Victoria Shops

A chunky, made-in-Australia merino knit sweater and stretchy, wide-legged pants are pretty much the dream outfit for sitting and snoozing through the inevitable long-haul flight home. Margie Woods and Lisa Reynolds founded this brand making ethically manufactured knitwear and have since expanded the boutique edit to include leather slides, belts, and delicate Linden Cook jewelry.

Mud is synonymous with Australian ceramics. The pieces are made by potter Shelley Simpson in her Sydney studio, but a browse around the Fitzroy store is an exercise in sensory pleasure. Some pieces have a pebble-like texture, and others are smooth. All come in exquisite pastel shades, and best of all, the entire collection is dishwasher- and oven-safe.

This is the spot for international labels that can be tough to find in laid-back Melbourne. More of a fashion and design hub than a store, there are three shops within the industrial CBD space—Baserange (French basics), Shifting Worlds (designer womenswear, perfumes, and books) and Suku Home (artisan homewares and textiles). We make a beeline for the frilly Shrimps dresses, Maryam Nassir Zadeh slides, and gorgeous incense to burn back home.

We fell in love with Lucy Folk’s quirky edit in Sydney and were thrilled to discover another Folk store in Melbourne’s Windsor neighborhood. The edit is a mishmash of all the brands and products we’re crazy about—cotton scrunchies, made-in-Morocco boiler suits, Turkish towels—under one, warehouse-style roof. Folk has a penchant for sunglasses, and the lineup at the salon includes Round the World, Shady Ships, Short & Sweet, and a number of other brands we had never seen before—and wanted immediately. But it’s the bespoke jewelry service we come back for, again and again. Stop by and create a one-off piece with the in-house design team to keep forever.

Amy and Adam Coombes were veterans of the Melbourne fashion scene when they decided to found Kloke in 2011. Kloke rejects seasonality; instead, the Coombes design pieces that are meant to be worn forever. Long linen dresses, cotton wrap tops in pretty shades of lilac, and loose-fitting trenches in inky navy and fawn—the kind of items you’ll never tire of—are the pieces to go for. Images courtesy of Rory Gardiner.

Incu’s sole Melbourne store is for the guys. Expect an international mix of clothing and apparel, including Common Projects sneakers, Comme des Garçons tees, and Acne Studios sweaters. Sydney is home to the womenswear store, but if you cannot handle the thought of leaving Australia without that Ganni slip dress that’s sold out at home or the adorable crochet Suryo bucket bag exclusive to the store, fear not. You can order whatever you like online for next-day delivery to your hotel room.

Christian Kimber was born in England and cut his teeth designing shoes for the Brit brand Lodger. After decamping to Melbourne, Kimber craved a more toned-down iteration of classic British men’s tailoring and decided to make it himself. His Fitzroy store is deeply fun to shop in. Espresso is proffered upon entry, and the chocolate-colored suede bombers, worn denim oxford shirts, and cotton crewnecks are casual enough for the café (Australians ingest a steady stream of long blacks and flat whites throughout the day), yet tailored just enough for the office and dinner. Images courtesy of Karen Woo.

There’s something about hunting down the local independent bookstore, choosing a new title and savoring it (marking and underlining as you go) when on vacation. Maybe our concentration is better when a pinging inbox isn’t our first scroll of the day, or maybe it’s the stimulation of a new place and people that gets the imagination going. Brunswick Street Bookstore has been serving up incredible books to Fitzroy residents for nearly thirty years, and a browse through the heaped shelves when you’re in the neighborhood is a must.