Paloma Bleu is a lovely little upper-scale boutique situated on the Bridport Street shopping strip…read more While this may be an area frequented largely by ladies who lunch, Paloma has the edge that the surrounding stores so severely lack. Stocking a great range of both local and international designers such as Josh Goot, Karen Walker, Lover, Tolani and Wildfox Couture, the clothing is both beautiful and on trend. This is the type of place that you come to splurge, so save up your pennies and go check it out. You won't be disappointed.

From the owner: A favourite among fashion folk, Paloma Bleu has earned a cult-like devotion from lovers of eclectic…read morestyle and downtown-ready designer threads. A Melbourne mainstay since 2010, our Albert Park boutique now has an online counterpart. You'll discover a meticulously curated selection from both local and international labels woven through the virtual racks. Among the beautiful clothing, there's handmade jewellery and hats, plus curiosities from as far as New York and Argentina. Bringing an international flavour to the local fashion scene, the shop itself was named after the owner's favourite beach club in the south of France. All items are sourced by Laura Williamson, our founding tastemaker who of course has impeccable taste and a craftswoman-like attention to detail. Embarking on regular buying trips, Williamson is dedicated to uncovering brands and importing them herself, offering you an exclusive and highly edited range season after season.

Allow me to be very specific here. Unless you have some cash to spend, leave all credit cards,…read morewallets and anything you can hock at home. If you venture into Christine (which in itself may be a little difficult, it is quite literally underground and notoriously hard to find) you will struggle to leave empty handed. Christine is the boutique embodiment of the idea that is Aladdin's Cave, for once you have decended those stairs and witness the delights within, you'll have a hard time leaving. Christine stocks all manner of shoes, jewels, handbags, scarves, scents, hats and anything else in the accessory category. Most of all, the owner (I'll let you guess what her name may be) really knows her stuff. She can recognise the label and season of almost any bag with just a glance and has an impressively detailed inventory of the store swimming around in her head. Bottom line: visit at your own peril. You may never leave and if you do, it certainly won't be empty handed.

We had so much fun at Christine's shop! We met Christine herself, and what a treasure! We tried on…read morehats and jewelry and clothes and shoes and handbags and... and... From the moment you walk in the red door onto the red plaid carpet until the moment you leave with a red bag in tow, the staff treats you like gold. Very enjoyable, decadent shopping experience.

Friends of Couture is definitely a friend of mine. In fact, this is one of my favourite places to…read moreshop. From great quality cardigans that won't lose their shape, to quirky dresses to fashion-forward tops and bottoms with the cutest prints. This is one store that doesn't shy away from prints. In fact, Friends of Couture seems to thrive on prints. If you're serious about dots, stripes, hearts, bows, checks, horses, owls, bears, moose, deer and cats, you'll love the stuff here. If you hate these prints - go elsewhere! Serious, monochromatic-addicts will hate it here. I love the quirky patterns, vintage inspired buys and spin-offs on classic prints that this shop does so well. Plus, it carries a good selection of handbags and accessories to complete your outfit with. Always make sure to check the back racks for sale products. Very often you'll find that perfect dress, scarf or cardi just waiting to be brought home by you.

Baby clothes are really pricey in general and across Australia. That's something I think I've come…read moreto appreciate since a few friend's have starting to have babies. And Seed Heritage is no different. From humble beginnings in 2000, it has grown into quite a large brand with 3 stores and an online store too. Their Albert Park is wonderful and airy and represents a perfect design space to show off their great designs. I've bought clothes for baby M here and she looks so cute in them. They are on the pricey side as i mention (perhaps a fair bit pricier than your average baby clothes store) but you cannot really dispute the quality. They also have clothes for grown up girls and these were a hit with the ladies I was with too.

One to avoid. Awful customer service. Rude, dismissive and shocking 'it's not my store, we don't…read moremake the rules' type attitude. Absolutely one to avoid.

Filly and Mare is a rather lovely little boutique situated in Armstrong Street, Middle Park. The…read morestore stocks a great range of local and international designers, all at mid-range prices. While it isn't exactly cheap, this is the kind of place that you should be purchasing your clothes if you're on a budget. I say this because rather than buying 50 plus cut-price outfits that fall apart in two minutes, you can save up and grab 10 that will last you years. Rather than investing in numbers of trendy looks that'll be out of fashion in all of 5 minutes, you can invest in something classic. At least, this is the philosophy that I'm trying to stick to. The labels they stock are: Akira, Bracewell, Cable Cantao Dot & Herbey Edith Fleur Wood Ginn Gorman Indigo Katherine Maje Minimum 7 For All Mankind Something Tigerlilly WESC White Suede Zimmermann

The unassuming cafe situated inside this upmarket clothing store sells the absolute best chicken…read moresandwich in the whole of Melbourne. No contest. Chicken breast seasoned liberally with sea salt and cracked pepper, atop sourdough or multigrain, lashings of avocado, mayo, lemon and rocket. So even though you can't afford the cashmere jumpers or Moroccan tea glasses, go and buy the Husk Chicken Sandwich. Now.

I'm a regular lurker at the South Melbourne Markets. I grab a coffee, squeeze some fruit, buy meat…read moreand visit the flower man to restock my vases at home. And then I poke around SO:ME and see what delightful treasures there are to tempt me. I love that the little stores here change on a fairly regular basis, which means there's always something new and designy to look at and potentially buy for my wardrobe or home. My current favourite is the Super Cool who seem to have the most random assortment of home goodies perfect for gift giving.

This is my favourite shoe store in Melbourne. It's where I know I will always find just the pair…read moreof shoes I'm after, and that it will be a pleasant experience finding them. Whether I can actually afford the pair of shoes that I want in here is a different story. Some of the lovelier ones are in the $300 region and up and it isn't often that I can splash that much cash on footwear (much as I'd love to). The quality and styles are gorgeous and that's what you'll get for your money so I'm absolutely not complaining about the price. And rather surprisingly, the peeps who work here are actually nice and helpful and won't make you feel bad about being there, unlike other upmarket retail stores. Great quality, great style. Love Zomp.

It certainly isn't easy to find good shoes here in Melbourne. Sure pleather knock-offs abound, but…read moreif you're looking for quality well thats another story all together. I want shoes that will last me years, classic models that will never go out of style. Instead all I seem to be able to find are clunky heels and cheap high street imitations. This is where Zomp differs. A boutique women's shoe store, it offers cutting edge, premium quality shoes as reasonable prices. The Flinders Lane store features an expansive and well designed space that is perfectly fit out to display the multitudes of fine shoes that are stocked. Whether you're looking for boots, heels or flats this is the place to go. Soft Italian leather, unique designs and extensive size ranges, Zomp is the ultimate shoe store.