Accessories, Clothing shopping in Sydney
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Holy Moley
You can’t miss this one: its murals of Bob De Niro in Taxi Driver and Jack Nicholson axing down the door in The Shining are the first things you see as you exit Newtown station. Inside it’s all spunky-punky T-shirts, studded belts, baby-doll dresses and sexy lingerie. ‘Don’t be shy!’ say the girl staff, ‘You can come in – we’ve got bras on.’
reviewed
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Leona Edmiston
Leona Edmiston knows frocks – from little and black to whimsically floral or all-out sexy. Her exuberantly feminine, flirtatious and fun designs are cut from the best cotton, silk and jersey fabrics in colours that range from luscious, sophisticated reds to pinstripes and polka dots. Also at Westfield Bondi Junction and the Strand Arcade.
reviewed
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Herringbone
Combining Australian design with Italian woven fabrics, Herringbone produces something surprisingly English-looking – beautiful men’s and women’s shirts with crisp collars and bright colours. When the stock market went south in 2008, suit sales took a king hit, but ‘Bone boys have somehow endured. Also at the QVB in the city.
reviewed
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House of Priscilla
Not only is Priscilla the queen of the desert, she also has her own boutique – not bad for a cinematic bus. Run by some of the city’s leading drag artistes, Priscilla is the place for feathered angel wings and boas, naughty nurse outfits, wigs, kinky thigh-high boots and sequinned frocks to fit front-row forwards. Very camp women also welcome.
reviewed
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Mr Stinky
The mildly chaotic Stinkmeister deals in groovy vintage gear for dudes and babes, including Hawaiian shirts, Vegas ’74 casino-crawler pants and psychedelic muu-muus. The range is wide, the prices reasonable and the staff friendly and helpful (with no discernable odour…a virtue we can’t guarantee for the corduroy jacket armpits).
reviewed
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Sax Fetish
No, it’s not a kinky jazz bar with Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker on the stereo, but rather a sexy, dark-hearted shop selling high-quality leather and rubber gear. Both sexes are catered for, and the ‘accessories’ range goes a little further than your standard belts and handbags (cufflinks take on a whole new meaning here).
reviewed
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Oxford
A bargain outlet for a big local brand, Oxford stocks reasonably priced but stylish mens- and womenswear, including well-tailored shirts, suits and ties. Smile-free models imbue a sense of corporate misery. For its latest range head to the store in Paddington or in the city at the QVB.
reviewed
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RM Williams
Urban cowboys and country folk can’t get enough of this hard-wearing outback gear. It’s the kind of stuff politicians don when they want to seem ‘fair dinkum’ about something. Prime-ministerial favourites include Driza-Bone oilskin jackets, Akubra hats, moleskin jeans and leather work boots.
reviewed
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Quick Brown Fox
No lazy dogs here – just plenty of fast-looking, tanned vixens snapping up a range of funky vintage fashions that veers from ‘hello, boys!’ cuteness to indecent-exposure sexiness. Catchy patterns and fabrics, plus very hip boots and bags. There’s also a branch in Newtown.
reviewed
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Tuchuzy
Tuchuzy stocks an edgy collection of local and imported labels for male and female rockers, including Karen Walker, Lonely Hearts Club and Marsu Homme. Flashy accessories and vintage stuff, too. If you’ve been wondering where you’ll find your baby’s first Che Guevara T-shirt, look no further.
reviewed
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Sass & Bide
Brisbane’s Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke got their start with a stall on London’s Portobello Rd before heading to Sydney in 1999 and starting the label that has made them international fashion stars. Come here for sassy low-cut women’s jeans, body-hugging jackets and minidresses.
reviewed
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Deus Ex Machina
Literally ‘God is in the machine’, this kooky showroom is crammed with classic and custom-made motorcycles and racks of cool biker gear. This is ‘postmodern motorcyclism’ – a hybrid workshop, cafe and offbeat boutique. Hey, Orlando Bloom just walked in!
reviewed
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Calibre
Hip, high-calibre Calibre fills the wardrobes of Sydney’s power players with shmick suits in seasonal fabrics and colours, and also offers Gucci sunglasses, Costume National shoes, YSL ties and Samsonite briefcases. Seriously suity. Also has a branch at Westfield Bondi Junction.
reviewed
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C’s Flashback
Looking for a secondhand Hawaiian shirt, some beat-up cowboy boots or a little sequinned 1940s hat like the Queen wears? We’re not sure exactly what C was on, but her flashback men’s and women’s threads are pretty trippy. There’s another branch in Newtown.
reviewed
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Grandma Takes a Trip
We don’t know where Granny’s gone (or how much LSD she had), but she sure left a crazy wardrobe behind. And so did Grandpa. Sourced mostly in the UK and overseas, this is mint-condition vintage, plus retro swimwear and the odd bit of flouncy negligee. Also at Bondi.
reviewed
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Collette Dinnigan
This shop’s sanded floors, French drapes and wrought-iron staircase are a sexy backdrop for Collette Dinnigan’s flouncy beaded dresses, all made in Sydney. Hollywood’s Aussie gals flock here whenever they need a new frock (Nicole or Naomi might be in the next change room).
reviewed
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Faster Pussycat
Inspired by ‘trash pop culture, hot rods and rock and roll’, this cool cat coughs up clothing and accessories for all genders and ages (including baby punkwear) in several shades of Newtown black. Look for the sexy be-finned Chrysler Windsor parked out the front.
reviewed
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Grandma Takes a Trip, Bondi
We don’t know where Granny’s gone (or how much LSD she had), but she sure left a crazy wardrobe behind. And so did Grandpa. Sourced mostly in the UK and overseas, this is mint-condition vintage, plus retro swimwear and the odd bit of flouncy negligee.
reviewed
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Blue Spinach
High-end consignment clothing for penny-pinching label lovers of all genders. If you can make it beyond the shocking blue facade (shocking doesn’t really do it justice), you’ll find YSL, Gucci and Collette Dinnigan at (relatively) bargain prices.
reviewed
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Quick Brown Fox, Newtown
No lazy dogs here – just plenty of fast-looking, tanned vixens snapping up a range of funky vintage fashions that veers from ‘hello, boys!’ cuteness to indecent-exposure sexiness. Catchy patterns and fabrics, plus very hip boots and bags.
reviewed
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Capital L
Owner Louise stocks 52 funky up-and-coming designers to complement those already in the limelight. Hip sales staff break from tradition and actually help you find and try on clothes by emerging local talents such as Michelle Robinson and Jessie Hill.
reviewed
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C's Flashback, Newtown
Looking for a secondhand Hawaiian shirt, some beat-up cowboy boots or a little sequinned 1940s hat like the Queen wears? We’re not sure exactly what C was on, but her flashback men’s and women’s threads are pretty trippy.
reviewed
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Frolic
Funky tees, sunnies, hats, vintage dresses – frisky Frolic specialises in 1950s to 1980s secondhand men’s and women’s clothes, as well as stocking several local brands. Masquerade as a local with a Newtown Jets T-shirt.
reviewed
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Strand Hatters
Got a cold or wet head? Strand Hatters will cover your crown with a classically Australian Akubra bush hat (made from rabbit felt). Staff will block and steam hats to customer requirements (crocodile-teeth hatbands cost extra).
reviewed
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Scanlan & Theodore
Scanlan & Theodore excels at beautifully made and finely silhouetted women’s outfits for evening or the office. Plenty of sophisticated patterns and colours complement fabrics you just can’t help but fondle.
reviewed
