stores across Melbourne but my favourite is at Brunswick St in Fitzroy, as it’s the most spacious and the staff aren’t as cold as they can be at the other stores.
209 Brunswick St Fitzroy
9486 0391
If I had all the money in the world I would spend it at Acne. Finally, Melbourne gets what it deserves as one of the world’s most covetable cult labels sets up shop in the historic GPO.
350 Bourke St, Melbourne
9663 0066
Right across the hall from Acne is Willow- again, if money wasn’t such a harsh mistress, I’d be buying all my party dresses at Willow. Conflating sex appeal with luxury, glamour and forward fashion, Willow has the ability to make any woman feel special.
350 Bourke St, Melbourne
9663 0045
Boys (and girls shopping for boys) look no further than Incu. Mixing street style with sharp, clean lines, Incu brings the best of the rest of the world to Melbourne menswear. Incu men’s stocks labels including A.P.C, Band of Outsiders, B Store, Paul Smith, Surface to Air and more.
Shop 6A, 274 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
9663 9933
A lesser known Melbourne shopping destination, Fame Agenda is not where you’d expect to find it- set amongst the chain store bustle of Melbourne Central. Stocking labels including Gail Sorronda, Stretsis, Lover, Karen Walker, Arnsdorf and Gary Bigeni, Fame Agenda is a personal favourite, and well worth braving the trip to Melbourne Central.
Shop 235, Level 2, 211 Latrobe St, Melbourne
9650 2322