The day I found Sprinkle was one of true elation. Sure, I'm not exactly one to have a lot of spare…read moredosh lying around, but when it comes to truly beautifully crafted clothing it's always worth it to save out and splash out on the one that truly steals your fancy. Once you've bought one Sprinkle creation it's hard to stifle the addiction. All the clothes are locally designed by Sprinkle herself and locally manufactured, where she can keep a watchful eye on the quality, being a renowned fusspot when it comes to her precious apparel. And they are indeed precious. The emphasis is on curves and femininity, with all the clothes knowing what to skim and what to highlight. Double breasted winter coats that make you feel like a movie star from the 1950s, brightly coloured wrap dresses and tailored pencil skirts are a few of her more notable design staples, but the collections are all unique to that season. The fabrics are all high quality, and there's always splashes of bright colour and texture in each collection. All the designs are made on a very limited run, and for some there's only one garment made in each size. Each season/collection has its' own unique theme and influence, eg. classical Japanese during this last winter, and 1950s cocktail hour for the summer of 2011/2012. The staff are all enthusiastic, professional and well informed about the designs, and will never try and sell you something that you don't feel comfortable in or that isn't quite you. The prices are exactly what you'd expect for locally designed and produced clothing, so it's certainly not accessible to absolutely everyone, but if you can afford it or can afford to get saving, the clothes are definitely worth it.

Pop Culture Inc. is one of the many trendy little shops to pop up toward the junction end of High…read moreSt recently, so it's a little hard to tell what sort of business it's going to attract. My bet is that it'll appeal to women from their twenties onwards more than the teen/early twenties crowd, with the clothing on the more interesting and slightly pricier side of things. There aren't many sizes in most of the garments, so it tends to cater for the slim to average build more than the heavyset. There's a lot of colour and some interesting styles, along with a few classic floaty kind of designs. It also sells decorative and ornamental things, such as an old time-y telephone, throw cushions, art and a lamp or two. There looks to be website on the way.

I never ever op shop, because I have to look through 6000 items to find something half decent, but…read moreI like the prices. I do like labels like Lanvin and Prada, but not the pricetags that come along with it. At Bruce they have a great selection of designer clothes at a reasonable cost. The Queens parade store has more traditional sartorial wear, whilst the Gertrude st store consigns edgier younger clothing. They are really fair with laybys, and whoever is working there is friendly and helpful with finding a great purchase :) one of my favourite stores in melbourne

I am a little wary of spending more than $5 on secondhand clothing, let alone hundreds of dollars…read more Bruce is in the business of selling high quality, high end pre loved men's and women's garments, not your regular section of 80s Kmart crap. The store is visually appealing, clean white walls as a backdrop let the clothing provide the décor. The racks flow with a who's who of the fashion world; Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga and many more. Bruce is worth a look for fashionistas wanting to give a garment a new home without maxing the credit card.

A hip Northcote shop selling a range of stock by a whole slew of Australian designers, I Dream a…read moreHighway is a friendly boutique with the admirable aim of supporting local talent, and providing interesting and affordable designs to buyers. As well as selling a range of womens and mens clothes, accessories and jewellery, I Dream a Highway does a fine line in interesting home decor items such as horse shaped wall hangings made out of vintage wallpapers and the like. And with I Dream a Highway's founders arranging events such as the upcoming Northcote Independent Fashion Festival at the neighbouring Northcote Social Club, you can support I Dream a Highway's admirable ambitions even if their garb isn't quite your style.

Want authentically designer vintage sunglasses by brands such as Ted Lapidus Paris and hip hop…read morefavourite Cazal? Or cute party dresses by Marc Jacobs or Givenchy? Head to Curve Vintage. Domiciled on Gertrude Street, my favourite little strip for vintage clothing in Melbourne bar none, Curve Vintage sells an incredible range of vintage clothing and accessories with a good smattering of vintage designer and contemporary second hand pieces thrown in for good measure. My one Curve Vintage qualm? It feels as if the place is never open. But InStyle - which ranks it amongst Victoria's best vintage boutiques - assures me that this is because Curve is open for the abbreviated hours of midday until 6pm from Tuesday to Saturday much like many of the exclusive little boutiques dotted along Gertrude. If you're serious about your vintage you will seriously love Curve. Prices are attendantly pretty steep but as most vintage afficionados know, a great vintage find is priceless.

Curve is in my top five places to buy vintage in Melbourne - it has everything: women's clothing,…read moremen's clothing, sunglasses, shoes, belts, bags, a kickass store, great staff and a great range of stock. I come here with my partner because he likes to check out the men's racks and try on vintage jackets and shirts. I have to say that Curve's collection of men's wear is phenomenal and they cater for a lot of different styles: there are wacky and lurid shirts, and reserved and classic dinner jackets. I spend most of my time on the other side of the store buried amongst the women's wear. During the winter months I would stock up on boots and the warmer dresses that I could easily wear with tights. When I visited last time there were some gorgeous summer dresses and shorts perfect for the hot weather. The prices are quite high but I honestly don't mind paying. The clothes and accessories are fantastic and the service is always great.

Fantastic local and socially responsible giftware, footwear and clothing. LOVE the Made In…read moreMelbourne shoes. The manager is friendly and helpful......great place to browse and it smells devine!!

From the owner: A Quirk Of Fate stocks its own range of Melbourne Made women's shoes which range from a European…read moresize 35-45 (Or U.S. 5-15). It also stocks a range of clothing, fashion accessories and gift and homewares from other Australian designers and makers. A Quirk Of Fate aims to offer a constantly evolving range of unique, quality products from Australian designers and makers.

Its stores like Chitra's Closet that make you really appreciate clothing. Billing its wares as…read more"Beautifully handcrafted, whimsical and romantic" on its website, the store caters to women from sizes 8-14, although the sizes are made to be more generous than in most retail outlets. Local Melbourne designer Chitra Mangma has a declared love of classic styles and flattering waistlines to suit the traditional female shape, with the requisite modern twists thrown in. However, it is a little ambiguous sometimes as to whether all the clothes would flatter all kinds of curvaceous women. There're always a lot of bright colours and prints featured each season, and most of the clothing is interesting and distinctive. It's all in the details: good fabrics, the odd bit of hand stitching. However, since it's locally made and designed the prices are in the couple to several hundred dollar bracket, which has thus far prevented me from acquiring anything for myself. But given the timeless nature of the designs and the love with which the clothes are made, there'd be a lot of women willing to save up for an item or two each season or year. There's a good range of accessories on hand. The shop itself has a quaint 1920s-30s feel that's almost like an older-style perfume shop mixed in with a Beatrix Potter novel. The service is low key and unobtrusive, so you don't feel pressured. Chitra's Closet is a shop for people who truly appreciate their clothes and want to invest in feeling good in what they wear.