I used to look into my wardrobe, bursting at the seams, and think, ‘what am I going to wear?’. I wasn’t left wondering long, with so many boutiques in the inner city offering a hugely varied array of New Zealand and International designers. Continuing from yesterday’s post, here is part 2 of my favourite places to shop in Wellington.
//Area 51; cnr Cuba and Dixon St
Area 51 isn’t the kind of store that you visit when you know you shouldn’t be spending money. Since it opened back in 2000, I’ve often found it difficult to walk into the store without one of their shopping bags in tow, so good is their collection of luxe streetwear and denim.
//Superette; 106 Victoria Street
Superette is an Auckland native, opening in Wellington just shy of three years ago. Well-versed in all things Antipodean, if you have a love of Australian designers, you’re likely to find them here. It helps that their stock rotates through each of their stores on a regular basis, which means you are bound to stumble across something new every time you visit.
//RUBY; Old Bank Arcade, Lambton Quay
I have a bit of a soft spot for RUBY; not only did it appeal to my pre-pubescent self, but as the label has evolved and grown over the years, it has managed to stay in line with my own personal tastes. In addition to the gorgeous racks of saccharine shift dresses and criss-cross ruffled tanks, their candy coloured nail polishes are the perfect afternoon delight, or for those more inclined to shop for Christmas, a sweet stocking filler.
//Workshop; cnr Customhouse Quay and Hunter Streets
My go-to shop in Wellington for all things Isabel Marant, although you generally have to be quick as all the good pieces sell out fast. With other labels like Alexander Wang, Vanessa Bruno, Helen Cherry and their own in-house label, ‘Workshop’; what you’ll find is a selection of careful curated, classic pieces; a veritable gold mine for any minimalist or francophile at heart.
Also worth a visit are I Love Paris (Old Bank Arcade) for shoes, Design Cartel (148 Willis St) and Coco (128 Willis St) for clothing and accessories, Scotties (Blair St), and Zambesi on Customhouse Quay for New Zealand minimalism at its best. For those of you left wanting, with nigh a trip to Wellington in sight, you’ll find that most of the stores mentioned ship nationally or internationally, breaking down typical barriers to shopping.
I miss Wellington and the designer stores – has been great seeing them again through your posts – love GAG and Area 51
Author
It’s one of the things I think I’ll miss if I move away!
Loved both of these posts Jamie-Lee, I think more bloggers should do similar posts on their cities shops & it’s always nice to give a shout out to local retailers too! I’ve bookmarked both incase I ever find myself in Wellington, I’m feeling quite jealous of all the great stores you have there! 🙂
Author
Thanks Steph – definitely, and if you ever do end up on this side of the world, flick me an email, happy to either catch up, or provide you with an extensive list of places to go and eat 🙂
Awesome posts 🙂 I live in Wellington too and I visit these stores frequently. I especially love the selection at Workshop, pity they often only order down to a size 8/36 though! Scotties is another favourite of mine, their selection of International designers is always amazing.
Author
Thanks! Tell me about it – I find sometimes I have to do some orders online for things I’m after, or cross my fingers that they turn up online. I completely forgot to add in Scotties, I seldom end up there as I generally avoid the city on weekends (bar the weekly Moore Wilson’s shop). Have amended to add it in x
i actually remember area 51 from my time there! love this series of posts about shopping there, i really miss the wgtn vibe..
Author
Thanks Steph – it’s a great shop isn’t it? I don’t spend enough time meandering through them now that I think about it..