Brissie fashion owes a lot to the two ladies behind S&B (Heidi and Sarah Jane), in my opinion. The…read moreBrisVegas born pair's international success encouraged a whole load of up and comers to give it a go, and thus began the much-needed resurgence of the local fashion scene. So it's great to see that after years of only being able to get Sass and Bide in selected retailers/department stores, a few stand-alone shops have sprung up. This is my fave for the simple reason that it's the most convenient for me to pop into. And I love the huge white space, with the main focus of the decore being the beautiful, eclectic clothes on the rails. Which, currently, have an ethnic vibe with loud, but fabulous patterns, amazing shapes with statement-making accessories like neck, arm and waist cuffs and divine handbags. I'll forever grateful to S&B for giving style-starved Brisbaneites some hope that things would change. And they did.

Garnsis combines just the right amount of edge and cute femininity into its selection of clothing…read moreand accessories. I love going into the store but when I'm strapped for time/being really lazy I just jump on their website and browse the range of awesome clothes at my disposal. Their Facebook page also keeps you up to date with all their latest specials, popular items, and new arrivals, giving you a personalised feeling and the strong urge to just keep buying their stuff. There's just the right mix of flirty, fun, striking, and strong in their clothing mix, and I've never been into the store and not instantly fallen in love with something. Shorts, skirts, dresses, accessories; bold prints, bright colours, pastels, and whites. Garnsis has an amazing range of it all. There are styles to compliment every girl and you'll probably spend ages running through their racks of clothing.

Ahhhh so this is where the young and the pretty have been shopping! Garnsis Boutique welcomes you…read moreat the front of the Elizabeth Street Arcade and is the first of many cute boutiques where little ladies can grab some fun frocks for their wardrobes. The clothes stocked aren't really my style but you can definitely see why it's popular. It's reasonably priced and the perfect place to shop if you need an outfit for a festival or a cute new summer dress. Although, given that the brands stocked are popular in a lot of stores means that there is the chance that you could have one of those awkward "oh my goodness we're wearing the same dress" moments. Garnsis also has you covered if you're after bits and bobs like new sunnies, some fun jewelry or even nail polish. Despite not being really my thing, this cute little place is definitely worth a look for any young ladies who love a good shopping spree.

What do you get for people who have everything? If you're not sure and you have some coffers to…read moresling hit up Renaissance Luxury Collections at Chermside Shopping Centre. The have all types of classic European designs from lamps to doll, from frames to pen sets. It's a store that has a class about it without being too demanding on the hip pocket. My parents who love this place and recommended me to go there when I was unsure of what for family friend's birthday. Looking around I had no idea of what to get but the sales manager Hao was a great help. She asked me about the person I was buying for and the money I had, tried to get me thinking on what my friend liked as collectables. Then finally we found a beautiful ink pen set with quill and pot. When he opened his present we was amazed and thankful and told me it was one of the most original gifts he had ever received.

This is a pretty crazy, quirky gift store that has a pretty even mix of stuff I love and stuff I…read morehate. I do love the stationary, the pens and some of the lamps. I hate the statues and find the dolls pretty freaky. A little hit and miss but the staff are lovely and they often have good sales, so definitely worth a look.

LARGE souvenir shop on Queen Street…read more Tacky? Yes. Postcards? Yes. Boomerangs? Yes. T-shirts, magnets, stuffed kangaroos and koalas? Yes, yes, yes and yes. Obligatory UGG boots? Of course. Plus dozens and dozens of other items you never knew you needed or wanted. Staff was friendly. Location was convenient.

I went shopping with a friend from overseas. We stopped by Tourist House to have a look. As I…read morewandered around while my friend tried UGG boots on, I noticed they sold Golliwogs (aka golly dolls, golly), the dark skinned doll, with clown-like red lips and frizzy black hair. There was a collection of them sitting in a woven basket by the entrance. It is rare to find places that sell this type of doll these days and I thought it looked a little out of place in this souvenir shop. Or was it? Despite this odd encounter with a doll popular in the 60's, we found the store useful and my friend successfully purchased a whole heap of things. One of which, includes her beloved UGG Australia boots which she praises for being half the price here, compared to overseas. An insightful souvenir shopping trip.

This shop is more than just a florist; it's packed full of many beautiful things - well from a…read moregirl's perspective anyway - there are of course plenty of beautiful fresh blooms, but also potted plants, handbags, and jewellery. Often a florist will have a gift range which might include items like wall hangings, frames, teddy bears, balloons and the like, but the jewellery here makes it unique. I went in to buy my aunt flowers and came away wih a gorgeous crystal and bead necklace. The prices aren't too bad for Manly, but it's not a bargain hunter's delight by any means. On the up side, it's all great quality, and I've got my eye on a nice black handbag...

I think it must be competitive in the florist's game. A lot of florists look quite similar and have…read moresimilar prices. I like that Manly Harbour Florist has a few nice gifts and jewellery to make it a bit unique. I walked past here yesterday in fact and it was the sparkling pearls in the window that drew me in like a moth to a flame, rather than the flowers. They have some nice arrangements of flowers as well as gifts like balloons and novelties. The necklaces are really beautiful, some jewelled, some pearls and some a combination of both.

I love a good rummage around a secondhand clothes store. You never know what gems you will find…read more Unfortunately, the few times I have been into the tiny Revamp Fashions I have never found any of these gems. The store is full of second hand clothes all in good condition and the service was OK, although not all too friendly or helpful. The worst thing about the shop was the prices. Asking $80 for a second hand pretty plain looking sportscraft dress is a bit much if you ask me. Every piece in the store seemed to suffer the same overpriced fate. There was not anything there that I would actually buy for the price they were asking. Still, I will probably keep going in just in case that hidden gem unearths itself. After all there is no harm in browsing.

You must come and have a look if you love labels, fashion history and second hand. They specialize…read morein buying labels and have them neatly assembled in this awfully cute and tiny store. The owner herself reminds me of Meryl Streep. Here I have found Leona Edmiston, Moschino, Calvin Klein, Jag, Diane von Furstenberg, Alannah Hill, Chloe... They have shoes, bags and clothes. And when you are done, go opposite to the upmarket Lifeline shop. Being your big wallet. We're not talking $10 frocks here.

I had to get a script filled and by chance found myself walking along Racecourse Road past the…read morePharmacy there so I went inside. The place was quiet apart from one obviously local regular man chatting away with all the staff. It was lovely to see them all happy and know each other by name. It makes you feel like you service is personalised, like the people working there actually care. However, I really just wanted to get in and out again with my medicine. Despite being well staffed I had to wait a little too long for my liking to be served and then quite a long time til everything was ready. The place had a good selection of Natio makeup and skin products, however, which I was happy to look at while I waited. Not the most efficient pharmacy I had been to but at the very least they were friendly.

I walked into The Trading Circle with trepidation. It's immediately evident from the store signage…read morethat this shop, established by a non-profit company to support women in poverty, has the potential to be quite expensive. I can't think of a better reason than charity for supporting Paddington's higher prices when it comes to non-essential shopping, but I was surprised to note that merchandise here was far from overpriced. Not only were the prices reasonable, the merchandise spans a large range of trinkets, gifts, toys, clothing and jewellery - the perfect place to pick up a gift or a treat for yourself. I bought a beautiful blue beaded bracelet for $4.50 - the packaging contained a picture of the child who made this particular bracelet, her name and other personal information. Such jewellery is made by children suffering from AIDS or are exposed to conditions of poverty where AIDS flourishes. All of the hand-made goods here are ridiculously gorgeous and well-crafted. One section of the store reminded me of a hippy store, with colourful knapsack-style bags, purses and pillow cases lining the aisles. (However, the quality was clearly much, much better than your standard hippy store.) Another section, featuring hand-made soft toys such as clowns, clocks and other critters reminded me of a toy shop. Yet another part had me drawn in for a good ten minutes - the jewellery selection. Here are some absolutely gorgeous earrings, totally unique and respectable in price (around $25 a pair and sturdily made). The store also sells cards, home ware and coffee, tea and chocolates. The staff are friendly but not pushy - the perfect combination. There is also a free gift-wrapping service as an Xmas bonus. This is one of the best places to shop in Paddington. I have to admit I was very surprised by how much there was to see here, how unique the merchandise was and how perfectly the Good Shepherd Sisters have pulled together this store. I'll be coming back again soon for some last-minute Xmas shopping, for sure. And it certainly won't be the last time I'll be coming here.

The Trading Circle is a fantastic initiative set up by the Good Shepherd Sisters. Their mandate is…read morehelping women trade out of poverty and they do this by focussing on helping women in poverty stricken areas set up micro enterprises, usually with a community focus. So what does this mean for you? In this one spot you can find a wealth of unique, quirky items that not only feel good to own, but feel good to buy. This store is particularly good for anyone buying for kids (think beautifully crafted toys and clothes), however it's also a great shop for homewares and gifts. The items you buy at this store are not only beautifully crafted, they are also helping women across the world AND have the added benefit of novelty. Your gift will not be the same as anyone else's and you can feel a wee bit smug that your money went to a good cause instead of feeding big corporations. They also have a great range of Christmas decorations, and during December are open from 10am - 2pm on Sundays to help with the demand.