Sydney: Fashion hot shops

Poepke boutique in Paddington, Sydney. Photo / Supplied

Whether it's multi-brand boutiques or grand designer stores, Sydney does fashion in its own special way. Here are Viva's favourite fashion shops.

Parlour X

Located in what is affectionately called "Five Ways" in Paddington, Parlour X is a favourite of fashionable Sydney girls who want special pieces rather than basics. Owner and buyer Eva Galambos carefully selects an interesting selection of pieces from labels like Balenciaga, Carven, Vionnet, Isabel Marant, Viktor & Rolf and Comme des Garcons - all displayed in a welcoming parlour-like space.

Address: 213 Glenmore Rd, Paddington
Phone: +612 9331 0999

Zara

When we visited three weeks after the store opened, there were still lines to get inside - so expect competitive shopping once you manage to get through the doors. The three-level store is part of the new Westfield Pitt St, and is the first Zara to open in Australia. Some in the fashion industry are saying the arrival of the chainstore giant, with its fast on-trend fashion at relatively affordable price points, will change the shape of the local Australian fashion industry - and the enthusiastic response from Sydney-siders suggests they may be right.

Address: Westfield Pitt St, CBD
Phone: +612 9216 7000

Land's End

With a who's-who list of brands including Proenza Schouler, Balmain, Roland Mouret, Preen, Richard Nicoll and Sydney darling Dion Lee, this light and airy boutique is a designer fashion mecca.

Address: 205 Glenmore Rd, Paddington
Phone: +612 9331 2656

Burberry

Housed in a grand space that was once the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, this new 820sq m flagship store from Burberry combines the historic - marble floors and British heritage - with the very modern - giant flat screen LED video walls showcasing multimedia content, and iPod docks that allow customers to play their own content. Alongside the technology sit collections from Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London, Burberry Brit, Burberry Heritage Outerwear, Burberry Childrenswear and lots of accessories.

Address: 343 George St, CBD
Phone: +612 8296 8588

Pretty Dog

This Newtown boutique is called Pretty Dog and, yes, it's rather pretty. Owner Tanya Stevanovic selects a feminine range of pieces from local and international brands, including labels like Lover, Karla Spetic, Arnsdorf, Laurence Pasquier and Rachel Comey. They love Kiwis too, stocking New Zealand labels like Lonely Hearts, Karen Walker and Deadly Ponies.

Address: 5 Brown St, Newtown
Phone: +612 9519 7839

Bloodorange

A classic, more pared-back take on style in Sydney is on offer at this small multi-brand boutique, with lots of A.P.C sitting next to Australian and international labels like Lover, K. Jacques, Gary Bigeni, Bassike and more.

Address: 37 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay
Phone: +612 9357 2424

Belinda

A Sydney icon, with three stores now located around the city. The Double Bay boutique is the original, having opened in 1992, while the Paddington store is just up the road from owner Belinda Seper's The Corner Shop boutique and the central city boutique houses the higher-end labels. The list of brands available through the various boutiques speaks for itself really: Chloe, Jil Sander, Marni, Jonathan Saunders, Helmut Lang, Dries Van Noten, Proenza Schouler, Lanvin, Peter Pilotto, Mary Katrantzou, Erdem and more. Phew.

Address: 8 Transvaal Ave, Double Bay
Phone: +612 9328 6288

The Corner Shop

The younger sister to the high-fashion Belinda stores, The Corner Shop has two Sydney incarnations including the original corner spot in Paddington. This quirky store has a neighbourly, dreamy feel, with bric-a-brac displayed throughout the store next to an eclectic and hip mix of brands - think 3.1 Phillip Lim, Isabel Marant, Arnsdorf, Emma Cook, Ellery and more.

Address: 43 William St, Paddington
Phone: +612 9380 9828

Poepke

Poepke offers quirky, smarty-pants fashion, with labels like Ann Demeulemeester, Bernhard Willhelm, Eley Kishimoto, Haider Ackermann, Nom*D and Rittenhouse. They also recently launched their own in-house label called POE, which features interesting graphic prints, simple shapes and easy wear fabrics like seersucker and linen.

Address: 47 William St, Paddington
Phone: +612 9380 7611

Westfield Sydney

This new inner city mall is the talk of the town, hopefully helping to inject some buzz into the central city shopping precinct. The six-level mall has a large selection of Australian designers, high street stores, dining and more, with a floor dedicated to luxury designer brands like Mulberry, Bottega Veneta, Christian Louboutin, Escada, Versace and a Chanel "pop-up" store. Keep an eye out for the massive two-level boutiques from Prada and Miu Miu, set to open in July.

Address: Cnr Pitt St Mall and Market St, Sydney City
Phone: +612 8236 9200