Manhattan shopping in Melbourne

I clearly remember the last time I went shopping at Uniqlo and H&M. I was with Shayben, a close friend and colleague and we were in Manhattan. Shayben and I left Sydney and hit up New York City and spent just under 4 weeks collecting the editorial that would fill the magazine we both work for. Between photo shoots and interviews, Ben and I would make quick trips to Herald Square where we’d get our dose of brands that were not readily available to the Australian shopper.

Until now.

For the Easter long weekend, Kevin and I flew to Melbourne to spend some time with his mum and sister (who could quite possibly be the best people to go shopping with!) Our first stop was the brand new Emporium in Melbourne City. While most of the stores are yet to officially open, I was stoked to get to visit Uniqlo. For a minute, I felt like I was whisked back to the Manhattan madness as I overheard multiple accents calling out "Welcome to Uniqlo!" - 2 linen scarves later, it was time for a coffee...

After our quick coffee hit at the Emporium food court, We made headway for the new and highly anticipated H&M at the Melbourne GPO. I was beyond excited although I must admit, I braced myself for the worst: long lineup in the cold wind, ruthless hoards of shoppers and the dread that the experience would not/could not live up to my precious memories of Manhattan shopping sprees. But...the long line up moved quickly, the store was brilliantly planned and made for excellent flow of traffic, and the range was on par with my ridiculous international expectations. 2 hours later, I picked up a handful of garments and left the noise behind for the labyrinth of Melbourne's lane ways.

Now, I think it's about time Sydney got a little piece of the action.