By: Chloé Neveux

The “down under”. A place that always seems so distant to the point it feels inaccessible to anyone from New York. Inaccessible geographically, culturally, and even stylistically. But lately, it has become far more present than we might expect.

I just came back from my study abroad in Melbourne, Australia, where I had an eye-opening experience of how fashion-forward this city is. Melbourne is indisputably Australia’s fashion capital. I would argue that it is the birthplace of effortlessly chic style. From discovering Melbournian staples like Alpha60, Neuw Denim, and the quintessential lingerie brand Kat the Label, I quickly understood that Australian fashion is not as outsider as it seems.

Back in New York, a feeling of déja vu has been catching me off guard daily. Walking through SoHo my first week back, I was transported down under by the sudden familiarity of some of the shops around me. The same brand names, storefronts, and silhouettes that I had just recently purchased in Melbourne were now appearing in one of the world’s most established fashion capitals.

New York, it seems, is undergoing an important shift. The city, long considered a global authority in fashion, is increasingly absorbing Australian brands and aesthetics. What was once known only to be geographically far-off is now embedded and socially accepted within New York City’s retail world. 

Some recent Australian brands’ openings in NYC include the 2025 pop-ups of the swimsuit brand Bond-Eye Swim, the brand St. Agni, and the recent opening of WeWear happening last weekend. Run!!!

Coming all the way from Tasmania, St. Agni did a pop-up last summer in SoHo

Photo Courtesy of Elle

And yet, for now, what New York is importing is only visible. What it’s missing is experiential: New York imports the aesthetic, but not the entire atmosphere. In Melbourne, shopping is a fully immersive experience. Stores feel more like intimate art galleries where the client is invited to observe, not incessantly pressured to purchase.

Something way less exportable truly lies in Melbourne’s personal fashion identity: thrifting. 

The most creative thing I’ve found about Melbourne’s fashion world is its out-of-this-world thrift boutiques. 

Let me tell you more about my ultimate, favorite discovery – just to make you a bit jealous of living so far away from this. 

PDA Shop

Founded by two friends, Belle Saunders and Sarah Lamont, PDA was built around a simple yet irresistibly charming philosophy: “dressing, dining, and dancing.” That pretty much already tells you everything. This store is organized around a way of fun-living, or bon vivant. 

How did they manage to make a retail shop make you feel more at home than your own?

The pictures I took the day I walked in say it better than any price tag could. You get welcomed in what feels like a historical French boudoir, with a long table draped in cream linen and a bold burgundy-striped runner. The first thing that caught my eye was how it was not crowded with a bazaar of clothes like most vintage shops usually have – it’s filled with delicately placed objects like a wicker basket, pewter pitchers, crystal bowls, beaded necklaces, incense sticks, wooden bangles, a mortar and pestle, and sunglasses laid out like artifacts. 

There’s no signage telling you where to look. No mirrors at the end of aisles. It feels more like walking into your most iconic grandma’s closet (in the best way).

That’s exactly what sets PDA Shop apart from any thrift experience I’ve had in New York: it subtly dissolves the line between retail and a domestic space. Clothes are not displayed to be consumed quickly, but to be lived with, and their homey boutique inspires you to visualize yourself in the real world with their clothes. 

The temptation to linger – to try on every ring and touch every vintage jewelry box – grows as you discover each room.  The objects on the table act as environmental cues, making you want to slow down your day and stay a little longer.

Now, about their selection. IN-SA-NE-LY-well curated and enjoyable.

Each piece is hand-picked by the founders, and can come from anywhere fun they’ve been to – with their personal preference for Europe ;). Because of their unique approach to working, Belle and Sarah provide a selection filled with vintage classics and timeless pieces, while still adding new things to their racks every single day. I would go to PDA Shop on a Thursday, come back on a Monday, and find new pieces. Impressive right? 

Their friendly approach to selling is just as intentional as their form of buying. As a shopping addict, I was once tempted to buy a pair of vintage, cyan leopard flats (iconic, I know) that wouldn’t even keep my feet in. But Sarah would nicely tell me, “I can’t sell you shoes that don’t fit you, Chloé, I’m sorry.” She was right – I was just delusional.  That moment stuck with me because it’s the opposite of every New York retail experience I’ve had, thrift or otherwise. They even offer private after-hours appointments where you can email them your specific taste, and they’ll pull a personalized selection of pieces just for you.

Oh, and about affordability, of course – a touchy subject when living in costly NYC. PDA Shop’s pricing reflects the same honesty: small accessories start at around $20, with larger pieces like coats reaching a maximum of $300. These, I believe, are ranges that actually respect the secondhand ethos rather than undermine it.

I still love New York’s precious vintage scene with all my heart. Beacon’s Closet, The Vintage Twin, The RealReal – who am I to dismiss them? But, having been here for three years now,  NYC thrifts tend to feel chaotic, overfilled, and trend-driven. PDA Shop, and Melbourne’s thrift culture more broadly, operate differently: they’re curated, charming, and priced with integrity. 

New York’s Australiazation is on the rise, for sure. But the thing that makes Aussie fashion genuinely special isn’t something you can just pop up in SoHo. 

It lives in the small details of life, in a shop that feels like a home, run by two people who will talk you out of a bad purchase.… 🙂

From PDA Shop, with love xx