An Australian institution, as well as an honest to goodness legend this guy started off as a…read moreswag-man, which is more or less old school Australian for a person of no fixed address, and he ended up owning and running a multimillion dollar clothing empire. He comes from the North of Adelaide, a strange and isolated little place called Jamestown where the people were once so afraid of progress they would run you out of town if you were anything but one hundred percent dinkum normal Australian white bread all the way; and who knows if this is why R.M. hit the lonesome trail and skedaddled out of there? He ended up in Adelaide, the capital city of this fair state to get himself an education. Flash forward a few years and he was sure he could do something with his life to help cattle men and horse riders have a nice day, so he went into the production of boots. Leather boots. He did very well with that, and soon moved on to clothing that could survive the outback and the hard life of a drover - and still make a fellows arse look good. The thing about R.M. Williams' clothing is this: it tends to make a bloke look pretty darn sexy. Sexier than a cow or a horse, especially to the women folk. This proved to be good for the economy. It helped R.M. make his first million dollars and become one of the quintessential Australian brands. Over the years they have had great moments in business in Australia, expanding bit by bit. The best secret about R.M. Williams' products for Adelaide folk is the outlet store. The city based store at what was once called 'The Gallery' when shopping malls were all the new rage, is a fine store and they treat you very nice in there; but if you are not so rich as the folk who buy all their clothing there, make your way over to the 'outlet' stores there's one at: R.M.Williams Outlet Store 5 Percy Street, Prospect (08) 8344 8191 as well as the R.M.Williams Factory Shop, 121 Frost Road, Salisbury (08) 8259 1090 (08) 8259 1090 just for the record. Everything to make your potato pie of a fellow look like a dashing hunk of John Wayne for a high end fashion price. But you only have to kit him out once with one outfit to make him look like this, and he will forever be branded on your mind as an outback hero, drop dead gorgeous with the cutest arse you ever did see. Shirts, hats, boots, belts, pants... everything to wrap him up with, and then rip off of him because it makes him so magnetically handsome. Talk about your sex bomb!

I'm pretty much the least 'country' type person you can get. I'm all about the bright lights, big…read morecity, so it may be hard for the reader to imagine any reason for me (or themselves) to enter this store. But there's one: the boots. While the clothing is all neat, button up shirts and beige slacks and cowboy hats, (I just cruised straight by) the leather boots from RM Williams are a thing of beauty. Made of leather and tough as nails (they're built for the rough and ready conditions of farm life, after all), these are some hard wearing, comfy and well designed boots. Despite being far from the target market, the staff didn't bat an eyelid when myself and my heavily bearded, heavily hipster BF came by to check out the boots, and they were SUPER helpful. No, the boots are not cheap. But put it this way: you're supporting an Aussie (wait, a SOUTH Aussie) business, and these boots are likely to last you 10 or more years. I wear mine constantly, even teamed with cute dresses over summer - they're some of the best music festival shoes of all time. News alert: you don't need a horse to shop here.

This shop rocks in so many ways and I suspect many would shop here for their prom night, 21st…read morebirthday, cocktail parties and just flirty summer parties in the park. My first instinct was it catered for those in the ever so petite size but was happy to find some pieces ranging till size 14, which will appeal to everyone. The store had a 50%-70% sale during my visit, so I happily picked up a summer dress for a bargain. YAY for me! I spotted a tutu skirt (hello Lady Gaga!), funky t-shirts, silk blouses and gorgeous summer dresses to sample this summer. At the adjoining store lies Night Child, with racks of golden and silver embellished cocktail dresses and gowns, truly a girl's oasis. It's a perfect shop to make every girl look and feel beautiful!

Do you like young, funky, cutting edge fashion? If so you can't go past Wild Child Stylelab on King…read moreWilliam Road at Hyde Park. The store itself is possibly one of Hyde Park's most significant style icons and has been in its famed corner position since 1991. Wild Child is full to brimming with the most up to date and latest fashion items. Brands you'll find at there include Bettina Liano, Cooper St, Diesel, Anouk, Ladakh and Wheels and Dollbaby. While much of their range looks best on 16 year olds with zero percent body fat, many of their pieces can still look good on the rest of us mere mortals ie the older stylish woman. Just remember a mini skirt on a woman of a certain age can look downright tacky and there is such a thing as mutton dressed up as lamb. Does anyone remember the scene from Sex and the City II when Samantha turned up in the same dress as Miley Cyrus? The solution to this is to take advice from the stylists as Wild Child, they're generally pretty honest about what suits and what doesn't. Along with dresses, skirts, jeans, and tops you'll find shoes and accessories at Wild Child as well. If you stop by for a browse or a shop, remember to take your credit card and when you're done head for one of King William Road's famous cafes or eateries.

Henry Bucks is a truly boutique mens shopping outlet. The brand is an established Australian…read moresuccess story, and the gear is expensive but very high quality. The North Terrace store has the distinct feel of a clubhouse. The pine timber fixings and layout convey a feeling of luxury, membership and importance when you walk in. I feel like lighting up a fat cigar and discussing my stock portfolio whenever I stumble by. The style is distinctly classy. Clothes you would wear on the yacht, in the boardroom or to an important interview. Henry Bucks has its own brand but sells aside other big names like Gant and Hugo Boss. Other accessories, like watches, leather goods and personal grooming supplies are available too. I recommend Henry Bucks to anyone with some extra cash to splash on themselves or a loved one.

Henry Bucks sells clothes. Or, at least, it stocks clothes. Whether or not it sells any clothes,…read morehowever, I've no idea. Wait, no; that's a lie. I saw a purchase take place whilst I was in the store. But the purchase was not made by me. Why? I'm more a type for buying gear cheap, shredding it, and buying new, cheap gear. The stuff here looks very nice (but it's nothing I couldn't luck out with at an op-shop), and I'm sure it'll last me a while, but, like I said, I'm not too concerned with that sort of thing. The staff were nice and unobtrusive.

There are quite a few different hats in this small two-level store!…read more How can I choose only one hat in a room that is full of pretty hats? I was pleased with the fact that the shop assistant was willing to take a good 15 minutes to help with deciding what to get from the store. There are all sorts, casual ones to wear in the street or beach, a few baseball caps, plenty of straw hats, and upstairs is a small wall of more expensive hats to wear for the Adelaide Cup horse races carnival. I told her I needed a cool white hat because I saw one of my favourite athletes wear it to the Opening Ceremony Parade of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After the shop keeper told me she would order one from interstate (Melbourne), as they didn't have any in stock in Adelaide, after several weeks of waiting, I bought a white Kangol BERET for less than $80. Sold! Buret. Not Buree, or Baray. It's Beret. It makes me remember one of my favorite Simpsons episodes in which the rich American blonde kid is trying to correct his French waiter, who ignored his verbal correction: "Showdair? Showdair? It's Chowdah! Say it right!" See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C7PE2YdEQ4 I don't know why, but I had a crazy need for a Beret. A-S-A-P. And it's not just any hat. I walked in, told the kind lady what I needed, she said she didn't have any in Adelaide, but she can order one from interstate, I paid a decent price, and just like that, I went out of the store wearing my much-needed Buree. Beret.

I often nip in here to try on a dozen hats in the mirrors. The shop assistants kindly ignore me,…read moreobviously used to people trying hats on then leaving. They have a fantastic range of ladies' casual hats, as well as a large range of men's. Some of their casual wear hats are decently priced, though many of their hats are very good quality, with prices to match. The little balcony part upstairs houses fascinators and formal ladies hats, with a gorgeous array of feathers, colours and jaunty angles. Never look at the prices of these. Many are about $300 for a tiny patch of headwear. Still, it is very fun to browse up here - they maintain a very exclusive air, because few people venture up the stairs. The men's hats are potentially the best, as there is a huge range of fedora hats, top hats, flat caps and akubras. Sometimes, I drag my man in and tell him how cute he looks in all the styles I put on him, until he drags me out of the shop. This is one of the places you will actually find things you're looking for, because they have a large range of styles, colours and sizes. It's rare to find a good hat shop these days, so I appreciate this one.

I've driven past this shop many times, always thinking I'll have to drop in sometime and have a…read morelook. Well today was the day and it just happened to be half price bric a brac day! There's a good mix of bric a brac and as with all these types of op shops you never know what you will find. So I kept looking through the racks and racks of clothes and shoes but nothing of interest for me there. Some succulents out the front except for one very unusual plant but I didn't buy it, plus stacks of hats, fluffy toys, etc. But I did find something for $2.50 which I had been looking for several months ago and paid the brand new price of $45.00 for non other than a 'bread slice guide'...grrrr.

I love surf shops! It's kinda my thing, everywhere I go or visit, I'm like -ooh lets look in the…read moresurf shop! This JRs represents all surf shops to me, they have 3 levels with so much variety in clothing and equipment. I do surf so also buy equipment and accessories, therefore this place is the perfect one stop shop for all my surfing needs. They always have loud music blaring from outdoor speakers, and as it is located behind Rundle Mall, you have to make the special effort to cross the lights and visit. But its worth it! The staff are always really friendly and helpful, and I am always jealous because they look like they are having so much fun, I want to work there! JRs sell many brands including Roxy, Billabong, Ripcurl, Oakley, Volcom, RVC, Rusty, Vans, Tigerlily and so much more. Definitely check out this surf shop when in town, it has so much more than any Jetty Surf and the people working actually genuinely talk to you.

You know the beauty of surf shops? Dudes like me can get away with using the word, 'dudes', even…read morethough they're completely without any surfing talent, and it's because we LOOK like we surf. How do we do that? We buy our stuff at surf shops. This place is enormous and intimidating. There's more than enough stuff to effect that sort of 'I look like a surfer but I don't really surf' look, in case your skills are ever actually put to the test. And, if you're not merely a hopeless poser, there is plenty of stuff here to actually surf (and ski) with too. With three levels, you can bet they have everything you'd ever need, and the staff are happy to point you in the proper direction.

I often drop into the Magdalene Bargain Centre on my way down Carrington Street... I just can't…read moreresist hunting for treasure at any opportunity. This is the cheapest op shop I've come across in the city. It's not a huge place but they do have a small selection of books, vinyl and bric a brac. The assistants must be volunteers and I always find them great value I can't help but strike up a convo for shits n' giggles. Sometimes you'll find brand names here in good nic, but this is more a hunt and hope kinda place, although plenty of nineties gold is to be found relatively easily. A lot people use clothes coupons here so there may be some interesting banter between the fellow customers too!

Now this is my kind of shop. Love a bit of Country Road suiting for work. Love their casual wear…read moreand most of all I love their shoes. The Country Road store on Unley Road at the Metro Shopping Centre is possibly the best CR store in Adelaide. I would have to say that it's certainly the biggest. They have equally large spaces dedicated to women's wear (actually that area is the biggest) as well as their men's and kid's ranges. Homewares aren't forgotten at the Metro store either and they have the biggest selection of bowls, bedding and bits and bobs I've seen in any Country Road shop. What I like about this particular outlet is they seem to have a magic storage area where they pull additional sizes from. The staff here are first class and will go out of their way to help you. Only one criticism, I was shopping for one of their handbags recently and had seen it on special at a David Jones Country Road outlet in the city. When I asked if they could price match (as they had always done in the past) I was told they no longer did this. I really hope this was a one time situation and they've come to their senses otherwise they run the risk of losing sales as most people will always go for the cheaper option. Come on Country Road you've always looked after me in the past - don't stop now.

One of the bigger Country Road stores in Adelaide, the Metro store is spacious and stocks the…read moreentire (well, almost) Country Road range for Women, Men, Kids and Home. The store is nicely presented and spacious, no clothes rack claustrophobia in here. The range is excellent and the store manages to keep all the sizes in stock which I've always been thankful for! I've found the staff a bit hit and miss, I've been here and be greeted and looked after wonderfully before but lately staff seem to quietly leave the customers be, which I've found a bit odd when said customer has a few hangers in her hand and is walking around looking at more of the range. Their accessories are excellent and I love the shoes here, just hang out for a sale as the prices are a little bit much for my liking.