Barkins is back

For about three years, I worked up the ‘New York’ end of Collins Street, which is just far enough away to make it impossible to get any decent shopping up the ‘Paris’ end of Collins Street in a lunch break.

But, to my delight, the Southern Cross Station DFO (Now rebranded the Spencer Street Fashion Station) was a paradise for an hours’ shopping, of which most of my time was spent in a store called Barkins.

At the time, Barkins was a baby sister or cousin or close friend of fashion label Table 8, whose store I had frequented on Bridge Rd on many an outlet shopping trip. Barkins offered on trend casual and work wear on graduate salary prices.

For a while, my wardrobe looked like a Barkins store – and then I branched out a bit, moved jobs and the Bourke St Mall became more of my local shopping haunt.

This week, Barkins re-entered the mainstream shopping precinct, opening a store at Melbourne’s QV. The relaunch party featured all the favourites – champagne, discounts and candy – and enticed my favourite people to come out of their winter hidey holes to mingle and talk shop.

Me with Christopher Rivera, Irish Rivera, Jennie Estrada and Ilker Kale . Pic thanks to Meagan Harding Photography.