This store is frustratingly located on route when I go to and from uni every day of the week,…read moretherefore I sometimes accidentally spend a little bit more than my intended weekly budget when I get distracted on my way down to the bus stop. They have a unique range of cute and girly dresses, blouses and bottoms which all go well nicely with each other; however sadly a large percentage of the stock is made out of my arch nemisis, also known as polyester. Considering this fabric is the norm in the shop, prices aren't that cheap, so generally I stick to the sale racks or hunt down the few pieces made out of cotton. The service here is great though, much more friendly and tailored than a lot of the other places in the area.

I visited this tiny boutique for the first time today. I find you never know what to expect from…read morethese High Street stores. I either feel extremely uncomfortable in them because everything costs a million dollars or I'm very excited because the things are beautiful. I didn't really know what to think in here. The clothes weren't cheap. There were some gorgeous little dresses - they looked especially beautiful on the mannequins. For the first few minutes I felt quite ignored... which is weird, because in such a small space I sort of expected to be greeted straight away. As soon as I started sifting through the sales rack someone hurried over and started giving me details on the sale and asking if I wanted to try anything on. I took a fancy for two dresses, both orange and stunning. They were $90 each marked down from $180! Bargain alert. I didn't end up getting either of them (my conscious kicked in and asked "do you really need these"?) but I'm glad I discovered the shop! I'll definitely be popping in frequently to check that sale rack!

While the name is "boutique", I didn't hold out much hope of this shop being very upmarket given…read morethe faded yellow signage outside. To my surprise, as I got closer I noticed the sign outside requesting Trelise Cooper, Annah Stretton etc, and curiosity got the better of me. When I walked inside I noticed that most of the stock looked to be of good quality and in good condition, but looked to me to be for the funky, older ladies of Birkenhead Point. Definitely catering more for the 50-somethings than people of my age. I had a chat with the shop assistant and their selling policy seems pretty fair, and equitable with most recycled clothing shops around town. They seem to be quite discerning with their choice of stock too.

You can either win or lose with a shop like this. You definitely need to be in the mood for some…read moresifting when you come into this small corner store. The racks are jam packed with clothes so there's not much room for maneuvering around inside. If there are other people in the store at the same time as you it can get a bit tricky making your way around. The racks are all colour co-ordinated so you can at least rule out any items you wouldn't want based on colour. But that's about all you can do to help your hunt. Once you've established where you're going to start sifting, sifting is all you can do. I came here last week and pillaged through many of the racks. I tried a few things on and did come away with a gorgeous top. It was a beautiful soft heavy fabric and was the most brilliant blue-ish colour. I also tried on a red dress, which I decided I didn't want to pay $40 for. The shop assistant told me to come check in again as they lower the prices of unsold items after about six weeks. I will certainly be doing so!

I can't decide if this store has gone downhill recently or it was just abnormally quiet when I went…read morebecause there wasn't a sale. To be honest think it's a bit of both. C.R is a great shop but I think they have somewhat shot themselves in the foot by having too many sales. They've fallen victim to the Briscoe's curse - nobody buys when they're not on sale. That being said, C.Road is still great for high quality basics - slips, t's, flat shoes and those gym bags are total winners. Plus, they have great socks. They other day I bought two pairs of cream socks with navy hearts ($9.90). Adorable. My only other note is that something needs to be done about their changing room curtains - they're material and never close properly, leaving massive gaps, which is not the best in a unisex changing room!

When I think of the word exhibitionist, I think of naked people. So it's weird to me that this…read morestore stocks clothes among other things. I don't know, there's just something about this store that really doesn't appeal to me. It may just be all the incense and candles and crap, coupled with some pretty fugly outfits. There was just nothing that really caught my eye and that would set this store apart from millions of other crafty/homewares sorts of shops. Can't say anything about the service because the lady was so engrossed in whatever she was doing that my presence in the store wasn't even acknowledged. Some of the home-ware items are actually alright but not anything that you would go out of your way to come to this mall solely for. It's one of those places that stocks all its nicest stuff in the window to lure you in, and once you are in, you have to wonder, "Is this it?"

Exhibitionist is a great shop that I mainly frequent for gifts, however I have also bought some…read moreunique brightly coloured items for the house and I am tempted to purchase some of the lovely (also brightly coloured) clothing for women and men, such as the long sleeved cotton shirts, that little bit hippy but essentially practical. Actually the jewellery is stunning too, ample silver with encrusted gems, good competition for all the loyal Third Eye customers! The staff have consistently been friendly and helpful when I have been in and always ready to assist if need be, however there may be a slight line up, they do good trade. The prices are reasonable to high end, depending on what you are after. Plus this isn't a 'plastic' shop, (find that next door, literally), the items are quality. Relative to some of the more upper class suburbs in Auckland, the prices are fine. It is easy to find if you are coming in the New Lynn Mall entrance facing Great North Road, they have the prime street window display.

This shop feels very Italian. I guess it's probably to do with the abundance of fashion brands from…read morethe fair country that are stocked in this tiny store from the likes of Diesel, Miss Sixty, Gaudí and Energie... But I think it's more than that, it's because they have a really great selection of fashionable garments for men, something I have found to be somewhat of a rarity in Auckland, where mens clothes stores either seem to be predominantly streetwear or straight-up chain store. This place wouldn't look out of place on a cobbled Milanese side street, frequented by men who wear neckerchiefs and drink tiny cups of espresso with their pinkie finger stuck out. It's only a very small store but their collection of stock has been picked very well, with some really cool, wearable pieces in both the mens and womens departments. The clothing is expensive but, I don't think, overpriced; it's what these brands would cost in Europe and elsewhere, they haven't been jacked up just because they've taken a trip across the Pacific.

So I was in two minds about writing this review. JetSet Bohemian is an absolute gem and I'm not…read moresure I want to let the secret out. But I will because I'm good like that. Sharing the love. And to be fair the love has kind of already been shared; this place gets more and more popular as Auckland's shopping becomes more chainstore dominated and homogenised. So anyway, confusingly there's two shops in the Richmond Road/Surrey Crescent corner location called JetSet Bohemian that share the same logo and branding. They are separated by Uno Design store which is right on the corner. When I went shopping at both stores, they each assured me they were entirely discrete from one another. Which is confusing but whatever. Just to be clear: I am talking about the little ivy covered black boutique with the Surrey Crescent frontage. This place has nothing but absolute winners on the racks and each piece is a one-off - you won't see anyone else wearing it. For handpicked vintage heaven paying around $100 for a perfect unique dress is a bargain. Every purchase I've made here doesn't even look pre-loved (the peach pleated tea dress I'm wearing in my photo is from here). The girls who work here couldn't be lovelier or more helpful and along with the clothes there's accessories and even the odd painting. Whenever I happen to come in to some spare spending money this is one of my first stops - there is such joy in the fossicking when everything is such amazing quality; it's just hard not being able to buy it all. I believe the empire is growing with a Newmarket store but I haven't been there yet but have a feeling I will very soon....

Jetset Bohemian is a funky vintage and vintage-inspired clothing and accessory store…read more Jetset is actually split over two stores that are located right around the corner from each other in Grey Lynn. Though there is no real difference between the two stores, the smaller one has a more vintage, second-hand feel about it, however this really could just be down to its cosy size. The smaller store also has brilliant swan mirrors in their changing rooms - I actually wish they were for sale because they really are beautiful! Jetset Bohemian stocks a variety of brands, however everything in store has one thing in common - good quality fabrics. Brilliant colours, patterns, textures and designs, each piece in Jetset is deliberately stocked and treasured. Great jewellery and bags are also available at Jetset Bohemian. Some of it is pretty reasonably priced, however other pieces are pretty expensive so be sure to check the price before you go to buy it! Tip: Jetset Bohemian have really good sales each season which are definitely worth keeping an eye out for!

A mixture of clothing and funky bits and pieces for the house. Clothing not really my style but…read morethen I'm probably not their target. I have got various bits and pieces from there and am coveting one of their cool handbags.

This Max store recently reduced in size by about a half, and it was a real loss. It was previously…read morea really good size, but now everytime I walk in, I wonder where the rest of it is. Obviously they had to reduce the stock they have on display by quite a lot, which makes it less interesting to shop here. However, they do seem to have a full range of the lastest Max ranges, so it's still a great place to shop for workwear and some special occasion outfits. There seems to be heaps less variety in the more standard basics though, which are some of their best garments.