MELBOURNE CBD
Main streets: Swanston Street, Collins Street, Little Collins Street, Bourke Street, Little Bourke Street, Flinders Lane, Flinders Street.
Bourke Street is the pretty much the epicentre of Melbourne CBD. As a shopping experience, it is very mainstream with Myers, David Jones, Sportsgirl, Portmans, MNG, Adidas, Sussans and much more.
Collins Street is where you’ll find all the high end designer labels, such as Tiffany’s, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Polo Ralph Lauren, to name a few. There is also Country Road, Kookai, Nine West, Saba, Cue, Le Louvre with brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Stellar McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Elie Saab.
Little Collins Street has FCUK, Zu, Oroton, Bettina Liano, Zomp, Arthur Galan, Scanlan & Theodore, Jigsaw, Witchery, Satch.
There are some cool lanes off the main streets and arcades that are jam packed with shops. Some must see ones are Scott Alley, Manchester Lance, Howey Place, Cathedral Arcade, Block Arcade, Royal Arcade, The Walk Arcade.
The GPO is gorgeous. On the corner of Bourke Street and Elizabeth Street, you can find all the big name Australian fashion designers and more. Akira, Wayne Cooper, Zimmermann, Karen Millen, Hussy, Lisa Ho, Mimco, Gorman, Ben Sherman, Metalicus, Veronika Maine, to name a few.
Melbourne Central is a very large shopping mall in the city, on the corner of La Trobe Street and Swanston Street. It has over 300 shops and it seems to be crammed full of people.
QV is another large shopping mall in city, on the corner of Swanston Street and Lonsdale Street. It too has heaps of shops, eateries and very busy!
Discount Factory Outlets (DFO) is also in the city, on Spencer Street (cnr Bourke Street). It’s a huge collection of discounted clothes and shoe shops in one air-conditioned, undercover mall.
You can cover heaps of shops in a very efficient amount of time, and stop for a bite to eat. You’ll find Marcs, Pilgrim, Review, Guess, Peter Alexander, Veronika Maine, Nine West, Country Road, Portmans, Just Jeans, Dotti, Tony Bianco, Sandler etc.
I recommend allowing 3 or so hours to cover all the shops in the DFO mall.
Overall, for shopping in Melbourne City , I recommend to start at Degraves Street and walk through to Centre Place. Then start working your way along the grid of the city.
Must see shops in the Melbourne CBD:
Scarlett & Sly
Shop 13, Centre Place, 258 Flinders Lane.
A little shop full of good looking, affordable clothes and accessories.
Kinki Gerlinki
Shop 22, Centre Place, 258 Flinders Lane.
Very cute shop with colourful, bold clothes, shoes, bags and accessories.
Alice Euphemia
Shop 6, Cathedral Arcade, 37 Swanston Street (Cnr, Flinders Lane).
Gorgeous clothes and jewellery. Everything is Australian made and designed.
Genki
Shop 5, Cathedral Arcade, 37 Swanston Street (Cnr, Flinders Lane).
Super cute accessories, kids clothes, and great gift items. All in bold, cute, retro Japanese, kitsch style.
Little Salon
Shop 1, 353 Little Collins Street.
Nice independent designer gifts, accessories, homewares, art, jewellery.
Corky Saint Clair
Shop 3, Cambell Arcade, Degraves Street Subway
VERY nice independent designer jewellery and gift items. Has clothes too.
The Cats Meow
Shop 9, Cambell Arcade, Degraves Street Subway
Great range of independent designer clothes, handbags, accessories and jewellery.
Fashion Incubator
Shop 238, Level 2, Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe Street.
Hosting 20 or more young emerging Melbourne fashion and jewellery designers, this a great place to pick up completely new and innovative clothes and accessories.
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FITZROY
All of Brunswick Street, Gertrude Street and Smith Street is a fantastic shopping experience, especially if you’re looking for a more laid-back, groovy, arty, independent vibe.
It’s a great area to explore. The place is bursting with boutiques, homewares shops, groovy cafes, random shops, vintage shops, and discount outlets!
I recommend starting at the North end of Brunswick Street, corner of Johnston Street, and work your way down. There are just zillions of little independent shops and boutiques.
On Smith Street, north of Johnston Street, you’ll find various discount sportswear outlets such as Nike, Adidas and Fila.
Fitzroy is a lot more spread out. I found that the boutiques are dotted all over the place, so make sure you wear good walking shoes because you have to do a lot of walking!
I recommend dedicating 3-4 hours to cover the whole area. Which is fine, because there are heaps of places to stop for a delicious snack and coffee.
Must see shops in Fitzroy
Douglas and Hope
181 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Lovely clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, accessories, gifts, toys.
Meet Me At Mikes
63 Brunwick Street
A Quaint Australian family run shop of homemade craft, vintage gifts and accessories.
Shop Sui
227 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Fantastic selection of clothes, accessories, jewellery, hats, retro toys, homewares, stationery, and wonderful little gifts.
Robio
73 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
T-shirts, toys, gadgets and great gifts.
Incube8r
321 Smith Street
A fantastic gallery of handmade jewellery and accessories, supporting local crafters and designers. Fantastic place to pick up unique gifts and jewellery.
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PRAHAN, CHAPEL STREET
Chapel Street is massive. The shopping experience is pretty much one long stretch of shops after shops after shops.
I recommend to catch a train or tram to South Yarra Train Station, which is on Toorak Road. Walk towards Chapel Street and there is already a great selection of designer boutiques and shops to see.
The whole vibe of Chapel Street is much more upmarket and mainstream. Most of the big name designer labels are pretty much what you will find in the city, but the shops are slightly smaller and the service is more personalised. The shops are spaced closely together so there is less walking in between, but the road is so long that there is a huge area to cover!
There are also a lot more smaller local boutiques, selling more affordable (but still trendy) clothes, shoes and accessories.
North end of Chapel Street you’ll find Seduce, Alannah Hill, MAC, Pierucci, FCUK, Ojay, Gant, Arthur Galan, Marcs, Pilgrim, Adias, Wayne Cooper, Scalan & Theodore, Collette Dinigan, Karen Millen, Review, Sportsgirl, Gorman, Mimco, Country Road.
As you walk South, the shops get more ordinary – with Coles, JB Hifi, fruit and vegetable shops etc.
