An insider’s guide to boutique shopping

Online shopping is great, but sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned bricks-and-mortar experience.

The primary factor in whether I buy clothing and shoes is the fit. I always try something on before I seriously consider buying it. I divide my limited shopping time between Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington and Whanganui. Auckland is unique in that it has a large range of established and fledgling designers with flagship stores, workrooms and stockists in the city. That makes it the ideal location for a seasonal wardrobe update or to shop for a special event.

I love visiting designers’ workrooms for a glimpse behind the scenes. In Auckland, both Penny Sage and Shjark have studio stores (with limited hours) attached to their workrooms, while Harman Grubisa’s flagship store is downstairs from theirs. If you’re lucky, you’ll glimpse the designer.

Pick one shopping destination per shopping session. I prefer to stick to about four hours before I hit decision fatigue. The items I’ve chosen here all have stockists in the greater Ponsonby area in Auckland. You could walk, taxi or use public transport to move between them over a day, stopping at other places that take your fancy along the way. When buying a big ticket item, I try it on, then put the item on hold and take a walk before purchasing. Consider how often you can wear an item and what you already own that it will work with it before buying. Right now, it’s sale season, so stock is low, but in a month, when there’s plenty of new season stock, you could sleep on it, then purchase online.

1. Harris Tapper Ripple shirt, $485

2. Penny Sage Delta dress, $390

3. Hailwood Barbie ski jacket, $599

4. Kate Sylvester Minka skirt, $259 on sale

5. Deadly Ponies Mr Woolf Python bag, $845, in store August

6. Harman Grubisa Iris dress, $509

7. Gregory The Decorum top, $349

8. Juliette Hogan made to order leather skirt, $POA

9. Kathryn Wilson Clementine heels, $320

10. Zambesi corsette, $340

11. Shjark Roxy dress, $349

* This story was produced as part of a partnership with Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development.