Exy as hell, Nom*D Inc is more art gallery than retail store for me. I go in, walk around slowly…read moreand look at every piece intently. Better than an art gallery though because I get to touch everything and even try stuff on. This New Zealand designer store is full of gorgeous clothes suitable for the confirmed urban fashion outsider with a heavy wallet. The look is dark and sombre with a wearable colour palette of black, white, grey and dark blue. Carrying international names like Bernhard Willhelm and Rick Owens, and accessories labels AF Vandervorst and Company of Strangers, Nom*D is a heavy-hitter for the lover of edgy, left-of-centre fashion. For such an upmarket store, the staff are actually really nice and don't seem to mind that I'm often in there wandering around but have never bought anything. I'm sure it isn't just me who does it. They must get that a lot.

The clothes in this store are interesting - I get a Zen sense of Japanese style meets cutting edge…read morefashion from Europe. Funnily enough the brand is from New Zealand. One of my favourite labels can be found here: Rick Owens (hooray!). There are jackets, skirts, dresses, tops, boots, jewellery and more in here. Luckily the store is enormous and so the merchandise is displayed beautifully in the space and I agree with the previous reviews, its almost like walking around an art gallery. The sales assistant when I dropped by was on the phone, but she still managed to smile and make me feel welcome while she was in the middle of the conversation - I was quite impressed. Nom*d is the perfect destination if you are after clothing that is different and bold. It's tough and well made from the leather boots in the front window to the draped dresses that hang around the store.

Very very new and very very nice. The group behind the place…read moremanufacture small to large scale garments for others. even to the extent of design mentorship to help others navigate the complexities of the fashion industry. NMBQ is their own label with an African twist. The selection of mens is a little non-existent outside printed tees, but the fabric here and the women's clothing is amazing. The colours of the repeat patterns are all reds and greens and earthy ones in the mix. And what makes it even better is it's all printed and put together in Brunswick. You can see the sewing machines out the back! The fabric used for the NMBQ range is 100 % recycled as fabrics are acquired from non traditional sources. The people here are very adamant that they will not be contributing "to the continuing production of new fabrics as the world is a wash with fabrics from previous seasons." Well worth a look in.

The clothes I have seen here are the most exciting I have seen outside a fashion exhibition. I wish…read morethe business every success and wide publicity, original, fun, funky, fashionable, colourful designs.

Pink, being a girlie, glittery, feel good colour is the perfect name for this shop. It's the best…read moreif you like feminine styles that are cute and adorable. Trench coats, military jackets, mini's, sleeveless vests - all in fabrics and colours that are so now; tweed and cashmere to name my fave's! A lot of the coats and jackets are very like the Coco Chanel collections, I just cannot describe how gorgeous the clothing in here is!! Cute as a button suede and fur ankle boots, court shoes, leather pumps, plain reading glasses, mobile phone accessories, this shop stocks everything in style at better prices than the high-end labels, that to be honest look just as good if not better. The staff are friendly and beautiful. It's just a good, all round shopping experience.

A refreshing haven from the overstuffed racks of the local op shops and knock off chains, Rred does…read moreboutique beautifully. A stark, light filled white space wreathed by lipstick red on the building's outer shell; Rred instantly pushes the focus onto its' stock and it's stock alone. All this is generally supplemented by the sounds of indie-electro-pop-alternative, depending on the day and season, which is as good a reflection of the clothing on offer's style as anything else. As for the clothes, Rred produces only a few simple basic clothes designs each season, but makes them with one off or limited run textiles and fabrics, so there's only a couple of each particular garment. Annoyingly, many of the clothes are often 'one size fits all' with all the usual ambiguity as to what exactly that size is, but the stiffer fabrics are generally utilised for the looser cuts and stretchy fabric for the tighter fitting items. There's also a rack of retro/secondhand clothes that throws out some real finds. Among the things that Rred does best is shoes, with a range of boots and/or footwear each season in a wide range of colours, but often themed around a similar, modern-idea-of-an-old-time-y-cobbler's-work aesthetic. Prices generally fall between the $20 to $150 bracket. The clothes are all well cared for, and the staff helpful without being too pushy.

I'd been hearing about this place and their famed sub-$50 jeans for a while and really didn't…read morebelieve the hype. I'm now more than happy to report every amazing thing I'd heard about this place was true and I'm now the proud owner/wearer of two pairs (and subsequently my new two favourite pairs) of jeans. They just do jeans (unlike Just Jeans strangely), nothing else. They therefore know their shit. They make them on site and the bloke and lady who make them will also sell them to you. It was funny, mine fit perfect first time (though they did need to take them up, which they did for free on the spot), but my gf was having trouble. Enter the Dejour guy. He made her go for the smaller size, insisting the denim would stretch and soften to her arse. He then told her how amazing they looked (which they did) and told her she looked like a teenager again (which she did). He just knew what she needed, and he forced her to let go of any size preconceptions and boldly try for some hot fitting jeans that she now loves so much, she's going back to buy more next weekend. And they're only $40! $40. Do it before you're dead.

Located on Sydney Road in Brunswick, you could be forgiven for walking past Dejour Jeans and not…read moregiving it a second look. But you would have missed out on some pretty killer jeans. It's another place definitely in the hidden gem category. I find jean shopping to be an absolute bitch. I don't consider myself to have an abnormal body shape but wherever I go I'll have to try on about ten pairs of jeans before I get one that fits. And even then I'm not sure if I like them. In Dejour however, I tried on three different pairs of jeans and every single pair fitted like a glove. At $40 each I was tempted to buy all three but ended up just plumping for two of the pairs. The Vietnamese guy who runs the store - who is a really easy-going and fun character - even shortened the legs slightly for me so they fit perfect. I've pointed friends in the direction of Dejour since and they say just how amazing the jeans fit too. The guy also has the latest fashions, cuts and colours in as he pretty much conducts market research on you as you get tailored. I challenge you to go here and not come back with at least one pair!

Rivers generally have good deals going, so it's usually one of my first choices when my husband…read moreneeds new clothes. The often have things like shirts and shorts for $10, and on occasion you can pick up some new shoes for $20 or so. The place is pretty small, so there is lots cramped in. It can be hard finding your way around to what you want, but after a few visits its fine. Staff are friendly too which is a bonus.

I've been in here a great deal over the last few years. The clothing isn't terribly over priced,…read moreit's generally pretty good, and the service has been alright. I must admit I prefer to go to their regional clearance centres, because they're a bit cheaper, they're larger and there's more stuff to look at. I've bought most of my shoes from Rivers, particularly this store. A pair of boots that lasted me nearly two years that have only just been retired. Total cost was about $60. That's ridiculously cheap. And I'm all about cheap and functional. I have noticed that there seems to be a lot more low quality stuff in the range now, but even so, a few pairs of their cheaply made and put together shoes have lasted me several months with no signs of letting up yet. The service here is pretty efficient. I haven't really had to wait long at all to be served or to get help.

One of the smallest Witchery's I have been in…read more Whilst compact, this store is still handy for women's accessories and casual pieces for gifts for friends or for yourself. Unfortunately, the store seems to miss it's key demographic by not stocking enough xsmall and small sizes. There is also a children's section at the back of the store. Despite it's size there are plenty of change rooms and it is generally not too busy unless it's Christmas or a serious sale - in which case be prepared to queue when paying at the only register. Don't forget your loyalty card.

The Cotton on Pop-Up store on the Collingwood side of Smith Street is a cheap fast fashion…read morerevelation. And as a sometime fan of the Cotton On brand who sometimes baulks at the quality to price ratio of the label's wares, the Cotton On Smith Street store is a real find. Selling a good cross section of the brand's dresses, t's, singlets, accessories and more, nothing in the shop is over $10 with prices as low as $2-3 for tops and $10 for Cotton On's awesome denim shorts which usually retail for more like $35 - 40. I had presumed that the bulk of the stock in this pop up shop was last season's but surprisingly the Cotton On Pop Up shop has popped up to liquidise past AND current season's overstock meaning a trip to this Smith Street outpost could just save you a pretty penny on items that are languishing on the rails at Cotton On's other branches right this very moment. The one thing precluding a five star review here is the pop-up shop's changing rooms which are plentiful but ill equipped in that they don't have any mirrors, nor are there really any mirrors in the store which seems like a terrible oversight. I gather this pop up shop is going to last the distance too, with the sales girl anticipating a stay of roughly three to four months on Smith Street and more current season stock hitting the floors any day. If you're a fan of the brand and fancy a bargain I suggest you get down to Smith Street post-haste.