The Leaf Boutique is a nice ladies fashion store, filled with pretty dresses, blouses, skirts and…read moretrousers. Their clothes are not quite my style, however, there are still plenty of great outfits in here. They cater towards a market of women who are perhaps professionals or mature-aged, as you won't find slinky mini dresses in here. The outfits have a lot of colour and suit all body shapes. You will find plenty of easy-to-wear wrap dresses and most of them supporting Australian designers. It's a lovely boutique and worth a visit if you are shopping for your mother, aunty or grandmother. I'm sure you'll find something suitable for them here.

Blue Velvet is one of my favourite dress shops. They have the most beautiful range of cocktail…read moredresses for all occasions, from a casual weekend barbeque to a night out in clubbing on a day on the race track. Think sparkles, frills and lots of colours. Everything you need to make you feel like a princess for a special occasion. There is certainly plenty of sparkle, the store even has a chandelier! There are a few full length gowns that are quite pretty but my favourites are the cocktail dresses. They have plenty of small sizes too which can be surprisingly hard to find at small boutique shops. Great to browse through even if you don't have an event coming up. The service is also fantastic. Last time I was there, there was a 'Back in 5 mins' sign on the door however a very nice gentleman advised me that the owner would be back shortly and proceeded to explain the current specials.

I helped with the launch of Portside Wharf back in the days I worked for a radio station, but might…read moreI say, this little gem of a mall has come from strength to strength since. The shops on this little mall are very posh. Back in the day, if you wore a top hat and a puffy hoop skirt, this would be the place you would shop. Even the news agency seems a little better than your suburban one. What I love about this place, that not very many people know about is the Dendy Cinemas. You can watch a movie and have something to eat. Whether it's the fancy Sono Japanese Restaurant upstairs to your Fisherman Seafood place downstairs... and ice cream at the Movenpick. It's a pretty great day out.... especially when there's a ship ported. Those ships are massive and it's one of the few places you can go to see how big these cruise ships truly are. They also have many little markets and expo's during the year if you go at select times. Great little place with a great atmosphere... very romantic too at night time. Wink wink nudge nudge.

I used to work on Hercules st last year in a horrible cubicle desk job for 3 months. I couldn't…read morewait until lunchtime when I could walk down to Portside Wharf and sit outside near the water. It makes such a difference to the day! I would stroll down the road, buy a snack from the IGA and make myself a space on one of the seats right on the water. The view of the water and the city are a great combination and it makes you feel lucky to be in Brisbane. Trendy shops, up market restaurants, relaxing cafes, a cinema and markets on the occasional weekend, Portside has everything I like best for a relaxing weekend day. There is plenty of undercover parking or street parking on weekends. The only time you will run into trouble is when a cruise ship is docked. You might have a bit of a trek by the time you park down the road.

Flash Boutique is one in a long line of very similar looking boutiques on Racecourse Road. Most of…read morethese boutiques are aimed at the 40s and up age group, although a few cater to a younger clientele. Flash Boutique is a bit of a conundrum because they don't seem to know what their target demographic is. Most of their stock (which is made up of clothes, jewellery, shoes, handbags, scarves, and other accessories) is probably more suited to an older woman, but then you come across a few things for somebody a bit younger. Because Flash Boutique itself doesn't seem to be sure what they're about, it's a bit hard to review them because I'm not sure quite what they're aiming for. What I will say is that if you're passing, have a browse inside. You'll probably see what I mean about their identity issues, but that's not to say you won't find something you like.

I really am a fan of Portside at Hamilton. You can get a nice meal with fantastic water views,…read morecatch a movie and do some shopping, all in the one spot. One of my favourite shops is ily. Ily is the sister store of Leaf, next door. They have a similar vibe. Leaf specializes in smart casual wear (picture the people getting off the cruise ship), ily have clothing more targeted for younger women. They style is fun, a little quirky and colourful. Think patterns, colours and fabrics. I really like their range of accessories too. You can pick up a whole outfit, complete with bag, jewellery and heels. They stock some fantastic brands like Blessed are the Meek, Living Doll and August st. I really like the layout of the shop itself too and the staff are really nice.

This outlet mall is very close to the BNE airport. Parking can be challenging during the mid day…read morehours. The stores are inside, and the eateries are of great variety. Overall, great buys at this outlet in Brisbane, especially the 2XU outlet store.

As a tourist looking for Australian gifts to return back home, there was only one small shop that…read morehad the keychains, bags, Tea towels, wallets, boomerang, etc, Australian marked items to buy and share with family/friend's back home. Definitely more affordable than the shops at the airport. I appreciated the free shuttle service to/from the airport that circulated every 20-30 min. Plenty of eating places also.

Joli Boutique sets itself apart from the numerous other boutiques on Racecourse Road by emphasising…read morea focus on dresses for the races. I suppose this makes sense considering Eagle Farm is just up the road. I never go to the races (call me crazy but spending the day getting sunburnt and watching people beat horses with a stick doesn't appeal to me), but I could easily find something nice to wear in here even if it was just out for drinks or whatever. Joli prides itself on being abreast of the Spring Racing Carnival fashions and Melbourne Cup looks etc., but to be honest most their dresses could be worn almost anywhere. Probably can't say the same for the hats unless you really like to stand out in a crowd. Brands they stock include Harry Who, George Gross, and Olsen, but they also have a range of brands suited to a younger customer. Anyway, if you're off to the races or just passing by, trot in for a circuit (racing puns, see?).

Cinderella's Closet is one of Brisbane's few and far between second hand designer stores. It…read moredoesn't really house any huge names in fashion, but it does have some seriously nice threads from locally and nationally known brands. Hello Maiocchi, Kerrie Craig and Cooper Street. You wouldn't guess that Cinderella's Closet was a second hand store unless they advertised it. The store is prim and proper, everything in it's right place. The displays of accessories are simply charming, darling. The clothes are well categorised and the store is easy to browse through. If you'd like help looking for a particular item, ask the staff, or as they like to refer to themselves- 'fashion consultants'. They'll find you the right shoes for that dress, and the perfect accessories to wear with that bag, sweetie puff. They have clothes for all seasons here. Shoes, accessories and jewellery are all taken care of too. The clothes seem fairly priced- most of the items I picked up were around the $60 mark. A Maiocchi dress for $55? Snap. You won't pay less for such good quality. This is a great place to come if you're looking for something special but don't have the big bucks to go spending in town at the real stores. Cindarella's Closet has quite the collection and I'm sure you'd find something to your liking. You'll probably have a ball being fussed over too. It's all part of the service, peach.

This brand is beautiful! I actually ended up getting married in a Maiocchi dress!…read more I love the fabrics - lots of Asian inspired prints, and fun patterns like babushka dolls. The cut of these dresses is usually very flattering - they are made for women, even with curves and all. There is always a range of 50s style dresses - lots of A-line skirts, full cut skirts and cinched waists. Very feminine and womanly. It's a local Brisbane brand, made in Red Hill. It's not the cheapest brand of clothes, but they are really well-made and the fabric is good quality. The city store also has a range of cute jewellery, bags and shoes.

For me Maiocchi is one of those places where you love to shop,…read morebut have a hard time PRONOUNCING the name to friends. ("It started with May? errm myoki? maykekekoke? I'LL GOOGLE IT OK") Aside from my dyslexia, this is probably one of my favourite stores to take a gander in. I love the friendly staff and serene atmosphere, the products are clearly high quality and the cuts and fabric hark back to a more traditional Japanese aesthetic. The store also displays a lot of local artists ware's as well, from bags and brooches to intricate jewellery. This would make an ideal place for unique and lovely gift's (In particular lookout for the teaset in the shape of a spaceman!)