If you hate strip malls, rest assured you won't find any chain stores with names ending in '-mart' in the Royal Arcade. Set in the heart of Melbourne, the arcade is Australia's oldest shopping precinct and boasts a spectrum of intriguing boutiques.
Babushkas (No 9; tel: 61 3 9654 3090) is an Aladdin's cave of Eastern European gifts and jewellery. Feast your eyes on patterned wooden eggs (A$7; HK$50), Baltic amber earrings (A$76) and bizarre wooden doll sets that throw unlikely characters together. One A$74 set features a cheburashka (a koala-like cartoon figure), an alligator playing an accordion, a dog and a mouse, and a regular babushka holding a handbag.
If you want to dress up, head to Anonymous Posh (No 43; tel: 61 3 9650 4263), which sells
1930s velvet opera coats, beaded cardigans, tulle dresses and jewellery, among other items. Recently spotted one-off objects of desire included a black snakeskin handbag (A$58) and an aqua crushed-shell-and-resin necklace (A$54).
For luxurious new clothes worthy of an emperor, pop into Silk Store (No 8; tel: 61 3 9650 0818), which sells gorgeous garb from Shanghai that should not break the bank. Expect to pay between A$20 and A$80 for a scarf, from A$130 to A$180 for a coat and A$160 to A$180 for a gown.
If you lose track of time, head to Time Concept (No 46), a master watchmaker and jeweller that sells new and second-hand timepieces and a quirky selection of novelties. The range encompasses gun-shaped keyring watches (A$28) and snow globes containing the likeness of Tutankhamun (A$75).