Fashion

Buyer Remorse

By Filip Odzak

Posted on January 7, 2011

Shopping. Some people hate it, some treat it like an Olympic sport. But one constant thing I hear from people is that they can never find what they’re after. That they want something unique and original – AND that “I have to go interstate to get the high fashion brands”.

Let’s get this sorted. You don’t. While we have an abundance of timeless and glamorous South Australian designers, i.e. venture down Unley road for George Gross, Harry Who and Alexis George, tastes sour further down the road if you venture through the iron gates and find yourself ‘Exiled’ into a world of overpriced Eurotrash.

Often I find we are all suffering a case of ‘Buyers Remorse’ but not us as buyers – them, that person in that retail store who is placed in charge of determining what they stock, and what trends we are subjected to from the vast collections of fashion houses. Let’s be honest, some get it right, and some get it horribly wrong.

Men can find it particularly difficult, but believe it or not, there is plenty of choice out there – you need to look around. Consumers are funny people, they tend to suffer ground level syndrome. I’ve noticed this for some time working with clients – why is it so hard to get people off Rundle level to venture up the escalators? And why can’t you venture down side streets, arcade and alleys?

Boys, next time you’re in the city, venture a little further down onto Hindley street, turn right when you hit Gloria Jeans onto Gresham street. You’ll find a hidden gem called ‘Do More Than’. Currently exclusively in stock are labels Kalb & Etiw, and The XII Letter. For your more exciting t-shirts and tanks, I’d recommend popping into Swarvie Saint in Regent Arcade, their buying has improved significantly over the past year, and travel down bayside to Jetty Road, Glenelg and pop into Zero.

: Kalb & Etiw

XII Letter

Over the past 18 months Adelaide fashionista’s have taken on a massive win, with the retail development of Rundle street including Lisa Ho, Sass & Bide, Metalicus, Alannah Hill, and Morrison alongside our already established hotspot boutiques Naked, Cherri Bellini & Miss Gladys Sym Choon, the ladies have no reason to complain they are at a loss for choice.

The buffet of choice just got tastier. Take a stroll down King William Road. This is where you’ll find true boutique fashion. On one end you have the powerhouse that is Wildchild, stocking celebrated Australian designers such as Nicola Finetti, Manning Cartell, Wayne Cooper, Bettina Liano and Thurley… and ready-to-wear destination Denim & Cloth, including plenty of choice for the boys – Death By Zero, Nena & Pasadena and of course, Nana Judy (with posters of those spunky Nana Judy models up in-store, why wouldn’t you pop in for a gander?)… Keep traveling down to Liza Emanuele’s Flagship store and Gary Castle shoe store… and eventually you’ll hit Muse Boutique.

Let me tell you something about Muse boutique. Adelaide Fashion Festival’s Boutique Runway show was hijacked by Muse. The collections and the story on the runway blew all competitors out of the water. This location is a true fashion destination for the ultimate fashion lover.

Muse is an example of a skilled buyer. So skilled in fact that these girls travel to New York fashion week annually to bring home what we often only see on the pages of Bazaar and Vogue. Yes finally, we have powerhouse labels Lanvin, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent exclusively stocked in Muse. For the first time, the ladies of Adelaide have access to the most sought after ready-to-wear clothing and accessories from the world’s most acclaimed designers.

Store owners and sisters Kristie and Amy Manuel traveled to Paris twice in 2010 to meet with the fashion houses and secure the labels for the Adelaide market, including an exciting visit to the spectacular Hotel Salomon de Rothschild, once home of the famed de Rothschild family, where Yves Saint Laurent showcased the Spring collection.

The Manuel sisters “believed that the local market was ready for the next step in luxury fashion, and are excited to be able to offer Adelaide women the finest luxury fashion and accessories in line with the rest of the world. Muse Boutique’s expansion into the top end of the luxury market was driven by customer demand”. That demand being you can’t pull the wool over the customer’s eyes anymore. We all have the internet, and we all know what we’re missing out on! Kristie explains “There has long been a stigma attached to Adelaide that the shopping isn’t as good as in other Australian cities or overseas, but this new level of luxury fashion puts Adelaide on par with the fashion capitals of the world.”