Clothing, Sydney

There are no shortage of stores in Australia where one can purchase the famous Aussie Digger-style hat. There are more Digger hat stores than there are kangaroos, trust me on that.

And, I think the hats are pretty cool. I'm not criticizing anyone who wants one. I used to have one MANY years ago. I passed on buying one this time, primarily because the only people I saw wearing "nice" ones were tourist. The Aussies with Digger hats usually own the kind that look like they were fired into space a few times. Lots of wear and tear. And, it appears to be the same with the Digger hats as young people feel about blue jeans.... They have to be worn to be comfortable. And they have to be comfortable to be cool.

So, if you want a nice Digger hat, you can own one anywhere for under A$125 or so, maybe much less. But, be advised, you might as well wear a flashing sign that screams tourist. : )

A little silly story regarding hats.... When we were in Alice Springs, we were picked up early one morning for an overnight camping trip to Ayers Rock. After we were picked up, the next stop was at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Alice. The driver said we were looking for a Danish family called the Neilssons. Well, as we drive up to the hotel, there's a nice family (dad, mom, son, daughter) waiting in the dark. They're blond, fair-skinned, and every one of them has a brand new Digger hat on their head. I'm sure the price tags were still in their hotel room rubbish can. Our driver goes.... "oh my, there's TEAM HAT". We all cracked up. But in typical Aussie fashion, he proved that he wasn't a snot or anything by adding...... "at least we'll be able to find them easily in a crowd".

What to buy: A famous Digger hat, if it suits your fancy. There's nothing really wrong with joining "TEAM HAT". The Neilssons were very nice people. They taught me the Danish word for marshmallow one night, after we'd had too much of a French guy's whiskey. I can't spell it, but phonetically it's SCUMS-FYDOR. We all started saying that word around the campfire, and none of us could say it without laughing. God bles you, TEAM HAT.

What to pay: The hats are usually under A$125

I arrived in Sydney with a pair of beautiful high heeled sandals that were quite comfortable (that is if you weren't walking as much as we did). But after walking all over Circular Quay, Botanic Gardens and Domain, around Darling Harbour, my poor feet were killing me.

I was in search of a pair of sandals that were functional, cute and comfy. I searched all over Sydney for the right pair and after about an hour, walked into Roxy and found the pair pictured here.

I didn't love them, but I needed something quick and this is the closet I came to something that suited my needs.

Lucky for me I neither loved them and paid too much for them, because as soon as I got home my pup torn them apart (I guess she thought they weren't fashionable enough, and I think I would agree), oh well....

What to buy: Roxy sells a large selection of beach wear, shorts, sun dresses, t-shirts, bathing suits, and anything you need for a day at the beach.

I found my sandals here.

Nooo... not that kind of flirting.. LOL..

'Flirting' is the name of the lingerie shop on the promenade of Bondi Beach.. It just caught my eye, and I couldn't resist taking a photo.
However, I did wonder if I could afford to buy the 'price tag' .. ;-)

What to buy: In A Lingerie shop??? What else?

The Oxford Street strip, stretching along the suburb Paddington, has long been established as the shopping mecca for the chic and cool of Sydney. Not only does it have a great selection of local and upmarket designer stores (eg. Brave, Zimmerman, Billion Dollar Babes, Robbie Ingam, Akira Isogawa), it also has the regular Australian/international chain brands (Marcs, Esprit, Country Road, General Pants, Review, Jigsaw, Witchery, Kookai etc). This is the best place to shop for young and funky designer wear.

What to buy: Mens and Ladies clothing, shoes, homewares. On Saturdays Paddington Markets for arts and crafts.

Plenty of boutiques are located in this area. The shop fronts alone are very cute. You will also find a few seconds stores in the area, full of high end labels. Once youve done boutique hopping, there are lots of nice cafes and restaurants. My favourite is called the Limoncello - cafe/restaurant.

Explore the European-style lanes and arcades for silverware, fine jewellery, antiques, art and gifts.

The current Miss Universe/Miss Australia had her hair done recently at Transvaal Avenue, Double Bay.

What to buy: Unique and Designer labels, beautiful childrens toys- rocking horses, doll houses, exquisite jewellery and baby clothes...you will find a bit of everything in Double Bay.

http://www.dbi.com.au/phonedir.html some of these links show pictures of each beautiful restaurant/clothing store etc.

What to pay: Much above average

This shopping mall has everything a girl could want from shoes & bags to departments to sports shops. East Gardens caters for all - and also has a wicked food arcade! Prices are very reasonable too - a particular favourite shop of mine was Sports Girl, it has smart troussers to denium skirts to Suit jackets, dont miss it!

What to buy: A lot of things are cheap to buy in Sydney, i found that a lot of their sports shops were reasonable for shorts / tops / running troussers / trainers etc

What to pay: Not as much as the UK thats for sure!

There are seconds shops in the warehouse districts of Sydney. These shops don't sell second-hand clothes, but slightly damaged ones at very affordable price. Factory outlets are also good places to buy clothes and shoes

What to pay: Big savings from retail prices.

Wombat at the Rocks is one of the many cute little shops in the Rocks area. The shop sells quality Australian items; hats, shoes, bags and accesories. They have a large selction of Ugg items as well as Jacaru hats. I've been shopping here since my fist visit to Sydney in 2007. They have a great selction of items and the sales people are very helpful.

Over the years I have purchased many items here; Jacaru hats, tee shirts and several Ugg accesories(I'm not a fan of Ugg boots that for some reason are so popular in the states. The real leather Ugg boots are nicer). I do love their ear muffs and gloves; so warm for the cold New York winters. Prices here are quite reasonable for such quality merchandise.

There are two stores in Sydney, one down by Wynyard Station and close to the Four Season's Hotel on George St, just behind Sportsgirl and the other just at the entrance of the lift taking you up the Centrepoint Tower Restaurant.
Both have fabulous linen, cotton silk garments Australian size 12 - 24 and if they do not have what you are after they will point you in the right direction.
It is notoriously difficult to find plus size clothing in Australia.

What to buy: Every day wear hand picked by Australian icon Maggie Tabberer or her daughter's Italian linen made in Italy.

What to pay: $50 upwards

The Queen Victoria Building, or as it is more commonly known to locals, the QVB is a great place to visit for not only the shoppers out there, but also those interested in Byzantine Architecture…Apparently, the QVB has been described by Pierre Cardin as "the most beautiful shopping centre in the world". Originally built in 1898, it was renovated and converted to a giant shopping mecca in the middle of Sydney's CBD, with more than 200 shops. The Queen Victoria Building offers a range of shopping outlets including fashion boutiques, beauty care, jewellers and Australian souvenirs / clothing.

What to buy: Mens and ladies clothing, shoes, jewellery, cosmetics, bath and body products, souvenirs