All too many recycled clothing shops suffer from that inescapable pong of moths and cupboards. This…read moreusually goes in-hand with a higglety pigglety attitude to display which has you racking through bins of vulgar patterns in the hope of finding something vaguely tasteful. But not in this shop! The designer has managed to space all the racks of clothes out very neatly and coherently and there is absolutely no pong in the air. Both the mens and womens sections are carefully hung so you can browse through all the quirky styles available. What's more they all seemed to be around the $50 mark, a fairly good bargain for these vintage finds! There are tonnes of really great pieces in here from all sorts of eras so you'll need to leave a good amount of time to browse properly. I particularly liked the mens trousers section as I didn't know there were such exciting options for men on the trouser front! I was very happy to see some tartan troose in there too! The shoes that line the walls are slightly less out-there but there seemed to be a collection of really great pair of boots among them.

Scrags is one of those vintage clothing stores that does the hardwork of picking all the sweet…read morestuff from the salvos, vinnies and op shops and puts it into one semi-neat space for you to browse through. I got one of the coolest suits from here a few years ago, a sweet 80s style suit with a few different coloured squares. This store has some cool items in it and its great, because there isn't as big a crowd as you'll usually find at the more centrally located cream on king, although the prices are still roughly the same. The selection of tops, pants, waist coats, shoes and other 2nd hand clothing goods here are more varied and random which is what I love about this place, you can find a brown leather waist coat stting next to a zebra print tight fitting shirt-I mean it doesn't make sense, but that's the beauty of a vintage clothing store. In most other trendy vintage stores they've gone and over merchandised the place to make it look overly neat and organised-that's not what its supposed to be like. This place is good to go if you're looking for unique looking one offs in the jacket, shirts and trouser variety, not much of a tee shirt section here. Be sure to look in the bargain bin, head scarf and tie sections too.

Awful and creepy old man watching is unnerving! If I could choose 0 I would! REALLY CREEPY old man…read moreat till just watching over several Asian girls that are scared shitless of him. I tried a few pairs, and they just watch you like a criminal. I took a size 8 and had to try a size 10 that fit and when I asked whether the shoes were real leather, the old creepy man got offended and rude. Just a weird, weird vibe. Anyway to top it off, I bought the shoes, and a week later they started coming apart! I took them back on my lunch break and he said "We don't do returns for change of mind"!!! I showed him the sole was coming apart after a week (worn twice!) and he just ignored me and the girls stood in fear... Just weird, weird vibe, weird man and girls that are so scared of him. Buy online from somewhere else even if you have to pay a few bucks extra, its not worth the hassle with this guy....

I much prefer this Raben location to the one further up on Goulburn and George for a couple…read morereasons. First, it's open and airy and feels more easy going inside (as opposed to the other one that's dark and has scary doc martins in the window). The staff are helpful to the point of harassing you and the selection is good. If you're in the market for slip-ons, come to Raben and you will have a prism of color at your fingertips. I know how the "kids" these days feel about florescent footwear. Get down wit' it here. I was recently in the market for some hightop sneakers for my hip-hop dance class (I'm a thug). Raben had some Nike knock offs in the window that were pretty baller, so I went in to try them on. The pair in the window were a little tiny bit faded, but not noticeably so. Given this, they sold me that pair for a mere $30. Nothing beats feeling like Missy Elliott for under fitty dollars. Now if only I could swing a deal on the cornrows...

Relatively new on the factory outlet scene, FSW Shoe Warehouse definitely satisfies a niche in…read moreAlexandria. There aren't many other factory outlets selling shoes that a) stock more than one brand, b) are well organised and look like a regular shop and c) are positively huge with a big range. FSW ticks all three boxes and are predictably cheaper than department stores. Admittedly the styles aren't all in season, but to be honest, the range of shoes is so large that is doesn't matter which season it is, they will have something that suits. There are both mens' and womens' and kids' shoes, not alienating any particular group, but focus is no on sports shoes, in case you are after a sneaker. So if you need shoes for work, casual shoes or something for a special occasion, try here. FSW has brands like Hush Puppy, Sandler, Birkenstock, Windsor Smith, Florsheim, Merrell, Diana Ferrari and many, many more. My favourite part of the shop check out what bargains can be found at the back of the warehouse, where the clearance shelves are. It is still fairly well organised and not a messy mountain of shoes like in other places. I love how they are grouped by sizes, so I can go and browse everything on sale in a size 10-11 and maybe find something I wouldn't ordinarily look twice at. (Ladies if you have big feet, it's worth a look!).

I'm fussy. Debilitatingly so. I've been looking for new shoes for 2 months. My current shoes are…read morefinally said "we've held on long enough while you try to satisfy your exacting tastes. See ya." Then they died leaving me facing the possibility of going to work next week with a shoe with half a sole on it. Wasted the day going to various malls where the shoe selection and pricing was abysmal. Come to the rescue Yelp which led me to FSW. Entered a hangar full of shoes with just less than half being dedicated to men. I'm after a thick soled boat lug shoe like timberlands classic 3 eye. They don't have anything like it but I'm able to find something low cost that will do until I find what I need long term. Thanks to FSW I know I'll have dry feet if it rains next week.

I find it hard to resist the allure of a shoe shop, especially one with sales racks out front and…read morepick leopard print stilettos in the window. As you come through the ticket gates at Town Hall Station, there in all its glory is Cherry's with exactly that. It's a funny old store Cherry's, with prices ranging from $10 - $400, I guess they want to cater to all demographics that pass by. This shop has the dubious honour of being home to two of my top three pairs of the World's Ugliest Shoes, and although they also have some really great shoes here I love checking in to see if they can out-do themselves! Anything I've ever seen here that I would consider buying has been priced to high for production-line shoes, but that hasn't yet stopped me from checking out every corner of the shop every time I pass by, even if just to see if they have managed to break their own record yet.

What an amazing store! From a design perspective, the store…read morejust illuminates light, design and colour. Campo Marzio Design have a incredible collection of products for the most fashion business person including document folders, business card holders, laptop bags, and pens - you just have to see the pens. Bonded leather products (reconstituted leather) and geniune leather products are offered to customers. Of course the geniune leather will cost you the bucks but they are worth it. If you are a little tight on cash, go for the bonded leather products, just gorgeous, affordable and very durable. Do yourself a favour and get yourself down there. Check out the store in Leura (blue mountains) and Potts Point too, both equally fabulous. Customer service is exceptional, everything comes gift wrapped with boxes and ribbons and all for free. Love love love it ! Thankyou Campo Marzio for coming to Australia. xxx beth c

Boots, boots, more boots and plenty of other stuff in between…read more If you want to be a cowboy, cowgirl or cow baby, Route 66 is the shop for you. In business for over twenty years and being Australia's largest range of cowboy boots, Route 66 offers a seemingly endless collection of boots. They also sell a wide variety of 1950's inspired rockabilly, Americana clothing, hats, belts, sunglasses, handbags, lingerie and a selection of funky T-Shirts, my personal favourite being the "God Goo Muck" shirt. What excited me most in Route 66 was their range of kitschy, pop art junk, which I had to resist stocking up on, if you are in need of a Jimi Hendrix corpse in coffin (or the Ramones or Rolling Stones in a shared coffins), a paper mache skeleton a crucifix covered in guns and horseshoes knives and guns or other classic Christian kitsch. You can even find a Wacky Wobbler Rat Fink. I don't think I want to be a cowboy, well not this week anyway, but I did have fun at Route 66, it is a large and fun shop to wander around, the staff are friendly and they play a catchy mix of swinging country pop. Route 66 is definitely something different in Darlinghurst, even if it is not your style it is worth going for the experience.

Yeeeeeeeeeehaw this place is cool. I have a decently unhealthy obsession with vintage cowboy boots…read more I must have at least 12 pairs at home and back last year when I was packing to move to Australia (in two suitcases), I somehow prioritized taking 4 pairs. Sick, I know. I was window-shopping along Crown one evening a while back and spotted my new loves in the window of Route 66: tall, grey boots with white cut out detailing and small red hearts decorating the top. I like to think the love at first sight was mutual, but I might be lying to myself. The very next day, I marched my little self in there to claim what was rightfully mine. And then BAM, I was hit with the truth. My lusty loves who had made so many sweet promises to me through the shop window the night before, were playing cold, hard games with me now. There's a difference between playing hard to get, and actually BEING hard to get. And at $425 for the pair, this was no game. So, what could I do? Deflated and heart broken, I cast one last glance at my beautiful boots and bee-lined it out of there. If the interaction were a Western quick draw, I definitely hadn't been victorious.

I am continually impressed by the range of clothes in this little Newtown shop. I love the colours…read moreand designs. You obviously don't see yourself coming wearing outfits from this shop. I seem to buy my goods on a Thursday night and the young Sales assistant is always ready to find the right outfit. He will be honest and say "Umm I think you need the bigger size!" He is very diplomatic and has an infectious smile. The prices are not cheap but the item is different and often a talking point at dinner or a party.

If you are looking for that stand out in the crowd look, have a taste of Red Chilli. Offering…read moremodern Asian style fashion, Red Chilli's stock's clothes, which are not generally outrageous (with the exception of some of the jeans), but definitely a little loud. They have shiny polyester t-shirts, some are quite trendy, others are a little over the top. At around the $70 mark I found them a bit too expensive but they are quality clothes and they have a sale rack of shirts priced around $45 which is good value for what they are selling. Red Chilli also stocks a large range of waist- costs and waist- coat and t-shirts in one, which if you want the smart look.

An fair amount of clothing, bags and shoes only. Men and women and kids. Some items are brand new…read more Good range. Good quality and nice prices. Well labeled and non cluttered. Does not have homewares, books etc. Only clothes i think.

Poor customer service. I purchased an item. The lady serving didn't greet me, smile or look at me…read moreonce during the transaction. I had pulled out my own carry bag but because she wouldn't look at me , she didn't notice and told me they don't have plastic bags. I expected friendlier service in a charity shop but I found her rude