Brigadeiro's Guide to Melbourne (Shopping/Fashion & Food)

This is not a 'guide' per se, as I am by no means an expert on either, but I am often asked where my favourite places to shop and eat in Melbourne are, so instead of repeatedly emailing the same 'favourites list', I thought I would create a blog post I could refer to and update from time to time (most headings will lead you to a website when clicked on):

AUSTRALIAN FASHION DESIGNER STORES

Willow

Melbourne GPO: 350 Bourke St. (Ground Flr), MELBOURNE CBD,

OR 582 Malvern Rd., HAWKSBURN

www.willowltd.com

Akira

Melbourne GPO: 350 Bourke St. (First Flr), MELBOURNE CBD



www.akira.com.au

Scanlan & Theodore

1061 High Street, ARMADALE

Little Collins St., MELBOURNE CBD

566 Chapel St., SOUTH YARRA


www.scanlantheodore.com.au

Kirrily Johnston

1033 High St., ARMADALE



www.kirrilyjohnston.com.au

Zambesi (New Zealand)

167 Flinders lane, MELBOURNE CBD

This store also stocks Martin Margiela and other brilliant NZ and International designer labels.



www.zambesi.co.nz

Alpha60

Melbourne GPO: 350 Bourke St. (Ground Flr), MELBOURNE CBD

201 Flinders Ln., MELBOURNE CBD

230 Chapel St., PRAHRAN

179 Brunswick St., FITZROY


www.fashionising.com

Belinda

(Australian designer labels inc.: Lover, Willow, Michelle Jank, Yeojin Bae)

584 Malvern Rd, HAWKSBURN

Melbourne GPO: 350 Bourke St., (1st Flr), MELBOURNE CBD

Empire Rose

586 Malvern Rd., HAWSKBURN

Although I am not sure this store is still there?


INTERNATIONAL FASHION DESIGNER STORES

Cose Ipanema

(labels inc: Dries Van Noten, Comme des Garcons)

113 Collins St., MELBOURNE CBD

Belinda

(International & Australian designer labels inc.: Dries Van Noten, Lanvin, Stella McCartney, Ann Demeulemeester, Lover, Willow, Michelle Jank, etc.)

584 Malvern Road, HAWKSBURN

Melbourne GPO: 350 Bourke St., (1st Flr), MELBOURNE CBD

Marais

314 Little Collins St. (1st Flr, Royal Arcade)

(labels inc: Givenchy, YSL, Sophie Wauchob, Anne Valerie Hash, Preen, Alexander McQueen - all my favourites)

Cactus Jam International

14 Albert Coates Ln, MELBOURNE CBD

(labels inc: Matthew Williamson, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Chloe, Stella McCartney, Vanessa Bruno)

Christine

181 Flinders Ln, MELBOURNE CBD

(accessories labels: Lanvin, Tom Binns, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs)

Assin

138 Little Collins St (basement), MELBOURNE CBD

126 Gertrude St., FITZROY

(labels inc. Ann Demeulemeester, Comme des Garcons, Rick Owens)


Also:

For Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Miss Louise (accessories labels inc. Chloe, Balenciaga, Giuseppe Zanotti) - you can find them all on Collins St.

Melbourne GPO: I love this building, as it is a refurbished beautiful 150 year old building, that used to be Melbourne's main Post Office. Other stores of interest are: Acne, Fat, Fleur Wood, Gorman, Camper (shoes), Mandarina Duck, Lisa Ho (her last collection SS'10 was so beautiful, hopefully next collection is just as good), Zimmermann and Sass & Bide.

Australia's main department stores: David Jones and Myers can both be found on Bourke St., and both stock Australian & International designers.

Chapel Street, South Yarra/Prahran: is a long street that has many fashion stores, and eateries/cafes, this is a favourite haunt for many, as well as Greville St (off Chapel St) for little boutiques.

Bridge Rd, Richmond: this is the strip for those who like to go to 'outlet stores', I must admit I have not been here since the 1990's.


FAVOURITE PLACES TO...



MoVida: 1 Hosier Ln, MELBOURNE CBD
My favourite place in Melbourne, as you can probably tell from the many times I have been there, great modern tapas place for dinner, almost impossible to book for a table, but you can eat at the tapas bar.

Cumulus Inc: 45 Flinders Ln, MELBOURNE CBD
Fabulous for breakfast (I love their little baked goods), lunch or dinner

Yu-U: 137 Flinders Ln, MELBOURNE CBD
Great Japanese place for set-lunches or dinner

Don Don's: 321 Swanston St, MELBOURNE CBD
Tiny Japanese place for students, with cheap & quick (I live for their sushi dons!)

St Ali (for coffee/breakfast): 12-14 Yarra Place, STH MELBOURNE

Europa Cake Shop: 81 Acland St., ST KILDA
There are many 'cafes' with European desserts on this street, but this is my favourite for their 'almond croissants' and 'chocolate & plum liquor tarts'.

Shark Fin House: 131 Little Bourke St., MELBOURNE CBD
My favourite place for Yum Cha.


Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any recommendations of your own!

xx
CC

Melbourne Weekend: Chloe, Chanel & Cumulus

Thank you all for your lovely comments in my previous post! I had a lovely (yet rushed) weekend in Melbourne...Although I did manage to squeeze in a little bit of window shopping in. Loved this gorgeous mural next to the Chanel store:


click to enlarge (above and/or below) or click HERE for close-up of the tunic


Dress: Chloe beaded tunic (even though it is more of a 'romper' - don't laugh, Susie Poosie, with the bottom part joined in the middle, I wore it as a tunic, over a Witchery black tank stretchy dress...I quite liked the 'draped-to-the-side' effect that had, and it was more comfortable to walk in all day...
Bag: Burberry Malika hobo in tan (Christmas present from my gorgeous sisters)


How much is that 'doggy' (aka Chanel reissue) in the window?

Loved the heel on these Gucci shoes

Beautiful lunch at Cumulus with friends and 'bubbly'...the highlight of our trip

The sight of the bread at Cumulus always puts a huge grin on my face (you can click on the bread picture to enlarge)


Starting with slow cooked octupus with aioli & dehydrated olive...an absolute delight! I loved the little kick the sliver of green chilli gave to each delicious bite-sized morsel...

Grilled zucchini, barrel aged fetta, pine nuts and currants, went beautifully with the dish below:

Mustard crumbed pig's tail, garlic snails, picked shallots & watercress...Even though this may sound a little weird, it was absolutely delicious! So moist, full of beautiful flavour...I wanted more!

The whole slow roast lamb shoulder was incredible! The meat was falling off the bone and so moist & tasty, served with pickled red onions & lemon.

Berry & Frangipane tart (and I took some delightful little cookies with me in a paper bag)

The madeleines filled with lemon curd are absolutely to-die-for, and are more than worth the 15 minute wait...


The reason for my trip to Melbourne, was to attend a function where hubby was to receive a prestigious award. Remember I wrote that he was sitting some very important exams last year? Not only did he pass, but he received the highest marks in the country! Oh yes, I was/am very proud...

Weekend rundown:

Purchases: Nil. I almost purchased the Alpha60 pleated scarves at their GPO store, but could not decide between 2-3 different scarves, thankfully I can purchase them by mail order, I think I have finally decided which ones to get...

Outfits: packed in my suitcase: Witchery black stretchy tank dress, Phi black silk & mesh long sleeveless blazer/jacket, Nathan Jenden pleated wool dress, Chloe beaded tunic, Dries Van Noten silk sequinned clutch, Burberry Malika hobo leather bag in tan, Dries Van Noten 'nude' leather sandals.

Breathtaking moments: Loved the buttersoft leather skirt in Tan at Scanlan & Theodore (slightly draped and tulip-shaped)...but did not even attempt to squeeze myself into it, so as to not depress myself...am hopeful it is still in stores when my body is more 'leather-skirt friendly'. Also fell in love with several pieces at the Willow store, including a drapey yellow silk chiffon blouse, and the beaded belts/necklaces. Was slightly starry eyed when I spotted the Dries Van Noten bracelet from SS'10 at Belinda...stunning! They also had the green clutch below:

style.com

Shops covered:

Hawksburn & Armadale: on Malvern Rd (Hawksburn): Empire Rose, Willow, Belinda; on High St Armadale: Kirrily Johnston, Ksubi, Falke, Aesop, Scanlan & Theodore, Lee Matthews.

City: most stores I tried to go to were closed, so only managed to see a few at the GPO: Acne, Alpha60 and Willow.

Food:

Dinner (night 1) at the new Mexican restaurant Mamasita (1/11 Collins St) - the place was so dark my pictures did not turn out well. I quite enjoyed the corn on the cob with queso, chilli, & lime (with the delicious sauces they bring to your table), I highly recommend the Quesadilla de Huitlacoche (mexican truffle) and the incredible roast lamb (which was absolutely delicious).

Breakfast: was at Mart 130 - cool set-up outside a Tram stop (hence 'Mart' is tram spelt backwards), although unfortunately the food was a bit of a let-down (I had a triple stack of pancakes with belgian chocolate sauce, toasted hazelnuts, banana & vanilla bean mascarpone - sounded much nicer than it tasted I'm afraid), I much preferred the breakfast I had at St Ali in South Melbourne during my last trip in January (I never got the time to post about that trip for the Australian Open, sorry!). Last trip I also had breakfast at Cumulus Inc, which was quite nice (although not as filling as St Ali).

Dinner (night 2): Thaila Thai (Lygon St, Brunswick)- one of my favourite 'cheap eats' in Melbourne, a dinner for 2 including corkage came up to $34, with enough leftovers for hubby to eat the next morning. Love this place!

Lunch: Cumulus Inc. - fabulous food!

Day 2: Melbourne Shopping Report

Nothing like celebrating with a nice Champagne (Billecarte) breakfast...

French Toast: homemade fig, apricot, hazelnut brioche with praline cream and clover honey

Inside Madam Sou Sou: so French, so bohemian...

Baked eggs Basque style, tomato sauce with chick peas, chorizo, crème fraiche and fresh mint

La Vasette: my favourite store on Brunswick St since I first saw it in the late 90's, beautifully displayed colour-coordinated flowers, and the outside is so cute!

After our bellies were full, it was off for some shopping...

Purchases: Nil for myself. Although I did find my lovely cousin two amazing navy blue dresses (one a gorgeous Prada sleeveless dress, the other a beautiful 3.1 Phillip Lim dress...I was so sad not to be able to buy either for myself due to my expanding waistline, but happy my cousin took them home, and looked so gorgeous in both dresses...). These were purchased at Clover, thanks to i.d.'s recommendation!!!

Today's Outfit: Akira Isogawa silk/cotton embroidered maxi dress from Resort 09, Chloe silk top (worn unbuttoned and upside down, funnily I can see the tag in the photo above), Chloe bracelet lambskin bag & Havaianas slim thongs in Champagne (too hot & bothered to wear anything else).

Breathtaking moments: Finding the 3.1 Phillip Lim dress I have wanted for years, only to find that although last time I tried this size it was too big, this time it was too small, so very bittersweet...It is a shame that the store version is not as long as the runway version, I fell hard for the red flower 'bib' on the dress the first time I saw it (almost 2 years ago).

style.com

Shops covered:
Brunswick St: Clover (No. 404, I believe) - my first time to this store, and I must come back to it next time!
City: Cactus Jam International at QV - Albert Coates Ln, Christensen Copenhagen (ditto), Belinda at GPO - I did not have much time for shopping in the afternoon, nor the stamina, due to the heat.

Food: Champagne breakfast at Madam Sou Sou (231 Brunswick St, Fitzroy) - another brilliant recommendation by the gorgeous and oh SO talented i.d. of justfashionartdesign - Thank you so much Imma! LOVED it!

PS. Thank you all for your well-wishes for hubby's exam! He passed!!! We only found out a few days ago, but he was the only person in the country to pass both the written AND oral exam this year! Not only am I so proud of him, but so happy I finally get him 'back', it's been a long year of studying (and doing less fun stuff, and me having to watch TV with headphones on, haha). WOO HOO!

Day 1: Melbourne Shopping Report

Cool lightbox on Hosier Ln (outside Movida)

Purchases: Nil (does a French manicure & pedicure count?). Was not feeling my best (thought I was coming down with a cold, turned out to be hayfever), and the weather was so hot...I also had limited time today as I was playing chauffeur to hubby, who sat an all-day exam, with a break in between.

Today's Outfit: Akira blue silk/wool dress (oh so comfortable) with Chloe silk blouse worn open and upside down, Havaianas slim thongs in Champagne and Chloe lambskin bracelet bag. I had more a chic outfit planned, but decided to dress for comfort due to the hot weather, and saved it for the evening. When it cooled a little in the evening, I changed into my Rachel Roy draped dress & Christian Dior Extreme Python sandals, I plan to repeat this outfit this weekend for a Moroccan dinner, so will try to take a pic this time...

Breathtaking moments: At the Belinda store on Malvern Road - spotted the Dries Van Noten silver sequinned skirt, a few sizes too big, so did not even try it, but it was a beauty to behold. The stock was very limited, so that was pretty much it. Also quite loved a drapey bronze/gold necklace at Kirrily Johnston. At $280 (and having exceeded my budget for this month, and probably the next), I sadly had to leave it in the store...am still thinking about it though.

Shops covered:

High Street, Armadale: Falke (new store - first one in Australia! Baulked at the merino wool tights at AUS$89, must buy them online for almost half that price), Kirrily Johnston, Scanlan & Theodore. Very sad to find that one of my favourite stores, The Frock Exchange, was no longer in existence.

Malvern Road, Hawksburn: Belinda, Empire Rose, Little Joe by Gail Elliot, Trelise Cooper, Willow.

Food: Found a trendy cafe around the corner from where we were staying (on Yarra St, off Toorak Rd), and had a quick lunch before hubby had to return to his afternoon exam session. My lunch: grilled asparagus with truffle oil, poached egg, mascarpone & smoked salmon. Dinner was at our favourite restaurant: Movida

Left: San Jacobo de Cordoniz- Hunter Valley Quail, partially boned, crumbed and filled with Jamon and Mahon cheese

Right: Viera - Roasted Scallop with Jamon and Potato Foam (this and the Wagyu steak tartare, which we did not order this time, are our favourite dishes here, absolutely delicious!)

Cecina: Air cured Wagyu beef thinly sliced with a truffle foam and poached egg (so amazing! luuuurve truffle anything...)

Carillera de Buey: Slowly braised beef cheek in Pedro Ximenez on cauliflower puree

Costilla con sobrasada: roast lamb cutlet encased in a catalan pork and paprika pate (I was tossing between having this or churros with hot chocolate for 'dessert', but was so curious to try this, so lamb it was...)