Here's a handful of districts to check out while on your sartorial spree.

Melbourne is widely regarded as home to some of the best shopping in the southern hemisphere, but knowing where to start can be a bit daunting. You don't want fall for the tourist traps. Instead, you want to sleuth out the city's best fashion dens and walk away looking like one of those effortlessly cool style-mavens that Melbourne is known to breed.

Lengthy Chapel Street is a fabulous mix of high-end haute couture and bargain-basement specials. Head toward the South Yarra end for designer chic pieces—and back toward central Prahran for more accessible (but equally fashionable) off-the-rack items. The Jam Factory, which actually was a real jam factory in its previous life, is now a thriving complex of cinemas, bookstores and other retail shops.
Website: wwww.chapelstreet.com.au

Also in Prahran, adjacent to the town hall, Greville Street is dotted with more boutique-style shops which showcase the efforts of some of Melbourne's younger designers and recent fashion graduates. It's a good place to uncover stylish, eclectic jewelry, offbeat clothing and vintage one-offs.


GPO is a gorgeously grand, historic building that reopened in 2004 as a serious shopping destination. High-end Australian and international designers flaunt their creations here, interspersed with fashion boutiques such as Belinda, while a few Melbourne-based brands maintain a local flavour. It's a great place to splurge on a designer handbag or some elegant accessories.
Website: www.gomelbourne.com.au

Chadstone Shopping Centre was Victoria's first regional freestanding shopping centre and it is now a monolith of nearly 400 retail shops. The offerings here range from designer-chic department store goods to reasonably priced suburban staples—and everything else in between. A shuttle bus departs from Bourke Street in the city to Chadstone daily at 10am.
Website: www.chadstoneshopping.com.au

Bridge Road in Richmond is a veritable feast of designer outlet stores. It is a must-visit for any bargain hunter worth his or her salt. The strip is crowded with stores spruiking seriously marked-down fashion items and thrifty shoppers prowling for plunder.
Website: www.bridgerd.com.au

Melbourne Central is quite a large congregation of shops in the city and is home to a mix of Australian and international labels. There's a decent mix of conservative-chic and upmarket options, interspersed with streetwear fashion and a startlingly large selection of shoe shops.
Website: www.melbournecentral.com.au

Flinders Lane was Melbourne's original garment district and is now home to a number of achingly hip boutiques as well as a smattering of shops spruiking New Zealand designer labels.

Brunswick Street in Fitzroy is a hive of boho fashion shops, bargain spots and eclectic jewellery stores. It's certainly worth the trip for sneaker freaks searching out retro issues of their favourite shoe, plus there's a handful of accessibly priced one-off streetwear shops. The second-hand record shops and recycled furniture outlets are also worth checking out.
Website: www.visitmelbourne.com.au

Gertrude Street in Collingwood is where Melbourne fashionistas head to source out quirky local designers and cutting-edge clothes that are still skimming under the mainstream radar. There are also a few vintage and recycled fashion shops which are bursting with retro treasures and bargains. Also in Collingwood, Smith Street is a mecca for vintage clothes horses who love the second-hand clothing stores tucked between groovy shops stocking lesser-known labels. Style gurus who don't like looking like anyone else do their shopping here—and they probably don't appreciate their secret getting out!

All kinds of indulgent shopping tours and pamper packages can be booked in cities across the county.