A Shopper's DeLuxe

Where can a shopper in Sydney's central business district pick up a Fleur Wood frock, ring through a simple tee from Rodeo Show and top up their vintage Yves Saint Laurent collection? Assia Benmedjdoub finds out.

Tomorrow is a war without rules.
Although his choice of words was perhaps a little melodramatic for an industry forum on fashion, leading international consultant Jean Jacques Picart was just trying to make a point.

And that point, chewed over an hour-long session at the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival recently, was that fashion is no longer about multi-million dollar acronyms. LV's (Louis Vuitton), CD's (Christian Dior) and interlocking C's (Chanel) are at long last feeling some pressure from smaller players - vintage merchants, artisans, mid-range designers and of course, makers of all things cheap and cheerful.

While Picart was speaking in individual terms, not all for one and one for all, operators such as Sydney's Luxe boutique are among many catering to all four categories at the same time. And for those who consider vintage Dior to be in the same grouping as its contemporary counterpart, then it's picked the pockets of yet another breed of consumers.
Founded by a mother and daughter team just under a year ago, the one-stop shop has already made itself known with stock regularly appearing on the pages of Shop Till You Drop magazine and Channel Nine's former daytime program

The Catch Up.

Chief owner Pat Chan says her experience as an image consultant for a "high-end designer label" and an international buying role helped notify her of a gap in the local market.   

"We saw an opportunity to do something different, something that has not been done before, combining the best of today's contemporary fashion with yesterday's fashion. A great location in Sydney Central Plaza became available and we snapped it up."

The location - within walking distance of Pitt Street Mall, The Strand, The Queen Victoria Building, public transport and both the flagship Myer and David Jones department store - also means "unrivalled levels of foot traffic".
While most independent boutiques would no doubt baulk at all that potential competition, Luxe's offering provides something profoundly different from its CBD competitors, stocking everything from premium Australian designers such as Fleur Wood, Pani and Nookie to international label Lily Jean and hard-to-find vintagewear like a sequined evening jacket from Nina Ricci.

Unsurprisingly, prices are sporadic, ranging from $29 for a necklace to a modest $399 for a vintage Yves Saint Laurent dress.

"The extensive vintage collection at Luxe is sourced worldwide," Chan says. "Primarily from Europe and America and ranges from one off pieces from the 1950s to the 1980s. We are also always on the lookout for new labels that will complement [our] feminine and eclectic collection of garments."

Not tempted to stage regular sales like her chain-store counterparts, Chan only holds them twice a year - the first in June and then over the post-Christmas sales period in January. Sales don't guarantee customers Chan argues, rattling off a step-by-step account of what she does the second a customer enters her store.

"Greeting the client and remembering their most recent purchases, helping [them] put together an outfit [and] bringing [their] attention to latest arrivals in the store, in particular to garments which typically fit the customer's style or preference."

Visual merchandising is also important for Chan who - along with her daughters, Kimberley and Samantha - updates her mannequins, display units and jewellery cases twice a week. Three seems to be the magic formula here with three full-length mannequins in the store front, three torsos inside, a three-storey display unit for accessories and a three-tier jewellery case at the centre of the store. 

Despite the obvious workload involved in running this business - Chan and her daughters also man the store seven days a week and depart for buying trips three times a year - neither family member is eyeing an early retirement just yet.
"We believe there are plenty of young Australian designers waiting to be discovered. We would also love to grow by opening more stores in great locations and offer gorgeous, timeless fashion pieces that people will want to keep and wear and pass on to their loved ones."

By Assia Benmedjdoub