This ridiculously cute shop filled with wondrously dressy evening attire (or daytime racing…read morecarnival outfits) also doubles as a lash bar. Making your way through the racks of silky, colourful clubbing dresses and floor-length shimmering dresses, you'll make your way to the Lash Bar courtesy of Darin Rose. Get your falsies applied, make up perfected and bat those lids with pride as compliments will surely rain down upon you.

From the owner: Brisbane's only exclusive 'by Appointment' Formal wear boutique. Specialising in Formal Dresses,…read moreBridal gowns, Bridesmaids Dresses, Mother of the Bride, Black Tie and Red Carpet glamour. Miss Savage is the exclusive stockist in Brisbane for designer formal wear labels: Bariano, Bariano Black, Bariano Custom collection and Lumier. As a leader in women's formal wear in Brisbane since 2006, this stunning boutique has one of a kind dresses that will turn heads at your special occasion. The owner is an expert at fitting and styling and making all women feel comfortable & absolutely fabulous.

I found this shop last week and I am in love! I felt like a kid in a candy shop. There are so many…read morecolours, textures and sparkles. I have a fairly small build and it is surprisingly hard to find small sizes sometimes. The dresses here are in a range of sizes, down to size 6. They have dresses for formals, bridesmaids and brides plus a range of cocktail and more casual dresses. The style is fun evening wear and simple but classy formal wear. The quality of the clothes at first glance is really good. Upon closer inspection, the materials of some of them maybe isn't the highest but then again the prices are fantastic so why not get a couple? In summary, affordable, fashionable and gorgeous dresses.

I've always thought the beautifully sculptured clothing in here looks as though it could have been…read moredesigned by an architect. Now I've found out that it actually is. The man behind the label is Andrzej K Pytel - who studied and worked as an architect until around 2004, when he quit the day job and launched his fashion label, SIZE. Methinks he made the right move - within 6 months, his first ever collection was available in 12 boutiques along the east coast of Oz. In 2009 he launched House of Ezis - and got into draping and folding and more "geometric" designs - the kinds of things instore at the moment. And his skill with a sewing machine has won him some seriously cool fans. He's been published in Oyster, Culture, Dazed and Confused to name a few. I love his digi prints (which he designs himself) and the awesome shapes of his clothes. I particularly ove the strapless white dress (part of his Unit collection) which is draped and shaped and pointed. Sort of like a work of art on a hanger.

Went here to get a dress made for a special occasion, the designer was nothing but plain rude and…read moresimply wanted the money. I made the mistake of paying for the dress up front, thus I was stuck with the dress, I ended up coming back for 3 fittings and buy the end the dress given to me was not even mine, but the demo one off the rack. I fail to believe how a 'professional' designer can even make this mistake and not even apologize, so I spent half of my special day in the wrong dress which ruined ALL the professional pictures as it was far to big and ended up with no refund..... I would never recommend using this business to anyone! Ever!

I like Smooche although it's a little bit out of my price range. The staff are lovely so I always…read morefeel welcome, even when I'm feeling weekend frumpy. The dresses are gorgeous here with a surprising amount of stock for a fairly small store. I most recently fell in love with a pair of shoes in the window and dragged my friend down to see them before I succumbed and bought them. The majority of dresses here are sassy evening numbers in gorgeous bright colours and fabrics, and often strappy and interesting, so next time you have a special event, check out the Cambridge Parade shopping strip in Manly and bet you stop in at Smooche.

Smooche Boutique - cute name. Fun and just a little suggestive…read more This is a pretty accurate description of the fashion style. This little boutique is my fav place to window shop and I have done on several occasions, always leaving just a little bit sad because I didn't take a dress home with me. Unfortunately I have not yet had a special occasion and therefore an excuse to buy anything but I will have done my research when the time comes. The clothes can be loosely categorised into bridal wear, formal gowns, cocktail dresses and casual dresses, with an emphasis on sparkles and ruffles. They also get top points for having sizes 6-24 available.

Ultra Suite has always been in the periphery of places I could visit, have always seen when passing…read morethrough the Valley, but have never actually set foot in until recently. Some of the dresses in Ultra Suite are really gorgeous, and I'm particularly a fan of the tulip-style strapless dresses they seem to have such a penchant for making. You walk into a sea of taffeta going to Ultra Suite; taffeta in a range of lovely colours and summery dresses that never go out of style. There isn't much else I can really say about Ultra Suite, except that their clothing - and particularly their dresses - is really lovely and classic; great for a girl who wants to go out on the town in style. Carry your credit card though, because it can get a little pricey, as with any premium clothing boutique.

Ultra Suite is the ultimate in unique and fabulous party frocks and formal wear. With short and…read morelong styles to suit any occasion, I have long loved their window displays and stared longingly through at the fantastic crisp silk fabrics and strong lines of the Ultra Suite brand. Partners Sally and Michael have gathered quite a following for their gorgeous gowns, and they not only stock the Ann St store but also make-to-order for formals, weddings and other occasions. But beware - this is not affordable high street fashion. This is high-end fabulousness and a full length gown will set you back upwards of $500 while the shorter cocktail styles sit around $300. What you are paying for is quality and individuality, and that's what makes the Ultra Suite brand so popular. A fantastic addition to any wardrobe.

Jane is my favourite seamstress, be. Jane's alteration work is extremely detail oriented and very…read moreprofessional. Jane took the time to really find out what I was looking for and the finished product reflected. My alteration needed a very skilful seamstress and I was amazed at how much effort Jane went to above and beyond to make my beautiful winter coat perfect. The alteration was very reasonable, the work was carried out quickly and I received a text notifying me it was ready - simple but highly effective process. I will be only getting my alterations at HosiKozi. Jenny on the desk was friendly, helpful and a boon for this business. Helen

Established in the late 80's, HosiKozi is the leading store…read morefor quality uniforms. What's great about these guys is that they offer NO minimum's on your order. So if you only require one uniform (or need a replacement) HosiKozi will happily process your purchase. These guys specialise in school uniforms, and they also stock the various paraphernalia required for the start of the school year. (Think socks, shoes, hair ties and the like.) While the location puts this store in relative isolation, It's well worth a trek out to pick up some quality threads for your school or business.

I do cherish a few stores but I'm afraid this isn't one of them. Don't go into this store expecting…read moreto find a fantastic sale. Ignore the discount rack out the front, too - this is always filled with one-off items the staff can't get to move. Cherish has been around for a very long time in terms of Paddington clothing stores. A decade ago, as a young pup, I walked past the store and it even had the same name and storefront design. A lack of make-over tends to indicate that Cherish has stood the test of time well whilst other Paddington boutiques barely make it (in their original carnation) to two years. I attribute this to the fact that Cherish has a specific clientele it caters to: namely, richer middle-aged women seeking out respectable, expensive dining wear or formal wear. None of the designs seem tailored to the early-20s Paddington cool crowd; this is high-end, "I have money and can't wait to get rid of it!" shopping only. If someone threw $1,000 at me and told me to spend it at Cherish, it wouldn't be a complete waste. Certainly I'd be able to buy some expensive but well-fitted business skirts, corporate tops and power jackets. And they'd probably last a long time. However, you don't generally walk into a Paddington boutique seeking out clothes for work. The staff here seem to have a very low rotation, and I can only assume the main staff at the front counter are owners. They never bother me with "can I help you?" questions, which is great, but on the other hand if a Soccer Mum-type rocks up in an SUV with a full purse I can expect to be ignored. Even if I walk up and ask for help. Others seem to enjoy this store more than I do, so it's possible I've visited on a few "off" days. However, over the last decade this has accounted to around 30-40 "off" days, since I used to live almost next-door and fruitlessly hoped that things would get better.

I popped in to Designs to Cherish with my Mum when she was looking for a 'Mother of the Bride'…read moredress. My Mum is very non traditional (the epithet Hippy may have been applied to her in the past) so I knew it could be a bit of a chore finding something. Designs to Cherish feels like a little sanctuary with its door providing space between busy Latrobe Terrace and your shopping experience. I love boutiques that create a seperation between real world and their world, and Designs to Cherish certainly does just that. The stock was beautiful, and there were quite a few floaty kaftan style dresses that I thought were perfect. Unfortunately I didn't factor in my Mother's aversion to synthetic materials plus her aversion to kaftans (apparently her ex mother in law wore one to her wedding so that made it a no no) so we didn't buy from them. I, however, mentally picked out a few pieces I will be back in for when I'm a little more fiscally solvent.