My bag was treated to an immense pampering experience last weekend at the newly opened Australian branch of My Bag Spa. Unlike myself who is looking distinctively neglected, my bag was left in the the hands of dedicated professionals at My Bag Spa.

Opened by David Chen and Alex How, the ‘bag spa’ philosophy is that ’staying clean is beautiful’.  Designer bags are really investment pieces that you want to keep for many years and need love an attention. Specialists in designer bags, a visit to My Bag Spa involves an initial consultation with what is involved to make your bag as good as new, with processes such as dying, cleaning, stain removal, disinfecting and small repairs.

‘Expensive bags have many memories associated with them’ David told me ‘it could be something you bought for a special occasion, or perhaps from your first boyfriend or an anniversary present. You want to be able to use the bag for many more years to come. We remove stains and fading and general wear and tear, or maybe an unforeseen circumstance like a cigarette burn. Most bags are limited pieces so if anything happened to your bag, more often than not you can’t buy the same bag again even if you could afford it’.

I can’t wait to use my rejuvenated bag!

Address: The Paramount, Top Floor Suite 15, 108 Bourke St, Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: +61 3 9654 1189

Mon - Sat: 10am - 7pm
Closed on sundays & public holidays

Guess what? I have a scoop! Katani has just opened at West Beach St Kilda on 330A Beaconsfield Parade. Formerly an old 1920s bathing pavillion the building will now house Katani a Melbourne beach and lifestyle shop, with a high end cafe next door. I met up with Bec van der Sluys the co-manager of the store a week ago and got a sneak peek before the opening.

With a background in Marketing, Event Management and Retail you can see that Bec is ideal for the position of co-manager. The sunfilled store is filled with goodies and sits right on the beach with a magnificent outlook of kiteboarders in the water. ’With a lot of surf stores they have to bring the feel of the beach into the store with photos and posters’ Bec told me ‘but we actually have it right outside the door’. With that in mind, the store’s fittings are minimalistic. Together with co-manager James Weight, Bec has found a perfect balance between a beach lifestyle and surf store. The store stocks men and women’s clothing, accessories and surf gear with labels such as Quicksilver, Tiger Lily, Jets, Analog, Roxy, Hurley, insight and many other labels including State of Georgia.

Not your typical surf store the store also stocks left of centre pieces such as Polli jewelllery, Sanuk shoes and Little Misek cards and artwork. 7 years in the making, a lot of thought and time has gone into Katani and it shows, from the 70s iconic Australiana style couch and furniture pieces to the urban photographs from Melbourne photographer Natalie Jeffcott.

Katani also hold their own kiteboarding classes and stock their own in house label boards and clothing. James has an extensive background in Kitesurfing (he and his Kiteboarding partner Ben Morrison-Jack hold the world record for crossing the Bass Strait).

I also got to see behind the scenes and check out Bec and James’ view from their office (see below). A wall is dedicated to newspaper clippings documenting the process involving the site and the area.

I am totally in love with this recent addition to the Melbourne retail scene. I envison making a day of it, with a meal at the next door cafe, a shop and a laze on the beach in my new bikini!

Katani, 330A Beaconsfield Parade, St Kilda VIC 3182, 0409 792 244

You might remember a couple weeks ago I got the inside scoop that Arabella was opening a pop-up shop in the City. Well it has happened! Temporary Pleasures by Arabella Ramsay can be found in the old Sportsgirl Centre on Collins Street (Gee I remember fittering many happy hours in the basement at the old Dangerfield and Revivial before Dymocks took over. Now I spend many happy hours at Dymocks in the cooking book section…..am I showing my age now?).

Temporary pleasures is here for a good time not a long time and opened until January only so Melbourne city folk can get the pleasure of an Arabella ramasay experience too. This white washed walls, beautiful denim and leather pieces, whimsical florals and ipanema hats - beautiful summer wardrobe here I come!

New Mist Summer Dresses and Kaftans are in at  Fenton!  So last week I dropped in to check out the merchandise and I went to retail heaven.

If you haven’t already been to Fenton you should drop by. Opened around a year and a half ago by sisters Lucy and Emma Fenton, Fenton is a little shop packed to the brim with beautiful treasures ranging from clothing, jewellery, accessories, homewares and just delights all around.

The girls formerly worked with renowned antiques dealer Graham Geddes travelling with him on buying trips before branching out on their own. Sourced from all around the world including Morocco, China and India, but also locally the shop is an aladdin’s cave of colourful goodies. Think beautiful vintage and handcrafted pieces and artwork from local artists.

I am practically enamoured with the beautiful accessories including a range of beautifully printed scarves and a giant glass cabinet with coin rings and beautifully original bracelets and  necklaces.

You should drop by, I was instantly inspired to decorate my house with a multitude of colours.

Fenton, 377 Malvern Road , South Yarra, Victoria, 3141, Australia, +61 3 9824 1444

As you know I love to shop. So last Saturday afternoon at the jewellery counter at David Jones while I was quizzing a poor sales assistant about bracelets, a fellow shopping kindred spirit interrupted said ‘you should really try Mara Cino on Moonee Ponds they have the best stuff’. Sometimes the best information about shopping is through strangers I find, because once you have shared all your fashion and shopping secrets with your friends it is rare that they have any new information (no offence). So armed with this new found knowledge I rushed over to Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds to see this shop which had been given such rave reviews.

I wasn’t disappointed. Mara Cino is filled with plenty of bling and accessories galore from jewellery, bags to belts and even shoes. I was immediately transported to STUD heaven, and I am not talking about the male kind, this kind of studding was infinitely better (yes it is possible) with amazing studded bags and jewellery. With its black fittings and walls everything in the store seems to gleam and shine. I felt a bit like a 3 year old getting constantly distracted by different ’shiney’ things.

 The hot tip definetly wasn’t wrong with a huge range of bracelets from bangles to cuffs to beads and charms on display. There were amazing statement pieces, and a huge cabinet devoted to CC Skye - an american celebrity favourite, think bold and brassy 80s - just how i like it!

I am giving it the thumbs up - drop by and pick up something shiney - I did.

Mara Cino, 18 Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds, Victoria +613 9370 2227

I have been meaning to drop by Nevada Duffy’s shop for a few months since a little birdy told me about its quiet existence. Just opened for 6 months and only on Friday and Saturdays Nevada Duffy’s shop is a real Fitzroy secret.

Hidden away on a back street in Fitzroy, the shop has previously housed only two other tenants, a milk bar and a dental surgery. It is a beautiful old building making it a fantastic place and environment to spend a Saturday playing with beautiful garments in a quiet inner city location.

The shop stocks Nevada’s own label and Angela Thirlwell.  Nevada uses her many years of experience in the rag trade to constantly experiment with new shapes and fabrics making each piece extremely original and highly desirable. Pieces of her summer collection have started coming into store with animal print leggings and plenty of black, sequins, silver and a gorgeous top with detachable epauletts.

Her summer collection is called Lady Stardust and is based on 70s glam rock and inspired by David Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

In the window is Nevada’s exhibit from ‘the black show’ a group exhibition at the C3 gallery, Abbotsford Convent Gallery. Instead of her usual calico mockups Nevada worked with black fabric to create a number of pieces for her summer range. The pieces are a little peek into the extensive process she goes through to create a collection. Each piece involves different ideas and shapes which were eventually incorporated into her final range.

Pictures from the actual exhibition can be seen on her site. Keeping all the scraps of fabrics left behind the garments or ‘ideas’ rise quite literally from the scraps.

Nevada Duffy, 165 Gore St Fitzroy 3066

I have always been a massive fan of Ebony M. Everytime we walk pass, my boy employs a number of methods eg. Walking extremely quickly, starting a new and interesting topic of conversation (to distract me) or the more obvious, holding my hand and dragging me pass the shop. I love the huge array of French Sole ballet flats ranging from cheetah print to the more conservative quilted cream and black. A few months ago Ebony M had a full makeover, turning the store into a luxurious french boudoir with beautiful chairs and french music playing the background.

Exposed light globes hightlight the beautiful shoes on display.

What I love the most is the wall filled with Ebony M’s huge variety of French Sole ballet flats. I am always struck by a huge amount of indecision when I am at Ebony E and on occasions have left with empty hands (unbelievably) as I just cannot decide which pair to get.

Oh, there is a gorgeous chandelier too, but my photo didn’t turn out unfortunately. Oh well, I think I will just go back another day! (and get the zebra flats). I also love the books which act as little shelves for all the beautiful shoes. 

P.S. The heels are so so great too! Ebony M stocks Brazilian label’s Luiza Barcelos and Vincenza as well as other great shoe labels such as Nude, Pura Lopez and D.Co.

Ebony M, 2/238 Toorak Road, South Yarra, Victoria 3141, +613 9826 5773

Only opened a few weeks ago in the quiet suburb of Carnegie is Little Shop Of Handmade! To quote Bec Albinson the owner, it is ‘a little slice of Northcote in Carnegie’. Little Shop Of stocks mostly items hand made right here in Melbourne (and quite a few local Carnegie-ans), with the exception being a few pieces from rural Victoria. Even better everything in the store is under $50 - so a trip to Little Shop Of won’t break the bank.

Bec is a former graphic designer and creator of all things gorgeous and oh so delightful. A market regular she fitted out Little Shop Of herself, sourcing the beautiful tables and drawers from the Camberwell market.  One wall is covered with various picture frames, plates and curios, most of which came from her house originally. I love it! It is like Bec has brought parts of her house right here into the store.

At Little Shop Of alongside Bec’s handmade finds sit her adorable creations including recycled scrabble tile necklaces - which she gets her husband to help her with at night. She creates these from her own illustrations, old story books and vintage fabrics.  One even has Michael Jackson - Bec confided in me she was one of the screaming and crying 13 year old girls who lined up to see him a number of years ago.

I could wax lyrical all night about all the fabulous things at Little Shop Of, but I’ll just say you have to go there yourself. There are beautiful necklaces made from recycled upholstery leather off cuts from Mainichi, recycled one offs made from vintage fabrics from Rummage style and gorgeous things from Pocket Carnival.

I stayed for a while and chatted with Bec who was so welcoming. We discussed life, hand making things and Little Shop Of.  ‘A girl came in and checked out the shop. She then told her boyfriend that he could buy anything in the entire shop as a present and she would be absolutely happy!’ Bec told me ‘ that was kind of what I was hoping to achieve with the store’.

I agree. I HAD to buy a necklace AND a pair of earrings and am now the proud owner of a oh so cute Dorothy necklace and Dove earrings. 

Little Shop of, 8 Woorayl St Carnegie Wed, Thurs, Fri 11am - 6pm Sat 10am - 4.30pm

Once in a while, in the life of a Melbourne Fashionista all the stars align and I come across an amazing melbourne jewel that the public has not discovered yet,  a bit like finding an shiney purple wrapped uneaten turkish delight in a box of Cabury favourites filled with empty wrappers. This is the fashion god saying to me, melbourne fashionista, hello down there! I see you down there, I care greatly about you, your fashion sense and love of shopping.  This sycronicity occured recently when I discovered Harlem in Camberwell when I was out grabbing a huge bowl of cheesy gnocchi with my sister.

Harlem in Camberwell is directly opposite Camberwell Station. Recently opened (only one month!) by Em Jacobus a former marketing magazine writer with a multitude of retail contacts, Harlem is a gorgeous store with delectable vintage, second hand designer and some new pieces too. With labels such as Vanessa Bruno, Scanlan and Theodore, Yeojin Bae, Alice Mccall and Nicola Finetti all at great prices it is quite a find. Amongst the new pieces are leather jackets from Japan for $220 and dresses from Natalie Lowe a local designer.

When I asked Em what were her thoughts were behind Harlem, she told me she thought of Harlem as a bit like a big wardrobe. I get the idea! At Harlem you can find a Lady Gaga-esque body suit, a classic trench coat, trendy high tops, covetable Fendi shoes, studded belts and array of prints and textured clothing with every piece being just that little bit special. With a beautiful vintage giant mirror and birds flying on the wall it really is a little bit like being in the bedroom/closet of your extremely fashionable best friend.

When I asked her about how she decides what to stock at Harlem and what she looks for, Em said she seeks to make Harlem ‘a true reflection of how the Melbourne girl dresses. She likes to mix a high end designer piece which she just had to have with vintage or second hand pieces. It is a really creative individual look. It is not about a head to toe version of one look, for example all vintage or just one label. I love that it is about being individual with beautiful clothing and accessories’. I couldn’t agree more, but I do think it is something to do with Em’s ability to pick and find amazing pieces at Harlem! She told me her favourite piece in store at the moment was her white Michael Jackson shoes  (see left) for $115, ”I can’t believe they are still here!’.

Harlem clothing, 23 Cookson St, Camberwell VIC 3124, + 613 9804 0964

A couple of days ago I dropped by Glitzern one of the most beautiful treasures in Melbourne.

Glitzern, which is German for glitter, is owned by Moi Rogers and one of the original founders of Alice Euphemia, Caroline Price. With backgrounds in jewellery, styling and retail it doesn’t surprise me that this gorgeous store was opened by two people so perfect for the job. Their love for accessories and love to shop is evident with all the delectable pieces.

The walls are as original and Caroline and Moi brought in ornate 1920s antique gold cabinets, lit up from above. The boxes are filled with numerous goodies ranging from vintage  jewellery from antique markets around the world to new gems from Australia and wherever they travel such as New York, Europe, Belin, LA, London and Hong Kong. Little hands emerge from the brick walls holding gold necklaces just begging you to adopt them and love them forever.

Moi told me their aim for the shop was to make it as approachable and organic as possible. Unlike many other jewellery stores where the experience can be quite impersonal with an all white layout and the jewellery hidden far away, pieces at Glitzern can be played with and touched, it is all about finding an amazing special costume piece to be the ultimate accessory for your outfit.

I am in love with at least ten pieces there - I plan to return ASAP with my savings!!

Glitzern have an online store coming soon on their site, but in the meantime you can check out their blog.

P.S. Glitzern also have some amazing plans for Melbourne Spring Fashion Week coming soon. I will post the details closer to the date!

Glitzern, 6-8 Crossley Street, Melbourne VIC 3000