Miss Louise -- A Hidden Gem

Nestled down a cobblestone pathway off of the main shopping thorough way on Bourke Street in the heart of Melbourne, is Miss Louise, a shoe boutique like none other that I've been to before. As I spent my day shopping up and down the streets of Melbourne, ducking in and out of stores to a. avoid the rain and b. spend money that I probably shouldn't, I found Miss Louise. A shop very small in square footage but huge in inventory, Miss Louise greets you with two glass windows filled with shoes and bags. There were no strategically placed displays or spotlights on the newest arrivals, rather rows of shoes and the absolute best shoes at that. With a large sticker plastered on the door reading WINTER SALE NOW, I knew I had to at least visit. I was not expecting to be overcome with joy and a feeling of "where should I start."

With the newest styles of Alexander McQueen, Giuseppe Zanotti, Christian Louboutin, YSL, Balmain, Chloe, Azzedine Alaia and every other top shoe designer, Miss Louise completely caught me off guard. I was caught off guard not because of the selection but because of the presentation. Usually when you find a boutique or even department store with high end designers, shoes are propped up and displayed as if they are desserts on a platter. Sometimes you almost feel as though you shouldn't touch because you are afraid that you'll disturb the setup. But Miss Louise was different. All shoes were treated equally, nothing seemed unattainable, even though some shoes had prices upward of 2500 AUD.

It was the most welcoming environment when it could have and should have been so pretentious. Maybe it was the Australian spirit of open arms that Miss Louise tried to capture. Established in 1964, Miss Louise has brought the best of international shoe and bag designers to Melbourne, a bustling cosmopolitan city and the fashion capital of Australia. While many automatically think of Sydney as the leader of everything Australia, Melbourne's fashion and business districts lead the way.

Of course I couldn't leave empty handed, especially since it's winter here and most of the summer styles were on sale in addition to not having to pay tax. Unfortunately for me and my big feet, they didn't have my size in stock, but were able to locate my caged Louboutin bootie in their warehouse. On top of the the lovely small boutique environment, all of the ladies in the shop provided wonderful attention to detail and impeccable service offering to have my shoes delivered to my place I'm staying in Australia free of charge.

Now that's unforgettably chic.