A walking tour with a difference gives shopaholics the perfect introduction to Sydney.
The instructions were simple. I was to rendezvous with a woman called Matilda at 10am on the corner of Queen and Oxford Streets in Woollahra, Sydney. Feeling like a character in a second-rate spy novel, I idly wondered if she'd be wearing a red carnation for identification purposes. But, as the lone occupant of that particular corner, Matilda - who was to be my guide on an Urban Walkabout Tour of the fashion districts of Woollahra and Paddington - was easy to spot in her military-inspired Trelise Cooper coat.
Stranded in Sydney one wintry Saturday while my husband attended a conference at the Sheraton on the Park, I took my cue from corporate wives the world over and decided to hit the shops. To date my knowledge of Sydney had been fairly poor, my personal retail map of the city not stretching much beyond the David Jones department store and the luxury designer enclave on Castlereagh St. But all that was about to change thanks to Matilda, a local fashion aficionado and design student with an insider's knowledge and an eye for the next big thing. We were joined by two sisters, Danielle and Elyse, who also confessed to virtual ignorance of the area despite being lifelong Sydneysiders.
The tour had been carefully curated. Matilda made sure to take us only to those shops she felt were worthy of our attention. With around 24 boutiques to visit in less than three hours, there was no time to waste on the also-rans. Our attention was quickly diverted elsewhere if we showed signs off wandering off-track.
Although Matilda was warmly greeted by most of the shop proprietors, she was quick to assure us that no commissions were involved in the process. This was purely her take on the best her suburb had to offer. I was glad she wasn't relying on commission, as we ended up being an especially frugal trio that day, managing to purchase only a table-runner between us. The sisters planned to return for a more leisurely visit while I, fresh from a week in New York, considered myself pretty much shopped-out.
