21 of our favourite brick-and-mortar fashion boutiques in Melbourne
IMAGE VIA @_MOODSSHOP_/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MAEVE KERR-CROWLEY AND FASHION JOURNAL
Shopping in person the way our foremothers intended.
Shopping in person the way our foremothers intended.
In a time when everything we want is ours at the click of a button and leaving the house often feels like a treat, many are rediscovering a love of shopping in actual, brick-and-mortar stores. Forgoing online orders to walk into a shop and run your hands over a rack of clothes is a simple luxury we’ve taken for granted over the last decade or so, but there’s something to be said about returning to our old-school ways.
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Melbourne is home to a plethora of amazing retail spaces, whether you’re in the CBD or branching out to your favourite inner suburb hot spots. If you’re organising a shopping day or just want to surround yourself with pretty things, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite brick-and-mortar, multi-brand stores throughout the city.
Error 404
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If you’re passing through Fitzroy North, it’d be a crime to miss a trip to Error 404. All about community, sustainability and fostering creativity, the store is home to a number of brands that make clothes and accessories you can’t find anywhere else. Find labels like Ka-He, Die Horny, Alix Higgins and Toile Studios, just to name a few.
165 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North
Moods
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Moods is an only IRL store that’s packed with a superb selection of handpicked vintage clothing, predominantly from the ’90s and early 2000s. Its Thornbury space has the rom-com-esque knee-high boots, tiny bags and midi skirts of our dreams (and yours too, probably). Be sure to keep an eye on its Instagram page for opening information – it’s not always the same days and hours each week.
62 Wales Street, Thornbury
Millie Savage
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Melbourne-based jeweller Millie Savage has a dreamy brick-and-mortar store located in the heart of Fitzroy. Just like Millie’s handcrafted pieces, the store is full of vibrant colours, maximalist furnishings and textural details, making for a dreamy shopping experience.
337 Smith Street, Fitzroy
Dot Comme
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Anyone who’s braved the stairs to Rooftop Bar at the top of Curtin House has passed the alluring entrance to Dot Comme. Merging art and fashion, the store is a haven for those unafraid of experimenting. The online store lists archival pieces from brands like Comme des Garcons, Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe and more, while the brick-and-mortar store stocks more accessible streetwear and everyday pieces.
Curtin House, Level 3 and 4/252 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Saloon
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Founded by Melbourne-based creatives Georgah Crane and Kirra Scotland, Saloon is comprised of pieces that strike a balance between Georgia’s minimalist aesthetic and Kirra’s eclectic style. The duo’s light-filled brick-and-mortar space in Curtin House is home to a curated selection of local labels like All Is A Gentle Spring, Riu, Maroske Peech and Mondo Mondo, as well as a divine array of homewares.
Level 4/252 Swanston St, Melbourne
Sucker
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Run by artists for artists, Sucker is part shopfront, part for-rent photography studio. Set up in Brunswick, the store stocks forward-thinking Melbourne designers like Wackie Ju, Stella Vendetta, Ess.Bee, Sorrentino and more. It’s the place to go for fashion and accessories that are two steps ahead of even the trendsetters.
438 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Sister Studios
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Sister Studios was born from the enjoyment that founders Emma and Alice experienced in creating and spending time together – a feeling that has since translated into their collection of pieces. Nestled within North Fitzroy, the terracotta tiled floors, arched doorways, fuzzy rugs and big windows make the Sister Studios space feel welcoming and warm.
105 Scotchmer Street, Fitzroy North
Someday Store
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Inspired by all things Nordic, Someday Store offers a hand-picked selection of local and international brands. Covering fashion, footwear, accessories and beauty, you’ll find favourites like Veja, St. Agni, Rollas and Kowtow.
252 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Somebuddy Loves You
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From understated basics to bold statement pieces, Fitzroy store Somebuddy Loves You is home to both local and international womenswear designers. Fill out your wardrobe with clothes from Paloma Wool, Kowtow and Permanent Vacation or accessories from Reliquia and Post Sole Studio.
193 Smith Street, Fitzroy
Incu
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As well as its iconic Q.V Melbourne concept store, Incu has just opened a new location in Chadstone Shopping Centre. Both stores are designed to capture a down-to-earth atmosphere and let the wide selection of brands shine, making every trip inside memorable. Find labels like Acne Studio, Ganni, Jacquemus, Comme Des Garcons and many, many more.
Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone and QV Melbourne, 12 Albert Coates Lane, Melbourne
Dream Baby
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Launched just last year, Suku Home’s Dream Baby flagship store is a bright and welcoming manifestation of everything the brand is passionate about. The Fitzroy store is a hub for creatives from both Australia and Indonesia. As well as Suku Home’s own range, you’ll find homewares, clothes and accessories from labels like Blazed Wax, Tessy King and Underground Sundae.
128 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Who Boutique
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First opened in 2001, Who Boutique is a family-run store that stocks a curated selection of international designers like Baum und Pferdgarten, Gimaguas and Stine Goya. With a focus on fun, playfulness and colour, Who Boutique is about high-quality clothing that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Shop 3/1216 High Street, Armadale
Le Louvre
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A store with a whole lot of history, shopping at Le Louvre is about the experience as much as it is the fashion. Filled with luxury brands like Saint Laurent, Balmain, Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta, the South Yarra store offers a touch of decadence and high fashion sophistication the second you walk through the door.
2 Daly Street, South Yarra
Better With Friends
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Better With Friends is a Brunswick-based store comprised of colourful pieces from local labels like Kowtow, Double Rainbouu, Summi Summi, McIntyre Merino and more. With a focus on ethically-made wares, Better With Friends stocks clothing, accessories, homewares and beauty bits.
209A Sydney Road, Brunswick
P.A.M.
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The most accurate way to describe P.A.M. is ‘cool’. Located on Swanston Street in the heart of the city, the store stocks not only the brand’s own range of forward-thinking streetwear, but a host of like-minded brands and collaborators like Eckhaus Latta, Pelvis, Garbagetv and more.
Level 3/252 Swanston Street, Melbourne
The Standard Store
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For a taste of international fashion, hit up The Standard Store in Fitzroy. Travelling the world to source labels and styles you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, the store offers aesthetically pleasing pieces that range from holy grail basics to head-turning statement makers.
159 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Grace
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For refined styles from international luxury brands, check out Grace in Toorak. The boutique is all about being inspiring, welcoming and environmentally conscious, offering both its own range and cult labels from around the world. Think Alexander Wang, Cecilie Copenhagen, Proenza Scouler, Nanushka and more.
595 Malvern Road, Toorak
The New Trend
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Originating in Canada and setting up its first Australian location in Armadale, The New Trend is a hub of international luxury fashion. The store offers some of the best designers the world has to offer, paired with welcoming in-person service to bring a bit of humanity back to luxury shopping.
1038 High Street, Armadale
Rpm Melbourne
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Rpm Melbourne sells the wardrobe staples we should all own. The Carlton corner store finds its place in the multi-brand universe by offering perfectly fitting denim, autumnal knitwear, and that one occasion piece you could wear to almost any event. For a unique brick-and-mortar experience, the boutique can also organise private shopping appointments that let you peruse their selection of European and American labels which include Mes Demoiselles Paris, Frame Denim, and American Vintage.
162 Elgin Street, Carlton
Filly’s Stable
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A popular shopfront amongst the Albert Park milieu, Filly’s Stable – or just ‘Stable’ for those in the know – has a knack for selling you the ideal outfit with the shoes to match. On their hangers, you’ll find Scandinavian labels like Ganni and Baum und Pferdgarten as well as the store’s locally made in-house label, On Parks. With a wide scope of price ranges and brands to match, Filly’s Stable will make you wonder why you don’t come to these parts more often.
130 Bridport Street, Albert Park
Urahara
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Urahara’s Smith Street boutique sells premium Japanese pieces designed to last you for seasons to come. Selvedge denim jeans from labels like Fullcoat and Iron Heart can be found amongst pairs of striped dungarees; while the store’s outerwear selection showcases its high-quality fabrics (if it breaks, Urahara repairs it).
78 Smith Street, Collingwood
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