by DesZeLL — Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 10:15 am
in Apparel, Shopping, Style-List and tagged with Alannah Hill, Alice Mccall, Australian Label, Bardot, Cotton On, Country Road, De Cjuba, Dotti, Forever New, Glassons, Kookai, Lover the Label, Portmans, Rubi, Sass & Bide, Scanlan & Theodore, Sportsgirl, Supre, Valley Girl, Witchery
I never expected that when I went for my Holiday to Melbourne I was going to shop much. All I remember there, was that everything costs A LOT! Everything is expensive and mostly made by Australian labels. You will find very few known high-street label. Last time I was there (around 7 years ago), Mango was just opening it’s first store at the heart of the city. From what I heard, everything there cost almost twice from what it was back then.
Since most of the labels there would be quite foreign to most ears, here are few labels that worth checking out if you happen to plan a visit to the down under. Please bear with me, this post would most probably be lengthy and boring 
But it might be useful as a shopping reference.
CheapOf course there were some cheap stuff as well. But cheap in Australia doesn’t translate into below $10 price tag. I did mention that everything there is expensive right? These are the stores where the quality are just so so, the style changes every five seconds following the trend and most likely the goods are made in China. Pretty much the same stuff that you will get at Forever 21, if you need comparison. These kinds of stores are good to catch up with the latest trend, but not to invest in something long lasting. Supre is one of the biggest one I’ve seen there. They have a really huge store in the middle of Bourke Street, in City area. This is the ‘center’ of rows of street in the city area where all the shopping centre and shops are located. I would avoid the cheap looking store altogether, because it ain’t worth the money. You might as well shop in ITC.
Other brand that you might want to check are Cotton On & Rubi (although they’re cheaper in Singapore!), Valley Girl & Glassons.
When I mean decent here is not that it has a decent price tag, but the price tag = decent quality which you can understand why you’re paying as much. You’ll find many stores in Australia with names you haven’t heard before. Why? Of course because all of them are from Australia! I think being geographically far from the rest of the world makes it more expensive for them to import stuff from other countries. Also, they’re experiencing seasons which were always different from the rest of the world, so they can’t really follow the traditional seasonal fashion. Take it this way, they’re either one season behind or more advance
Most of the stores in Australia are within this range. Basic tees will cost AUD 20 – 40, tops & blouse AUD 70 +, jeans AUD 60 + and (Australian) designer jeans can go up to AUD 200! Outerwear and coats goes well up to AUD 150 + whereas simple dresses can cost AUD 100. With that in mind, don’t be surprised that a cocktail dress can easily cost you AUD 200! Yeap, I know that sounds crazy right! I was just giving you the average picture on pricing here.
Anyway, the good thing is, most of the stuff I bought back in Australia when I was still in college are mostly still fully intact! That is after 8 years or more. I even have a few boho tops that I used to wear every other day that are still hanging on my closet (if you didn’t believe me, I’ll take a Today’s Outfit with it one of these days ). So really, you’re paying for quality here. It’s not something that you throw out after a few use.
Brands to check are Forever New, Portmans, Dotti, Bardot, Pilgrim, Kookai & De Cjuba.
By the way, Kookai‘s stores always stock a wide variety of basic top and their dresses, tops and frills always look so feminine. Funnily, their stuff are not the same with the french brand Kookai although they bearthe same name. As for Bardot & Dotti, I always check them out because they always carry the latest style. One brand that caught my attention is Forever New, I don’t know how to best describe them, maybe they’re like Miss Selfridge? Whereas the old time favourite Sportsgirl is getting more pricier each day! But you know what I did on all of these stores? I just ran directly to the sale rack, because I know I couldn’t afford their full price stuff anyway. They always have sale corner at the back of the store which is worth checking.
Middle: Witchery, Cue, Marcs, Review, Saba
Brands that are in this price category usually have more long lasting design, they stick to the basic but still following the trend of the season. Think of the clean and chic design of Max Mara. They tend to embrace women’s body shape. They cater for more mature women which are already on their late 20s or 30s and need something that they can take from day-time office look to a dinner or just drinks with friends during the night.
Think about this season’s trend instilled in the subtlest way possible. I don’t know why, but the Australians always have this laid back and casual chic style written all over them. So it’s only natural that most of the labels there have this kind of style.
My favourite no nonsense store is Witchery, although sometime their pricing could be quite ridiculous for the basic items such as simple tee and shirt, but I’m still quite fond of this label. I also like Review because they have a very feminine design and their stuff really flatter my curve. Other within this category are Saba, Country Road, Cue and Jigsaw.
Scanlan & Theodore’s boutique at Chapel St, Melbourne
When I mean expensive, it really does go into designers range already. Australian designers such as Scanlan & Theodore, Alannah Hill and Colette Dinigan have been known there for quite sometime. The local people are very loyal to their designers, that wearing the latest Alannah Hill dress is just as chic as wearing a Vivienne Westwood’s (they have the same quirky style BTW ). It’s like they have been brainwashed to love products originated from their country, which is good right? Sass & Bide has been widely known in the United Kingdom because SJP love their jeans. Other uprising designer are Yojin Bae, Lover and Alice Mccall.
And … if you want to know which high street label is available in Australia? So far I only manage to saw GAP and Mango. I did not come across other labels while I was there.
You should also check label such as Satch and Bettina Liano, they make amazing jeans!
I’m sure they’re many labels that I miss. If you happen to know any other Australian labels that FDers should check while they’re there, please feel free to add your recommendation at the comment box.
A Guide to Australian Label http://fdly.me/bk9BRz
wah..bnyk bgt brand baru yg gw ngga tau
maybe you should make another post about australian lingerie labels; Peter alexander and Elle Mcpherson to name a few..
terusss…cita2 gw dari dulu adalah utk punya satu dress dari Scanlan & Theodore..someday..someday
Iyah kayaknya lingerie brand deserve it’s own post! Soalnya ada outletnya Bendon segala disana pin.
Oia Forever New tuh baru banget yah! Mirip sih sama Dotti sekarang. Dan Dotti dulu yang kayaknya murah gitukan? Sekarang imagenya dah gak trashy dan murah lagi.
Oh Scanlan & Theodore itu emang yah bikin pengen banget! Gak mampuuuu
Mal,
I remembered having basic tee from kookai which last 4-5 years tanpa jadi buluk. It’s really Value for money.
However klo ada temen/relative ke aussie, gue emang jarang banget titip baju, paling malah sepatu.
Kalo sepatu emang disana bagus sih Yan. Tapi yah jangan beli yang bangsa Target & Cotton On/Rubi, yang bagus malah yang rada middle uppernya soalnya bagus kualitasnya apalagi kalo lagi sale
Wow thanks for sharing.. so many brands I haven’t heard before. Only knew about Rubi, Cotton On and Kookai
Yeap they’re completely different there :p Brand yang sama sekali baru buat kita yang akrabnya sama Zara :p
wakkss, amal, bikin gw pengen liburan kesana lagi..hihihi..
yups setuju banget, walo mahal, quality nya ok. gw malah masih punya beberapa tas kayak sportsgirl, counrty road, fioreli (fioreli ini oz brand bukan sih?), jacket sportsgirl, etc yang gw beli 15thn lalu, waktu homestay di oz. hihihi.. oia, sama selimut bulu angsa yg masih awet ampe sekarang, belinya dulu aud200 waktu aud masih 2rb.hihihi..
kmrn liburan cuma sempet beli cotton on & rubi, witchery, dotti, jacqui’e, gorman ( 2 terakhir ini jg brand sono kah?), portmans. lupa apa lagi ya..
masuk country road & sportsgirl malah ga ada yang kebeli (baca:pas ga ada sale). hmm.. harganya emang pada giling2 banget kalo ga sale.
Lus, gue jadi inget sama bantal bulu angsa gue yang gak boleh dibawa pulang padahal enak banget!
Oia gue juga inget dulu jaman SMP belanja Sportsgirl kurs cuman 1800!
Kemaren gue liburan juga beli 2 celana Jacqui’e, gue pikir sih ini lebih ke emak2 yah, tapi potongannya enak :p
huaaa amal bikin iriiii kmrn liburan nya ke melben huks
gue jadi teringat saat2 di melben.shopping along chapel st. smua brand diatas favorit kita deh kyknyaa yaa..especially kookai and review.. i heart them
gue jg suka satch yg kebanyakan orang indo bisa dapet discount, saking byknya yg beli jeans di sana. And zomp shoes jugaa bagus2 sepatu nyaa
)
Ah dont mentioned Zomp! It deserves another post althogether :p
BTW gue dapet sepatu 2 dong dari Zomp
Oia Chapelis masih ada tuh gue yakin deh dulu lo sering kesana :p Eh dulu lo tinggalnya di Toorak Mews bukan sih dhit?
haha satch jeans. i remember the time when every other indo girl walked around in them, before the era of betina liano and tsubi.
emberr baju2 di aus mahalll!! gue juga hampir ga pernah beli full price kok, pasti nyari diskonan *otherwise gue beneran ga makan*. benernya opshops can save your budget banget lohh, kalo lu lagi hoki bisa dapet designer item under $50 (gue pernah nemu skirt dries van noten, $38 saja!! sayangnya ga muat hixx)
actually my most loved items are found from opshops.. tp ya gitudeh emang hoki2an.
Bettina Liano dan Tsubi perasaan sih dulu lumayan terkenal banget yah. Di kampus gue banyak banget yang pake! Apalagi yang crop jeans ada serutannya dibawah. Itu lo dah Melbourne belom yah Dis (ketawan banget kapan gue kuliahnya :p)
Yeap secondhand clothes disana lumayan bagus2 banget. Dulu di Salvation Army temen gue dapet cardigan Kookai masih baru cuman $5-10
amal, Jacqui’e itu lebih emak2 yah?hehehe.. gw beli 2 baju disitu, tp yg kaos2 gitu bahannya. uda sale 50% buat gw masih mahal sbenernya. tp paling ga harus belanja dikit2, buat kenang2an jg.hihi..
kalo oroton (tas) itu ok ga sih? waktu disana pas belanja cotton on, staff nya anak indo, ngobrol2, dia sempet nanya, ga beli oroton? gw malah blm pernah denger sebelomnya. dia bilang itu beken di aussie.
zomp itu aussie brand? gw ga nemu kemaren, tp pernah beli waktu di kuala lumpur. sama ga tuh yah?
disti, opshop itu apaan sih? uda gugel tp ga ngerti.hehehe..
Lus kalo Oroton emang bagus seperti kata Disti tapi they tend to go on the classic side. Harganya juga lumayan mahal, tapi terbuat dari kulit sih tasnya.
Kalo gue lebih suka Mimco, cek ajah websitenya http://www.mimco.com.au tasnya lebih lucu-lucu.
lucy: oportunity shops. toko2 barang 2nd yg hasil penjualannya buat charity.. jadi macem salvation army gitulah. strike gold in shops surrounding the areas where bule2 tajir live ato sebaliknya, suburbs sepi yg jarang dikunjungi orang so you might find better stuff. it gets a bit expensive tho kalo udah terlalu specialty 2nd hand shops yg non-charity.. agak males itu *pelit*.
zomp kayak linea gitu, dia stock macem2 brand. good quality shoes yg ga gitu pasaran.
oroton bagus kok, very distinguishable O-logo. akhirnya beli gakk???
Widewwww jadi homesick dech…. I miss pitt st mall and DFO’s……… It’s true.. the quality over there is much more different in comparison to here yah…. I bought a cosgrove and beasley bag here to Indo 6 years ago dan sampai sekarang masih bagus2x aja…. beli tas di Metro yang harganya 600rb an…. give it 1 yr trus pelan2x dah ada yang mulai ngelotek…..
enaknya kalo Oroton … gak ada KWnya.. quality juga ok banget. My mum has a few bags that she bought in the 80′s sampe sekarang masih bagus banget tapi juga jaman dahulu it use to be Italian made.. sedangkan sekarang ROC made…… I only have 2 belinya juga di factory outlet harga dulu yah… sekitar $500 about 4jt but it is real leather… Oroton juga ada di Singapore jadi gak perlu jauh jauh hehehee…..
One thing I love about shopping there…. in standard stores they go up to size 16
(denger sportsgirl sekarang serve size 18 bener gak yah???)
As for lingerie… I love my Bonds
!!!!
Ah Bonds! I have an undies that last me for 9 years! Bukannya jorok sih tapi baru sadar udah lama banget pas gue harus ngebuang tuh celana dalem karena kondisinya yang sudah menyedihkan
disti: oic.. gw sempet liat bbrp toko anglicare, kayak gitu yah? wah, gw ga sempet masuk.. nyesel juga
(
btw, gw ga beli oroton
ritarif, dirimu membuat ku menyesal.. padahal pas oroton ada yang sale
(
oia, yang gw ga suka belanja di oz, cari size gw susaaaaahhhh bangeeettt.. even yg XS aja banyakan kegedean buat gw
(
beberapa baju yang gw beli sebenernya kegedean, cm maxa aja gw =p
ritarif
ahhh bonds yessss gue pun demennn hihi
lucy,
oroton kl gue ga gitu suka. paling dompet aja si yg menarik buat gue. jaman dulu kok kyk emak2 gitu ya..model nya agak2 kaku. masalah selera aja si..
amal,
mana mana sepatu nyaa yg dari zomp? aduh itu toko bikin ngeces yaa hihi
iya mal sempet di toorak mews 1 bareng indy dan andro (kenal kan?)..terus pindah ke depan nya..gedung yg bareng agung/pandu
chapeliss iyaa laaa sering banget kesana..kanpai apa kabarnya tuh? my fave jg hihi kok jd OOT sih *kaburrr ahhh*
Satu dah gue pake TO kok Dhit, yang gue pake dress putih
Kanpai still looks the same. Nando’s Toorak and Laurent still there too :p
The thing that I dont understand the most is why Rubi+Cotton On is way cheaper in SG and Malaysia rather than in its home country. They are both from one company and own and run by Australian. I asked the question the other day to one of their store assistant, none of them know why. So the same shoes, but the price is one in Australian Dollar and the other one in SG Dollar. It is so depressing
Woow..a very complete guide to Oz brands!
Beberapa brand yg lumayan juga keluaran Myer seperti One Teaspoon, MinkPink, Miss Shop..harganya masuk decent lah ya..
Klo utk 25+ Basque juga bagus2..
But so far my most fav brands are Forever New and Witchery esp for the leather bags.. Oroton klo tas2nya agak kaku ya bahannya jd lebih keliatan formal, dan modelnya emang seperti utk 30+
ohya.. Shona Joy & Lisa Ho juga termasuk 2 designer yg sering masuk Vogue Aust..
Oh ya forgot to mention Myer’s label! Apalagi kalo lagi stocktake sale tuh Miss Shop murah2 banget.
Kok gue agak lupa2 inget sama Basque yah. But I certainly remember Lisa Ho, you’re right, it’s worth to check
OK so on the next post we will see the stuff your purchased there, Mal? *wink wink*
Sudah bertebaran barangnya Van! Setengah bawaan gue isinya oleh-oleh dan titipan orang
my sister said that ZARA will have its first store in Melbourne in 2011.
Ahhhh finally Zara! I would love to see how this will impact the market there.
Kapan yah bisa balik ke Melb… I missed it so muchhhhh…. Maybe next year.. hopefully can make it…