Wasn't Lolitta a tempting seductress, who's charm nobody could escape? If so, the shop is identical…read moreto its namesake. I can rarely afford to shop the top labels and when I can the older I get, the less I can justify it. Lolitta can be defined as a store that offers the same, stylish, quality designs you'll find at Myer for about half the price. I haven't seen a piece I've loved for over $90, which for quality fashion is very hard to find. Fabrics and colours are just beautiful, and as I'm a bit of a hippy I love the spring collection of bohemian yet pretty and feminine looks. I just wish I had of stumbled across it prior to the Cox Plate. Tip: Check out the Yanni dress in store now, I love it and have it sitting prime position in my wardrobe :)

Very unique styles, patterns of clothing. I looked all over melbourne for something to wear to a…read morewedding, walked in here and found something on sale within 5 minutes. The sales consultant, Annie was extremely helpful and polite.

No different to Pitt Street Mall in the city, the Bourke Street Mall is Melbourne's equivalent, and…read morewith its own unique Zara outlet as well. So often the tram tracks are crossed to get to the other side to the point where waiting to cross the road at the lights to enjoy some more high quality shopping is a chore within itself. The iconic public purse at the tram station outside Melbourne GPO is a hit within itself (no pun intended) as musicians come to entertain us with their musical equipment stacked along this magnetic piece of art. Don't cross the tram tracks just yet as you have Melbourne GPO to explore. A word of warning: just ensure that you have gone to the toilet beforehand as something so simple as going to the loo turns out to be an obstacle here. Great cafes await you as well as quality boutiques to browse through. I love Georg Jensen here; in fact all the jewellers here provide great customer service. Keep walking and you will find Myers and DJ's in tandem with more street performers, and not to mention activists wanting support to help free the refugees or to take a stand of capitalism etc. Something would be so wrong with you if you are bored here. Cross the tram tracks (safer to actually cross the road) and you will find the food halls and more treats. Sadly that bistro on the Elizabeth Street side is now closed. And you might be lucky to spot one more street performer before moving on.

In the late 90's early 00's, the Bourke Mall of Melbourne was a Mecca of dodge. Sure every…read morechristmas there was the myer windows, but overall it wasn't a great place. Lucky for us Melbournians the recent (last 5 years) new tram stops and the current Myer and David Jones remodeling and the addition of Zara have lifted to the Mall to the cosmopolitan space I always new it could be.

Gorgeous little women's boutique clothing store, Laine is a lovely temptation to any girl passing…read moreby. Lots of high quality items that change regularly, it's a good place to pop in and check out some AU/NZ designer clothes (like Kate Sylvester) that you would get a lot of wear out of. Loads from the US and Paris too. It's priced accordingly, but not terrifyingly high end. I lucked out by looking at winter wear when one half of the store was all 50% off and scored myself a nice jacket at half price. The girls in the store are lovely and really helpful without being pushy. Bonus if Winnie the Whippet is in store to have a sneaky cuddle with. Look for her camouflaged in her bed up the back by the heater!

I love this store. I would pop in every day if I could, but alas a girl has to work…read more A very recent , welcome addition to the Bay St strip, Laine is set to become a much loved fashion store for local gals. Stocking everything from Ancient Greek Goddess sandals to keypad covers for your mac, gorgeous clothes from around the world to jewellery conversation starters made by some sisters in Queensland - you will be impressed by Laine. But quality stock is not the only thing Laine has going for it, the other key attraction to this store is the friendly assistance and guidance provided by it's lovely owner, Alyce. Oh and her sweet pooch Winnie is there to help too! There is no website or mailing list yet but you can get your fix of new arrivals from the Laine facebook page, even make an order from the photos for some items. There are items to suit all budgets and styles. Must go now, I have shopping to do.

Phoebe Angel is a glorious, affordable women's fashion store, following all the latest fashion…read moretrends coming in from Asia. Long socks, mini skirts, long fur coats and feminine trenches and military style coats in blacks, whites and pinks. Lace dresses, crochet tops, mini dresses and maxis. It truly is a haven for any girl (or twenty something woman) who loves the latest, pretty lacey trends at prices you can afford.

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.

I Understand now why this store has so many bad reviews ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE. I had a very…read moreUNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE from the MALE MANAGER in Bourke Street i hope that THE SITE MANAGER ACTUALLY SEES THIS Came to the store because of an ERROR i made. A purchase online for 239 aud for the wrong shoes. Straight After purchasing the item i drove 30 mins to the store to tell them about the issue in the hopes that they can rectify it. Manager said nothing they can do. I should cancel order online i said i tried to cancel several times even showing him my phone and he wasnt even looking and so i politely said to him the option that you kept giving me isnt working. he kept shaking his head saying repeating "i understand but its not our fault its your fault" i said okay. I know its my fault i actually told you its my fault can you please stop saying its not your fault My point here is im trying to find some actual working solutions. He said " i know but im the manager here" Me: wtf where the fck did that come from i dont think we are understanding in the same level. I didnt once raise my voice or even put the blame on the staff or store. I actually even said onset. Its my fault. Really how can you become a manager with ZERO EMPATHY all hearing but NO listening skills. At least one of their staff Mel, who was actually just a regular staff bothered to empathize but to the manager if your reading this. DISGUSTING SERVICE.

Sadly, Melbourne doesn't do High Street fashion very well. The rather simple concept of quality on…read moretrend pieces at low prices just doesn't seem to translate. If the US and the UK can do it than why on earth can't we? Troves of Aussies return from overseas adventures raving about the shopping and, especially, raving about Zara. The extremely popular Spanish style emporium that offers cheap classic clothing. I think that Zara made the mistake of assuming that it's Melbourne customers hadn't checked out their awesome international stores. Because a lot us have and a lot of us are disappointed. Not only is the stock seasons old in some cases, but the prices are also really marked up. Despite the beautiful building that Zara is housed in, the interior still has a crappy department store vibe and the staff always seem stressed and harried. Word on the street is that English retail giant Topshop are coming to Melbourne. I only hope that they do a better job than Zara.

Somehow in a space about the size of an apartment loungeroom a fabric shop manages to stock more…read moreenticing options than one would find if they spent four hours digging through a Spotlight warehouse. Each rolls seems to have been carefully selected to offer a range of dressmaking options; some kooky, some lacy, some simple and elegant, some perfect for really cute kids' pyjamas. The velvet hangs beautifully, the embroidered silk begs to be wrapped around an evening dress... I could go on, but I'd just start listing types of material and you'd be bored and not go. The lady who owns and runs this market stall has a lot of advice for burgeoning seamstresses and tailors and you can be sure that buying from here will likely guarantee a unique and luxury homemade item of clothing.

This business is located at stall 58 ( aisle B ) South Melbourne Market. Specializes in designer…read morefabrics, trims, fake furs including rugs and scarves. Anyone mentioning the Yelp website receives 10% discount on top of the already substantially discounted prices. Open, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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.

Everything in this store rocks my socks off. I would wear everything in the store, and would be…read morehappy to wear this brand everyday. The colour pallet ranges from plain block black and white, through to more highly coloured more splashy paint brush Monet style prints. Materials used also ranged widely, with some being shiny, stiff and super-futuristic to more simple flowing chiffon numbers. Whether you have a subtle look, or more outrageous style, there really is something to suit all tastes here. So impressed with everything in store, but due to the prices, I'd only be able to buy a dress or item for a one off special occasion, like an outfit for a wedding I was attending. I haven't been to the other Life With Bird stores, but I'd have a guess that this store is one of the smaller stores.