Also it’s not ‘top 10′ cause I thought the length of the entry was getting out of hand! 7 will suffice

!One – Cite

I picked Cite as the top place to shop because it’s affordable, accessible (being open in 3 locations) and has a variety of items to suit different people and different styles. Everything in the store hits you with a bang. I don’t think I’ve come across a store that was so ready to be so unique and out-there. A lot of the items are really pushing cutting edge fashion boundaries.

The chain has moved in fast and set up fronts in Whitford city, Carousel and now there’s one in Karrinyup shopping centre. Carrying a mix of skate and surf as well as fashion labels, Cite picks the best and edgiest each brand has to offer. They carry minkpink, something, little lady from (a venture by oneteaspoon), insight (including their latest, dopamine), oneteaspoon, Zoo York, Stussy, Local Celebrity as well as jewellery by Disney Couture, shoes by nike and adidas, watches by nikon and police and a bunch of other trendy accessories. A definite must visit!

!Two – Pigeonhole

Next on the list is my fave barrack st store. Johann, the store manager has got to be one of the most friendly and easy to talk to store managers ever. Never failing to make friends with a customer, he never lets the small store become cramped or awkward. Hand-picking everything in the store from Australian and international designers, everything is new and different and unique. A lot of things you’ll find have a way of getting to Pigeonhole first and then filtering out to other stockists – because Johann is actually the distributor for a lot of those items.

If you need that finishing touch on an outfit – say a brooch or a necklace or earrings, I’d definitely recommend this store. It’s also a go-to for unique gifts. While the clothing is a little on the pricey side, pigeonhole does tend to have sales that literally blow you away and you can find things reduced by up to 60%. Located in the Bon Marche Arcade on Barrack st, and also on Shafto lane.

!Three – Harry Highpants

Highpants I think was the store that got me into it all – hunting down small boutiques and checking out local culture. I chanced upon it when I was walking up william st just browsing.

Harry is just great. They stock not just cool brands, but cool clothes. Take insight for example. I think we’ll all admit that some insight stuff is pretty run of the mill. Harry picks out the best in each collection and stocks that. It’s great! They also have a bunch of clothes toward the back of the store that are second-hand, but totally retro/vintage and more importantly affordable. It’s like a version of retro vinnies that’s actually cool.

The store is mostly about clothes – stocking insight, my pet square, Swedish jeans, other random brands  – but they also stock books, cameras, and jewelery. The jewelery is notable – small wooden brooches, necklaces sporting teapots or miniature muffins, delicious stuff.

!Four – Atlas Divine

The ultimate in shopping experience – decadent and suave, lush and dramatic. Atlas Divine certainly makes a statement with its amazing decor, vintage wallpaper and furniture all decked out. What about the contents though? Atlas stocks a variety of designer clothes for both men and women and while I can’t say I was too impressed, what got me were the jeans, shoes and jewellery. An amazing array of women’s and men’s shoes – heels like you wouldn’t believe. They also stock Disney Couture – and did so long before Cite was ever on the scene – and Cheap monday jeans. Cheap mondays are just THE brand jeans to have. In my opinion they trump all other brands ( it must be the tag !)

Anyway it’s somewhere you have to go once, just to get the experience. It’s on the leederville strip anyway so on the way to a bunch of other fabulous boutiques.

!Five – The Basement

What’s that? If you haven’t been to the basement in Myers in the city, you must have been living under a rock. It’s a massive section occupying half of the bottom floor of Myers and catering to both men and women. The decor is uncharacteristic of Myers, dark and dimly lit and the clothes catering to younger age groups (14-30?) with smaller wallets. Not to say that things are cheap!

Stocking for women Pilgrim, Kenji, Riders, Bauhaus, French Kitty, Tokito, Miss Shop, Purr, Bluejuice, Golf Punk, Bardot, Ed Hardy as well as a bunch of other designers ( hard to keep track) there’s definitely a wide variety to choose from and it’s all deliciously subject to Myers’ wonderful sales.

!Six – Fi and Co.

Fi and Co. is a cute little store on William st that stocks all sorts – mainly in shoes and clothes. This was one of the first places that I saw Minkpink sold in Perth. Everything is definitely affordable (no ridiculous price tags a la subway DC or wheels and doll baby) and very individual. It’s a small independent boutique and worth the visit. One of the most notable products are definitely the shoes – an array of shoes, all different, all super duper cute! A definite visit, it’s part of the william st collective along with Keith and lottie, Harry highpants and Lalaorange. That leads me on to the next store!

!Seven – lalaorange

Lalaorange is faar away – it’s not a store you’d happen to chance upon, walking around Perth. It’s on william st on the same side as harry but further up, much further up. It’s also very small.

But it’s worth finding! As you’ll see by reading their blog, lala orange is filled with dreamy shopkeepers who are up to date with things fashion-wise, but also have a sense of humor. The store is small and narrow but it’s got the stuff. A collection of vintage designer clothing for men and women, as well as delightful jewelery and accessories. One of the blog posts mentions their new collection of Tilly Bloom jewelery – which you can see on their online store – and it’s absolutely delightful (though reminiscent of things I’ve seen on etsy – for less).

For reference, the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990-2000.

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” – Oscar Wilde

I’m sure very few will miss the Goosebumps series should they be pulled from shelves, but the fact that most of these are re-instated in American public libraries restores my faith in the future of children’s education and literacy. Were the holes in the shelves left by the absence of some of these remain unfilled, they would spell out ‘literary crisis’.

My advice? Check out the list, remember and appreciate the ones you have read and find some to read while you still have access to them

Here’s a brief list of books that strongly shaped me, have piqued my interest and/or have been added to my contraband reading list:

3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (who could refuse a child the simple joy of Roald Dahl?)
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

And you thought we lived in enlightened times.

(Other ALA books banned from at various times include 1984, The Diary of Anne Frank, Fahrenheit 451, Twelfth Night, Ulysses, and the list goes on…)