Noosa clothing and homewares experts share style secrets

Fashion experts who built their brands on the glittering strip that is Noosa have lifted the lid on the area’s unique style and how to nail it.

From French aesthetics to silk staples, there are certain style markings that make residents and tourists realise they have crossed the border into the Noosa shire.

Meet the men and women who curate your shopping experience in Noosa, and read what they have to say about the region’s look.

Who Invited Her

Fashion designer and Who Invited Her owner Zoe West has always had a love affair with French fashion.

She said the French style was pared back, elegant, unfussed and not trying too hard.

Who Invited Her owner Zoe West. Picture: Hugh Peachey

The Noosa shopfront has been open for about five years and was founded by Ms West and commercial director and photographer Hugh Peachey.

Ms West said she was dressing real women “of all shapes and sizes” and she wanted to make them feel elegant.

The Who Invited Her shopfront.

“The product has to feel good on the skin,” she said.

The fashion designer said she was not interested in stocking trends in the store.

Rather, she hand-picked pieces that could look elegant on a 25-year-old or someone in their 60s.

The fashion designer also launched her own brand, calou, born from what her Noosa customers needed.

“It’s becoming our best-selling label in our store,” she said.

Where: Noosa Heads

What: Clothing, accessories, handbags and more

Brands include: Diega Paris, Baum und Pferdgarten, Birgitte Herskind

Luxe Noosa

Shop assistant Jess Kani said Noosa style was a relaxed beachy style with breathable fabrics.

“In summer time, you’ll find everyone is looking for that brighter floral or brighter block colour,” she said.

“But generally people really love these earthy tones.”

She said Luxe Noosa’s favoured textile was a bamboo that was a “beautiful, breathable” fabric.

“It hangs differently, and the colours stay really solid and don’t fade,” Ms Kani said.

Where: Noosa Junction, Noosa Heads

What: Clothing, shoes, accessories and more

Brands include: Mostly Lou Lou Australia, the boutique’s own brand

It’s All About Me

Owner Trudy Doyle opened her shop in 2017.

The owner said she had to change her stock during the Covid-19 pandemic but because she knew her customers well she was able to make it through 2020 and 2021.

She said she stocked “lots of white” along with bright colours, linens and silks.

Ms Doyle said her current favourite items were the silks.

“They seem to be selling quite well because a lot of those Covid weddings are happening now,” she said.

The owner said she stocked items that customers could dress up or wear casually.

Her market was mature women but she also had a couple of labels for younger customers.

Where: Noosaville

What: Clothing, accessories, handbags and more

Brands include: Cafe Latte

Tres Noosa

Tres Noosa owner Pauline Attias said the sand inside her store was never intended as a marketing tool but the boutique was famous for it.

“There used to be a lot more, but over time I’ve created a path,” she said.

She said the Noosa style was beachy and classy but casual at the same time.

The “shop with the sand on the floor”, Tres Noosa in Noosa Junction.

Ms Attias stocks many Italian-made linen clothing items along with timber homewares and more.

The owner said she had learnt what her customers, who were tourists and Noosa residents, liked over the decade the store had been open.

She had also traded at the Eumundi Markets for about five years before opening the Noosa Junction store.

Where: Noosa Junction, Noosa Heads

What: Linen clothing items, gifts, homewares and more

Brands include: Italian-made linen and gifts, artwork and crafts from Noosa and Sunshine Coast locals

Clique

Clique was opened in 2017 and stocks a number of well-known labels and independent brands aimed at a younger crowd, or the young at heart.

The look – oversized hoodies, sneakers, baggy pants – reflects the surfing and skating lifestyle that is a cornerstone of the region.

Where: Noosa Junction, Noosa Heads

What: Hoodies, T-shirts, jumpers, footwear and more

Brands include: Adidas Originals, Pass-Port, Butter Goods

The Modern

Owner Michael Josephson was a lawyer in banking before he and his brother founded Universal Store.

Then, about a decade ago, Mr Josephson opened his first furniture store.

“I always admired Scandinavian design and just noted it was either very expensive or trashy,” he said.

“There wasn’t anything that was authentic at a price that was affordable.”

Mr Josephson’s furniture is designed in Scandinavia and made in Vietnam.

“It took off from day one because the whole ethos of Scandinavian feature is form, functionality and access to everyone,” he said.

The owner said the furniture suited the Noosa region.

“Natural timbers, which don’t rust so you don’t have the issue of rust, and also the organic forms and the nice shapes really suit the coastal markets,” Mr Josephson said.

Where: Noosa Junction, Noosa Heads

What: Furniture, homewares, cushions and more