Dangerfield

As I’ve similarly opined about neighbouring Fitzroy boutique Friends of Couture, a trip to Dangerfield is about as exciting as an afternoon watching self-​consciously countercultural paint dry, owing to its Rockabilly-​lite aesthetic and offputting prices.
I know Dangerfield is a bit of a Melbourne institution so I don’t want to be too cruel, but unless your style lies at the vintage-​phobic end of the retro scale, you probably won’t have too successful a time at Dangerfield.
A big, dark space absolutely overflowing with the label’s designs, Dangerfield’s Brunswick Street shop does carry a wide selection of the brand’s gear but in my opinion when you’ve seen one wannabe vintage polka dot Dangerfield dress you’ve seen them all. And at $ 80 odd for a simple unlined cotton dress Dangerfield comes dangerously close to feeling like a ruse.
The one positive to this Brunswick Street favourite is its almost incongruously sunny and friendly staff. No sooner have you walked in the door than some lovely young thing trussed up in the label’s latest designs is trying to brighten up your day. Ok, it’s usually in the name of upselling but great service is always commendable.

Whenever I am in the hunt for clothes my first point of call is to head to Brunswick Street. Now there are two failings that I have as a shopper. The first is that I am indecisive and have to mull things over before I buy. The second and the countervailing failing is that I have a very short attention span for shopping and tend to get tired and grumpy if I am out too long. Enter Dangerfield.
This is how a typical shopping trip goes. I walk along Brunswick Street entering every clothes shop trying on everything they have, the stuff that I like I tell myself I will think about and the stuff I don’t I throw away in disgust. After doing this enough times I start getting tired and grumpy.
Inevitably I then give up and head to Dangerfield to buy my whole wardrobe. This is despite the fact that I know that their clothes are poor quality and fall apart after only a few months. I still can’t resist the fact that they just stock most of what I want at relatively cheap prices. I tell myself each time that this is the last time I will do this, because I know that it is the wrong decision, but I just can’t seem to break the cycle.

This store reminds me of being a teenager, looking for clothes to wear to the Big Day Out.
Present day, and unfortunately I can see it’s expensive for the quality of the clothes.
I’ve bought things from them in the past but they don’t have the longevity the rest of my clothes used to have. I didn’t go rock climbing in them so it’s not like I was using their clothes improperly.
The staff are lovely though, so that’s a definite plus. Good manners and attitude can get you everywhere.
If you want tights, they’ve got it. As well as a good selection of ‘funky’ suspenders. I would like this place a whole lot more if it wasn’t so darn expensive. They’ve got the clothes, but you can feel from just touching the stuff that it’s over priced for what it is. Which is a shame.