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Alannah Hill
Somehow greater than the sum of their (cheap-fabric and often slapdash, repetitive-cut) parts, the clothes of theatrical, ever-lippied Miss Hill have an enduring, widespread appeal. Her outré shops and even more outré runway shows draw on her gift for meta-narrative and her kookily conservative but oddly comforting vision of womanhood, which may explain the attraction.
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Alice Euphemia
Karen Rieschieck and Caroline Price's Alice Euphemia dresses the hippest Melbourne girls. Art-school cheek abounds in local labels Claude Maus, Mad Cortes and Sydney's Michelle Robinson. The cabinets in this intriguing girlie space shelter Lost in the Wood 's collectable kidult pins, glam savage jewels by Alexander McQueen -anointed William Llewellyn Griffiths, and Wolfgang and Vincent's heart-unfastening silver keys. Check also for exhibitions by artists/designers/illustrators.
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Architext
Even if you're not looking for a text about houses built on cliffs, this shop is dang swanky. Architext covers the gamut of design and architecture-related titles, including environmental architecture, urban design, photography, theory, journals and magazines. It also stocks the best range of Melbourne-specific books: look for titles by author Philip Goad or photographer John Gollings.
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Basement Discs
Apart from being music specialists, supplying an exemplary range of CD titles across all genres, Basement Discs has regular in-store performances by big-name touring and local acts. Descend the long narrow staircase to the basement for a browse; you never know whom you might find playing.
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Bernard's Magic Shop
Australia's oldest magic shop (open since 1937), Bernard's sure knows a good fake vomit, whoopee cushion or fly-in-the-ice-cube when it sees one. But, practical jokes aside, there are items for the practising magician, such as rope and card tricks, as well as instructional videos.
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Brunswick Street Bookstore
Upstairs at this enduring and loved bookstore is a specialised selection of well-sourced art literature, from books on skateboard stickers to Caravaggio. A large white ottoman gives this space a gallery feel and a place for people to browse the pages of the display books. Downstairs is stocked with recent releases, classic contemporary titles and a smattering of theory.
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Cactus Jam
Split along us/them, princess/practical lines, one side of Cactus Jam stocks global heavyweights Cloë and Cacherel and other OS lovelies like folksy-modern Tsumori Chisato and celebrated Brit Duro Olowu. Cute cardies and singlets from Paris by Vanessa Bruno are also a real find. The other side features antipodeans Karen Walker, Zimmerman and TL Wood and casual wear.
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Chalk N Cheese
Make your little darling look just like you did when you were little, by buying them the same clothing styles. Chalk N Cheese brings the city's sympathy for vintage to kids, with gorgeous button-neck skivvies, tunics and scarves. The limited but stellar range is beautifully made, so clothes will likely last until the next time '60s and '70s styles come round into fashion.
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Chambermaid
An inspired retailer. High St, Armadale: once the place to shop for a chesterfield or bid at Sotheby's, picturesque High St's core demographic has recently got a whole lot hipper.
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Chapel Bazaar
Noddy eggcups, 1950s couches and yellowing lace: as long as it's retro, it earns a space at this giant undercover market. Permanent stallholders sell off their hoarded treasures at marked prices. Even if you walk out empty-handed, you'll have a whole new appreciation for the city through its past fashion fancies and follies.
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Chiodo
Chiodo subverts classic male fashion, so that army-style khaki shirts are deliciously embroidered with pink tulips. A business shirt will be perfect except for that inside-out piece, designed to reference the construction of garments. Chiodo is clever, cheeky and chic, and accessorises with fab local designers. The postmodern shop fitout (shirts displayed on a table made from stacks of shirts) is worth a squiz too.
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Christine
The toile and tartan entrance of Christine Barro's legendary basement hints at the brave but spot-on style within. Art doyennes and architects, race-going Toorak types and club kids all come for the inspired mix of stalwarts (Sonia Rykiel, Etro, Longchamp) and edgier locals and newcomers (Adrian Lewis, Kerry Grima, Out with Demons). Look for Parisian Sophie Digard and Melbourne's Moya Delany - both blur the boundaries between jewellery, craft and fashion and create affordable but precious wearables.
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Chronicles Bookshop
It's elbows in and neck out while looking for books among Chronicles' walls of tightly crammed titles. Contemporary fiction is the thing here, particularly Australian literature and crime fiction. Nonfiction specialities include travel and cooking. Savvy staff at this compact store can help find your perfect read. Or grab a card and pen and scrawl a greeting home from the recessed courtyard café next door.
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City Hatters
For those dapper gentlemen thinking of attending the Melbourne Cup, stop at City Hatters, downstairs at Flinders Street Station, before taking the train to Flemington Racecourse. Top that outfit with a bowler, fur felt, pork pie or that Australian icon, the Akubra. You can also pick up a simple cap to keep the sun off your face.
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Collette Dinnigan
Looking for a special-occasion frock? Look no further. New Zealand-born, Australian-claimed and internationally renowned Collette Dinnigan dresses celebrities every other day for premieres and parties. Signature delicate lace gowns and underwear, as well as shimmering satin pieces, celebrate the feminine form.
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Counter
The retail arm of Craft Victoria , Counter has a range of handcrafted, locally made jewellery, ceramics, textiles, wood and glass. We're not talking ashtrays and frilly tissue-box covers either - this is classy stuff. What better Melbourne memento than an original crafty art piece? Add a notch to your karma belt, too, for supporting local artists.
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Crumpler
Crumpler had humble beginnings, making bags specifically for Melbourne's bike couriers. Its products impressed everyone, so it made more. The bags are durable, practical and have unique designs, and they're now sold all over the world. An extensive range includes bags for cameras, computers and digital things.
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Cyberia
Cyberia keeps moneyed misses and misters clothed and attired in designer threads. Smart basics, like jeans and jumpers, share the racks with something-for-my-party frocks. And tall glass cabinets can make an instant ensemble, with sunnies and jewellery, and even screenprinted undies. Local and overseas designers crowd the racks of this well-stocked store.
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Dot & Herbey
Grandma Dot and Grandpa Herb smile down upon this tiny corner boutique from a mural-sized photo, right at home among the vintage floral fabrics and retro styles of their era. Dot & Herbey keeps a small range of treasured dresses and tops, plus floppy hats and jewellery. Rings and bracelets fashioned from knitting needles recall the domestic bliss of the era evoked in the store's frocks and blouses.
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Douglas & Hope
Douglas & Hope carries its own range of quilts and cushions. Made in Melbourne from pieces of vintage fabric, the quilts are so soft and dreamy that it's hard to resist curling up on them and going to sleep in the store. Overseas and local designer clothes, sympathetic to the soft-edged smart aesthetic, embellish the racks.
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Eg Etal
With a collection of pieces from over 80 antipodean designers, this unique retail space holds many little treasures. It's a place where fishing wire and metal piping are precious metals, and where aesthetics and meaning are given equal consideration, with symbolic pieces preferred over the purely contrived. A second branch in Flinders Lane (9639 5111; basement, 167 Flinders Lane) exhibits gold and gem jewellery, as well as larger conceptual/exhibition work.
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Empire III
Pretty vintage clothes, accessories, soft furnishings and furniture spill out the doors of Empire III. In which other single store could you pick up a rose-printed quilt, a chandelier, a nightie and a sumptuous evening gown? Empire III also has its own range of girlie bags and purses created from vintage, floral fabrics.
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Fat
The clothing in Fat stores may not make the international fashion catwalks, but that's the point. And it's not because Fat's thinking-person's offerings are for larger sizes. Local designers and Fat's own line fill the space between high fashion and antifashion. Pieces are conscious, irreverent and playful. Individual bags and accessories complete the offerings.
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Flinders Way
There's a definite sense of theatre as you teeter down the sloped wooden entrance, and the cerebrally cool designers on offer (like Eley Kishimoto and Karen Walker) will turn heads off the racks too. Up the back, for the boys, are Tsubi and Rogan's subversive-lite T-shirts and distressed denim. Most compelling of all though are the sublime rare scents by L'Artisan Perfumier and Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle.
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Foreign Language Bookshop
Read Paulo Coelho in Spanish, pick up a Scrabble board in French, or perhaps some tapes in Russian for those long car journeys. The Foreign Language Bookshop has more than texts to help you learn German grammar or Japanese kanji; it's a den of surprises, and stocks a range of travel-related titles, international magazines and educational aids for kids.
