An intriguing boutique that's nice to visit and have a 'window shop', as it's filled with antique,…read morestylish and interesting odds and ends. Unfortunately, everything is extremely pricey, so despite being flawed by that dress or ornament, you'd need to be making quite a lot of cash in order to buy it. The service was okay, but I find they are usually only interested in poshly dressed customers. I find this interesting considering their peeling storefront and lack of buyers. Still, I enjoy having a squiz at their collection on a lazy Saturday morning or during Midnight Madness each year.

Victoria's is a bit of an odd shop really…read more The part it does really well is the nick-nacky gift section that's takes up the front two-thirds of the shop. They have an absolutely drool-worthy children's section in the front corner opposite the door, filled with, well, really girly stuff mostly - Flower Fairies merchandise, from cups and stickers, to party ware and gifts, features strongly. Big love. The giftware and homeware in the rest of the front section of the ship is tasteful but edging towards the pricier side. Then right at the back of the shop they have a rather surprising women's clothing section. It's mother-of-the-bride-who-is-quite-wealthy type stuff, and some other formal pieces with hefty price tags. I could probably find something I liked there, but I get that dreaded feeling that I would get home, put it on, and feel instantly 20 years older.

The first time I came to the Cotton On Pop Up I thought that it was temporary. Months later, it…read morestill stands and people go there by the truckload. It's pretty handy to have at the Supa Centre since its only a minute's drive from the Westfield mall. The Cotton On Pop Up sells a combination of clearance clothes from $5 and also has a section of new season clothes in the mainstream stores. I'm not sure why this is, but I suppose its a good option to have for customers spending up large here. It's all the Cotton On brands rolled into one, with a great Typo area filled with discounted canvas prints (the best bargain in there!), Cotton On Body with more clearance bras and undies than you could imagine, and Rubi Shoes' discounted heel, wedges and flats. It takes a bit of a hunt to find the good stuff but the bargains are everywhere. The only downside is that everyone will be wearing the same top the following week. The man's area is filled with $10 long sleeve shirts, a pretty amazing price, and other end of line stuff worth a look, so you don't have to ditch your male halves to check this place out.

So you fancy yourself an Audrey Hepburn, but stifled with modern fashion and fluoro colours that…read moreobnoxiously scream at you from nearly every shop window? Well, your search for something that suits is at an end. Forever New is filled with classy outfits with an array of pastels and formal colours. It has fancy jewellery, bags and shoes to suit your budget, but not quite as cheap as your everyday Diva items. I love coming in here and finding some unique items that are good quality. Unfortunately, the clothes are a bit pricey sometimes, so I would recommend heading to the Dressmart Forever New if you can't quite make up the dollars for a must-have item. There you will find even better bargains! This one is great for convenient location, good service and oh so wonderfully colour co-ordinated areas.

I used to be a fan of Forever New but now I just don't have time for their over priced shit. I…read moreremember when the chain first came to New Zealand I was in love, it was finally something that catered to women's fashion, plus the stores were so cute and shiny. After a while I began to study their clothing and came to the realisation that it was just cheap quality clothing that is overpriced. The accessories are those ones you find in the Asian stores, so shit! I say get of your high horse Forever New and start charging $10 for you clothing instead of $80.

There's this bright pink sign catching your attention on Cascades Road, which immediately signals…read morethis is no mechanic shop along a busy industrial district. What a Girl Wants is a second hand store, but packed with top quality bits and pieces. There are bags, clothes, shoes, books, furniture and ornaments, all geared towards the classy women of East Auckland. I thoroughly enjoyed having a browse, and picked up a nice singlet for a whopping $2! It's next to a coffee place and also an antique store, so your vintage tastes can be quenched, along with a nice spot of coffee afterwards. You can just park on the gravel outside, which is really handy. The shop assistant was friendly enough, and the way things are set out is really eye catching. It's awesome to see some creative thought going into the layout of a thrift store, considering most of the time, you have to rummage to find anything particularly useful. Here, it's all on display, in order of size and product. Good stuff.

What a Girl Wants would be a solid four star shop if it weren't for the staff…read more The two times I've been in I've wanted to stay longer, they have some amazing bargains and a very well organised shop, and overall the quality of their stock is excellent. The problem is, the two ladies who work there were very, very loudly talking politics both times I went in. As there's a dance school directly above them, it's fair enough that they need to raise their voices a little to be heard. But maybe don't stand on opposite sides of the shop? Or don't go on loudly about how much you dislike beneficiary bludgers who just sit around all day doing nothing. I mean, you're running a second hand shop, people...perhaps put two and two together and come up with four?

The reviews from 2013 might have been accurate for the time…read more But coming to you from 2015, this place is rockin'! Not going to give it the full five stars because it's not the cheapest or nicest looking store around. I expect cheaper prices as the place gets drabby-errrr. But that is by no means a reason not to go, just initially misleading. The place is much more organized than what I read, even has a 16+ section which is nice. Also note, the men's section is microscopic, even considering the smaller sizes of men's sections at charity shops, it's almost overlooked. But for women, it's great. They have a sale rack out side, a $2 rack indoors, 50 cent table, boutique or price-ier items section, intimates and swim separated out and in baskets of different quality and prices: glorious. The selection is wide in style and in size. I found basics I was looking for, like black leggings, and ridiculous cocktail dresses that I would't find anywhere else. The ladies working there were extremely friendly and on top of making sure the people milling about the place got what they needed. They were really nice to one girl shopping there, helping her in the fitting room and encouraging her fashion sense, which, coming from snobby-mall culture, I appreciate. They were having a 30% off day when I went which made everything even more of a bargain than the tag prices. I spent $24 and got a cocktail dress, nice black stylized leggings, a velvet+sheer shirt, two bras and maroon tights. The girl who rung my up was sweet, funny, talked to me about clothes, gave me tips of other charity shops around and was just great. Maybe not 5 star status, but this place is awesome. Should totally be a must on your thrift-list through Auckland.

No doubt a good place to find some good second hand deals, but I personally found the layout of…read morethis store absolutely claustrophobic and dizzying. It was really hard to keep up with sizes and different items of clothing, as it was all very mixed up. They have some more expensive items out the back if you're seeking a discounted ball dress or two. Yet I could find nothing in my size, because I guess the store assistants would rather natter to each other than organize them into appropriate sizes, or colours, or something! It's a sanguine's room in there without the decency of a bed. If you just want a deal, and you don't mind spending countless time sifting through racks and racks of clothes, then great! If you'd like a more efficient experience, perhaps a Cotton On Outlet down the road will do?

It's hard finding two piece swim suits that aren't bikinis these days. When I do, they tend to be…read morefrom those shops that sell them for over $100. I don't want to be picky, but I only wear these a few times a year, so anything more than $60 is too much. So in comes Shanton. For some reason, these guys usually have a swim suit that appeals to me, fits and is under $50. In fact, I bought my last pair from here for $30. Really, really happy with that! Aside from swim wear, they have some nice clothes to squiz through - loads of variety for young and old. Their shop headline reads 'something different' and I think that about sums up their style.

I dig the clothes at Decjuba. It's one of those stores I could go to with my mum and we could both…read morefind something we'd like to wear, without one of us getting crazy stares. A Decjuba store in Sylvia Park was way overdue- before it opened, the closest store to me was in Newmarket. The store itself is pretty bare- white walls, minimal fixtures. Usually I wouldn't be into that but because I adore the clothes, I give them a pass. The clothes here aren't particularly cheap, but the quality is great. I'm not usually into print dresses (unless its floral), but they do some very cool prints here from tiger stripes to psychedelic, other-worldly patterns. For the semi-conservative girl like me, they do pretty lace dresses, peplums and great sweaters to get you through winter. The mannequins at Decjuba always looks awesome and definitely do their job at trying to coerce you into a big purchase!

I was a bit hesitant about this line of clothing however now I love this line. Like all women we…read morelove clothes, well this shop has it all and caters for all. Fabrics are great love the winter collection. Summer collection just released and the colours are very refreshing not your normal run of the mill. The staff at Sylvia Park are wonderful very helpful and no pressure always going the extra mile to assist us customers. Product knowledge is very important and knowing what works for each customer or what could work is great. Your friendly smiles definitely make our day when we walk out feeling confident with our purchases. Would definitely check out whats next in store....... M Burns

This is one of my go to stores if I visit Sylvia Park. Great for work, or casual clothes. The…read moreclothes are quality on the whole too.

I didn't like the way the sales assistant spoke with me. Very rude and unpleasant…read more The worst is when the message is said in the intercom reminding customers the store will be closed!!! I hated the experience in store it is so hard to find things as all over the place !!!! Disorganised and the assistant know nothing not helpful!!!! Not coming back to this store!!!

If you're looking for a bargain and a great day of shopping then Dressmart is the place for you!…read more Dressmart is a mall that houses over 100 stores and offers up to 70% off the normal retail price, all year round. No need to wait for end of season sales to be able to spend up large! My last trip to Dressmart I was looking for work clothes and ended up buying three dresses, a blouse, and a singlet top for $60 - a feat that just wouldn't happen anywhere else. However, my real find of the trip was the chunky wedge sandals I found in Glassons. Down from $59.99, I ended up purchasing them for $10, and when I took them to the counter found out accessories were buy one get one free, so ended up walking away with a great black flower hairclip for free as well! Talk about a happy shopper! Though predominantly a clothing outlet, Dressmart also houses eateries, sports shops, shoe shops, health and beauty stores and book stores. The only thing that is missing is a jewellery store, but when you're saving so much money on everything else I guess paying full price for jewellery isn't so bad! Located near Auckland transport stations and with lots of customer parking and a free shuttle service operating Monday-Friday between the mall and Auckland CBD, despite being in Onehunga Dressmart is easily accessible.

You can get some real bargains here I've found. I love my Nike running shoes and shorts which I…read moregot from the Nike shop. The shorts were about $30 and the shoes, I think were not much over $100 and are so comfortable. Since I've had them, I've kept up regular running which is an achievement! My flatmate also got a really good new outfit for a wedding at Working Style and saved a lot of money on good quality clothes. The service here was also excellent. Also Dress smart Onehunga is home to the only outlet shop for Peter Alexander in New Zealand! Dress Mart really is the place to visit if you want to save money on branded items. It gets really busy on weekends though, so either be prepared, or come early. Sometimes I find myself getting a bit disoriented inside trying to find a particular shop, but that might just be me!