Queen Streets Rip Curl store is better than most inner city surf stores. They don't take themselves…read moreas serious as some other stores, who think street wear is high fashion. Also, unlike some other brands, Rip Curl actually stock boards and wetsuits aside from their clothing label. While this might not be super important on Queen St, it's nice to see a surf store that is more than a label. The front half of the store usually stocks the latest fashion and current sales, then the store bottlenecks at the counter and sunglasses section. Upstairs houses the majority of the surf related paraphernalia. Staff tend to be quite clued up and friendly. A great spot to pick up some cheap but sturdy jandals during summer or look at the latest big production surf video.

Rita Sue Clothing is a small Pin Up Boutique with an extensive range of vintage, rockabilly, and…read moreglamour inspired apparel & accessories in the beautiful and historic St Kevin's Arcade. Run by the lovely Cathy and her daughter Alisha you can't beat them for fabulous personal service and being a huge supporter of the Pin Up/Vintage scene in NZ. All of my favourite international vintage inspired brands are available to purchase, including Pinup Girl Clothing, Lady V London, Collectif, Lindy Bop, Hell Bunny, Tatyana Boutique, Erstwilder, Sourpuss, Stop Staring, Rago, Vivienne Of Holloway, Zoe Vine, What Katie Did, and so, so many more! They also stock many one of a kind, limited designs that have been made right here in New Zealand (always a bonus in my mind!) Some of the NZ brands include Vanessa Kelly, Curvy Couture by Judy Dee, Jill & Ange, Devel Clothing, and Retro Resins. Not just for vintage lovers, many of the beautiful dresses would turn heads at a ball or special event. Oh! And they stock sizes from 8 - 24 so there is NO EXCUSE to not indulge here!

There aren't many places where it's summer all year round, but La Madu is one of those places. The…read morestores are devoted to resort wear, beach wear and just general summer stuff. This includes clothing, swimwear, hats, shoes, Jewelry, some homeware and other accessories. The décor of this store provides the perfect canvas for the products. It's clean and white setting emphasizes the beautiful colours and fabrics. They get new stuff in from Australia nearly every week so there's always new things to see. It's a great place to go obviously during summer, but also if you are visiting somewhere warm during our winter. You get the feeling most of their clientele are the type of women who get to escape every year - the service can be a bit pretentious. Which is surprising considering the clothes aren't of the very best quality and they're not expensive. (One of those is a good thing). A good place to get some cute and cool summer fashions.

For surf and street wear, with sale racks a feature any season, don't miss a visit to Chances. Just…read morein case you forgot your togs, sundress or boardies you can pop in and pick up the essential beach wear. They carry all the top brands like Ripcurl, Roxy, Element and Billabong and even if it's not on sale the prices are pretty reasonable for label brands. This store is a favourite of my kids and will always get our attention when we are visiting the island. We pop in on our way down to or back from Oneroa beach because it is right there.

As a reluctant shopper, Co-Lab, an offshoot of the Nike Britomart store, is one of the few stores…read morein Auckland I will visit. Positioned in Auckland's newest mecca of shopping, Britomart, Co-Lab offers a fresh mix of streetwear including Nike SB, Converse and Hurley. Although it has a surf and skate feel, I find this sometimes helps when buying clothes and you can often get more comfortable and suitable attire for unexpected activities (i.e. going for a bmx or playing soccer when you're least expecting it). The service is extremely friendly and are never afraid to suggest another store, if they know what you are looking for. As with most places in Britomart, parking is a nightmare/expensive so the best option is to just fork out for the adjacent parking building next to Les Mills, that is if you don't want to fluff around for what could be 1 or 20 minutes looking for a park in the surrounding streets.

I generally love Superette's bags, shoes and jewellery and there are quite a few pieces of clothing…read moreI would want to add to my wardrobe that come from quirky designers. However, I can not get over the snobby attitude of the unhelpful staff in this store and can't bring myself to make a purchase. Would much rather nip across to the Posonsby store where I found the staff to be helpful and smiling or to other stores such as Made or Black Box just to avoid dealing with stand-offish characters.

A mildly interesting store which stocks an impressive range of local and international designers. I…read morefeel like I wouldn't get along with people who shop here. I've bought a few Deadly Ponies handbags from this place but mostly because I can't be bothered to find out who else stocks them. In general I find the pieces here to be a mixed bag.. either cool designs from up and coming labels or overpriced basics. Which is a shame because I remember a few years ago thinking that Superette used to stock the coolest stuff, or maybe it was just labels releasing cooler clothes. Now whenever I think of Superette I just think of it as the place where EGGS girls come to buy their party dresses. This place stocks 'unique' stuff for the masses of bunheaded girls who want to spice up their Glassons outfits.

This store is frustratingly located on route when I go to and from uni every day of the week,…read moretherefore I sometimes accidentally spend a little bit more than my intended weekly budget when I get distracted on my way down to the bus stop. They have a unique range of cute and girly dresses, blouses and bottoms which all go well nicely with each other; however sadly a large percentage of the stock is made out of my arch nemisis, also known as polyester. Considering this fabric is the norm in the shop, prices aren't that cheap, so generally I stick to the sale racks or hunt down the few pieces made out of cotton. The service here is great though, much more friendly and tailored than a lot of the other places in the area.

I visited this tiny boutique for the first time today. I find you never know what to expect from…read morethese High Street stores. I either feel extremely uncomfortable in them because everything costs a million dollars or I'm very excited because the things are beautiful. I didn't really know what to think in here. The clothes weren't cheap. There were some gorgeous little dresses - they looked especially beautiful on the mannequins. For the first few minutes I felt quite ignored... which is weird, because in such a small space I sort of expected to be greeted straight away. As soon as I started sifting through the sales rack someone hurried over and started giving me details on the sale and asking if I wanted to try anything on. I took a fancy for two dresses, both orange and stunning. They were $90 each marked down from $180! Bargain alert. I didn't end up getting either of them (my conscious kicked in and asked "do you really need these"?) but I'm glad I discovered the shop! I'll definitely be popping in frequently to check that sale rack!

Dress like everyone else. But at least you will be on trend. Cool shop for cool kids. Not for the…read moreimaginative.

Area 51 has a nice even mix of both male and female clothing, making it the perfect place to bring…read moreyour stylish comrades, no matter what gender, without either party getting too bored. However this does not mean there are huge distinctions between the mens and womens areas of the shop - there is actually quite an androgynous feel about the clothing on display, from the beanies to duffel coats, bar the odd Lonely Hearts dress or two. This makes for a nice range of casual, easy-to-wear street gear, perfect for days at uni but easily styled up with a pair of heels or some dress shoes. In terms of the service, I was helped today by a friendly girl who sympathised wonderfully with my proportion dilemma with pants and did a great job at trying to help me what I was looking for (unfortunately it was one of those cases where that 'in-between' size does not exist). I will certainly be back though, as Area 51 is a boutique filled with a great range of some of the best NZ and international brands.