Love the black and white colour scheme which goes hand in hand with the Parisian theme inspired…read moreshop and again it's amazing what a paint job and some decor can do. And not forgetting to mention the black chiffon chandelier...nice. The women's clothing boutique has only been open since October 2010 and has a small following, as with all new shops it takes a while to become known and established. Apart from clothes there's jewellery and handbags plus other accessories, so there's an appropriate mix. The change rooms are spacious which is great. So I hope I inspire a few of you to go and check it out. There's a good range of summer clothes and when I was here today, I looked through a long rack of 50% off clothes but alas didn't have my size. Talking about size the range goes from about an 8 to 16 and price wise is very good from approximately $15 to $80. I looked on their website which mentions every Saturday they have 'happy hour' from 10 - 11am as everything is 10% off. Now this is something very unique and I haven't seen or heard of any other clothing store doing such a promotion. Well done Ruby for some lateral thinking. Their website is nifty and also have a Facebook presence, check it out.

The name states exactly what it does and that's specialising in clothing sizes for the larger…read morewoman. Black Apple is one brand which stands out as being the main brand and the colours and styles are varied. The sizes start at 14 (which I don't consider as large personally) and go all the way up to 34! Building self esteem is another good reason this shop is around as people are not limited for choice and have to resort to just donning a massive sheet like kaftan on, which is not very flattering. For the extra fabric involved in making a piece it is not expensive compared to standard sizes and besides, there are various price tags depending on what you like and what you can afford. So if you know of someone who is struggling to find clothes to fit them and getting a little depressed, this is a good store to go to for sizes and a friendly assisted service.

I was looking for an outfit for a wedding and being a plus size choices are very limited. I did a…read moresearch on google and came across The Special Size Company. I spent the next hour or so looking thru the web site and realised that I could get a nice stylish & flattering outfit. Finally I had hope. I contacted the store spoke to Michelle who was extremely helpful and nothing was a problem. It was refreshing to have good old fashioned customer service. I received my outfit and could not be happier. I live in Melbourne & I highly recommend "The Special Size Company" no matter what state you are in or what the occassion, they will be able to help you. Thank you Michelle.

I am not entirely sure what the owner's purpose for running this op shop is. It doesn't appear to…read morebe for a charity, but prices are so cheap that I can't really see it as a place for people who want to make wads of folding money. The only other possibility I can think of is that the owners/workers are passionate about thrift in general, or maybe about recycling and cutting down waste, but I really don't know. Whatever their motives the result is an op shop that has items that are dirt cheap. I often find myself scurrying quickly away from the place in case they change their mind and charge me double on my items--that's right, a whole 80 cents, that's almost a $1! There is even an area outside and to the right of the entrance that has a sign "FREE" where items are free for people to take. No matter how many times you double check, they really mean it, that area is free. From the free zone I've wombled home wine glasses and shoe preservation boxes. Inside the store is three rooms: one for clothes, one for kitchenalia, and one for bric-a-brac and books. They've said they also have a furniture section but if there is one I couldn't work out how to get there but my guess is that it is next door to the main shop.

Suggest people search www.secondchanceinc.org to find out what this charity is all about. The…read morefurniture section is huge and is at 131 Richmond Road, Richmond, 5042. A very worthwhile organisation!

For me Montaigo is kind of like the go to place when I have that special occasion and just cannot…read morefind a dress anywhere. It is at this point of dressless attire and stress that a lightening bolt moment hits, and reminds me that there is one more aesthetically pleasing dress shop to possibly save me. Suddenly, hope remains. Located in the Marina Pier at Glenelg, this shop is often forgotten about until you casually happen to pass it by. There really are some nice collections here at Montaigo. Their windows are impeccable and devine, often displaying full length red carpet gowns. Totally worth heading to if you are attempting on dressing to impress. So before you give up hope and are so desperate that you are about to fly to Melbourne for a dress, don't forget about Montaigo.

I'm not sure many people know about Montaigo. Although I have never bought anything from here, I'd…read moreknow where to come to find a nice dress, unique piece of jewellery, or cute bikini. The clothing is girly and feminine. The price tags are what you'd expect for the quality and designs they offer. The staff are friendly. The location is beautiful (at the beginning of the Marina), so if you've just been out to lunch with the girls or you're shopping down Jetty Road I'd definitely suggest popping in here also.

I've said it before, but I like to treat women's clothes shops like art museums. I don't really…read moreknow what I'm looking at, but I pretend I'm impressed with what I see. Vertice Boutique is another store that makes this extremely easy. The stuff here looks mostly fantastic, and, depending on my mood, I can rile myself up into a kind of excitement about it. I see something and convince myself I simply cannot WAIT to see how milady looks whilst I'm wearing it. It's all about playing mind games with yourself, people. But aside from the stock, one thing I love about the place is the lady who always seems to be on staff whenever I've been dragged to the store. She's funny as hell and always gives me shit for being there. She remembers my face and likes to joke around with me whenever I'm waiting for milady to try something on. She'll say things like, 'Make sure you tell her you like this one.' And whenever I walk into the store she looks at my expression and says, 'Oh, come on; it's not THAT bad.' It's the little things like this that makes the experience more... tolerable.

This clothing boutique stocks various sizes and styles of garments aimed towards the mature set but…read moreas with all clothing shops there are finds which can be worn for the younger gal, as the size range is broad from 8 - 20! There is always a rack or two out the front for items on sale and on this particular visit it was nothing over $20. The colours and styles are not drab but the sale items do tend to give off a differing view before venturing into the store, so I suppose there are pluses and minuses for turfing out the old stock in front of the window. It's located next door to another 'Plus Size' clothes boutique but the name brands are different so there is no doubling up or copy cat competition. And again, if you know of someone struggling with size and choice, tell them about this place.