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Strand Arcade, Sydney

During the roaring 20s and 30s, Sydney's Strand Arcade bustled with fashionable and colourful patrons. Begun in 1892, it was the fifth and last arcade built in Victorian Sydney and today is the only one remaining in its original form. The walls of this genteel old building reverberate with memories of swinging jazz bands and riotous parties. Named after London's smart theatre-hotel-shopping street of the early 1900s, this charismatic three-storey building provides a delightful thoroughfare for pedestrians between Pitt and George streets. Original cedar staircases at each end lead to second- and third-level galleries housing smart designer clothes shops.

Australian designers have long chosen the Strand to display their wares: Bettina Liano and Zimmerman have shops on the upper levels and Alannah Hill operates a large store with a cheery atmosphere. Designer flowered hair clips for A$35 ($205) are worn by all the staff; feminine pastel designer hats (A$299) and an antique pink embroidered dish coat (A$629) stand out.

Lisa Ho offers a rack full of individual creations, an elegant black and red soft silk party dress (A$600) hanging next to a candy pink long halter dress (A$800). Von Troska specialises in smart jackets (A$298) and matching pants (A$258) and at the Wayne Cooper store you can pick up a rose Marilyn Monroe-style party dress for A$395.

Collect some designer accessories at Virginia Riley, whose crystal and pearl tiara (A$250) is dainty and feminine. For chunky jewellery, try Dinosaur Designs for beads, bangles, rings and vases made out of acrylic resin. New designer jewellery store Ashani is the place to go for costume jewellery designed with semi-precious stones such as tourmaline and rhodolite (www.ashani.com.au).
The Strand's ground floor has fascinating shops such as the Victoria and Albert antique jewellery store, which sells second-hand estate jewellery. The House of Gemolite (www.gemolite.com.au) offers imitation diamond rings set in 18-carat gold and guaranteed to fool the untrained eye. They cost a fraction of the real thing. A one-carat imitation diamond in 18-carat gold will set you back A$500 and only you will know the truth! Or you could walk across the arcade to Rox Jewellery and fork out A$7,700 for an enormous zircon dress ring.

Strand Hatters enjoys an excellent trade in Akubra hats and has a wide selection of designs starting at A$120. Panama hats are all the rage, with the most expensive hat in the store a hand-woven Montecristi from Panama costing A$2,000.

And finally, if you're footsore after all that shop-hopping, make a direct, A$11 contribution to the economy by putting your feet up at the Executive shoeshine boothbelow the staircase at the George Street end of the arcade.

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