Travel Melbourne - Shopping Tips please?

mlbags

O.G.
Sep 21, 2006
1,284
9
I'll be in Melbourne in February and would really love to hear whatever tips on shopping you can give me. In particular, what you think that are unique and exclusive in Melbourne. Thanks for whatever you can contribute! :heart:
 
Mlbags, i loveeee Melbourne :smile: - more into gastronomy visits, not for shopping trip ( money wise )

I recommend you go to Chadstone if you like to look around, preferably on Friday or Saturday when they close later in the evening - the rest of the days, they close early at 5 (cmiiw). I heard Chadstone shopping center is the biggest mall in down under.

For shopping, I don't really suggest you to buy luxury goods or internatinal brand there, cause they're much more expensive considering the high exchange value of aussie dollar recently. I recommend you to go to Bridge street/road (i kinda forgot the exact one), they have local brand clothings stores such as Sass and Bide, Witchery & Saba, also cotton on outlets with wide selections.

Bettina Liano is also quite popular among Australians, you may check it out at little collins street in the city. So does sportsgirl, bardot and forever new - melbourne central & chadstone.

Nearby city, Lygon street also quite nice :smile: they have local brands stores and lots of cafes.

Melbourne city stores (david jones & myer) have most likely everything Singapore has in Orchard road.

You may have to visit Southbank, nearby the Crown and Museum.. They have an outlet - burberry, nike, adidas, saba, witchery, nine west, peter alexander and many more stores.

Essendon outlet - u may go there by train
Dockland harbourtown outlet - take tram.

Hope you'll have a pleasant trip in Melbourne.. :heart:
 
Also, If you like choc, u may try koko black & max b ;) - note: the max b in aussie is much bettee than the one in vivo city.

Desserts: brunetti at Lygon st (little italy look alike) & laurent pattiserie

Hope these help! :smile:
 
chadstone has a shuttle bus that goes from the city so that might be handy.
most of the shops mentioned above actually have a store in chadstone too.
a lot of stores in melbourne are hidden in laneways and arcades so you will need to do a bit of research!
brunswick street have a lot of unusual stores that you wont find elsewhere as well as a lot of eateries

what kind of things are you looking for?
 
Definitely check out Chadstone and Westfield in Doncaster!

As for in the CBD, visit QV (there's a great little shop there called "Pamper Heiress") and GPO (which has brands like Willow and Acne). In the city there's also Marais (you can google this), Assin and Chiodo (both on Lt. Collins Street) ~ these 3 stores stock more high-fashion items. Flinders Lane also has some pretty nice little boutiques! If you favour Asian fashion, make sure to visit Paramount Centre - the place itself doesn't look that interesting but there are quite a few Japanese/Korean clothing stores that sell authentic Jap/Korean brands.

Brunswick Street is good too if you prefer the more artsy stuff.

And then there's Chapel Street full of Australian Designers like Sass and Bide, Bettina Liano etc etc.
 
Hello and thank you to all who contributed all these helpful tips to me which I've incorporated into my itinerary.

What I would also like to know are the local brands, or brands that are exclusive in Australia that I should check out - eg., aromatherapy products, candles, cosmetics, specialty shops, etc.

Thanks again!
 
Oooh, these are great tips! I am also headed to Melbourne mid-Jan. and would love to know some restaurant suggestions. For shopping, is there anything in the St. Kilda and South Yarra areas? We'll mostly be around there during our free time... it's my honeymoon and my new husband hates to shop, so I'll have to try to sneak it in!
 
In st kilda there are a few shops on acland st and some here and there. Stoke house and donovans are popular restaurants, donovans is really good. Blue corn and the seafood platter at clay pots is also really good.

Sth yarra, there is chapel st, toorak rd and greville st for shopping. Armadale nearby also h some nice shops
 
Mlbags - I would recommend checking out Jurlique, Aesop, and Model Co for cosmetics/skin care. But you can probably find these brands at Sephora in Singapore. I love Model Co's lip gloss with a mirror and light. I usually get questions when I use it.

For speciality shops, I like T2 teas, Kikki K stationary, and Dusk candles. But I've seen Kikki K shop in Singapore.

For clothes, I like Veronica Maine and Witchery for work, and Supre and Cotton On for casual tops for weekends.

These are not specific to Melbourne but hope it helps. Happy shopping and safe travels!!
 
If you're after foodie tips I can give you plenty, but if you're after Melbourne-specific shopping trips ...

... it kind of depends on what you like shopping for, plus I'm not as good as it as I can be with food!

Brunswick Street, Fitzroy - kooky jewellery, clothing & cafe
Bridge Road, Richmond - discounted mid-level retail e.g Country Road, Witchery
Collins Street, CBD - high-end e.g. Ferragamo, Chanel, Bvlgari etc.
Bourke Street, CBD - shopping malls like Myer, David Jones and GPO
GPO - deserves a special mention for stocking Willow, Akira Isogawa, Gorman, Zimmermann
Chapel Street, South Yarra - cafes, retail and independent boutiques
DFO Essendon / DFO Spencer Street - direct factory outlet

Some Australian cosmetic brands
- Jurlique (skincare)
- Aesop (skincare)
- Bloom (makeup)
- Napoleon (makeup)