In partnership with Chatswood Chase
There are some things that online shopping will never replace. The text that says, "Meet you at 11?" The inevitable coffee before you've bought anything. Standing outside a fitting room while someone asks, "Be honest, is this me?" The way a shopping day expands to fill an afternoon, then somehow an entire day.
It's a ritual that feels almost nostalgic now.
When Chatswood Chase invited three RUSSH editors to spend the day exploring its newly unveiled luxury precinct, none of us arrived with a strict shopping list. Or at least, that's what we told ourselves.
The first thing you notice isn't the boutiques, but the atmosphere. Gone is the sensory overload that usually defines a shopping centre. Instead, the precinct unfolds with an almost gallery-like rhythm – wide walkways, warm stone, softly diffused light and enough space for each brand to breathe. The boutiques – which include some of our most coveted luxury Houses, from Dior, to Louis Vuitton, Chaumet and Cartier – feel less like individual stores and more like a considered neighbourhood, connected by moments of negative space. It's the kind of environment where you notice the details before you even notice the clothes. Here, the experience begins well before you step into the boutique.
It was the perfect backdrop for an afternoon that unfolded much like the shopping trips many of us grew up on. Only this time, each of us arrived with a different idea of what luxury looked like.
My first stop was Tiffany & Co., where what began as a casual browse quickly turned into a conversation about permanence. Planning a wedding has a way of changing how you look at jewellery. Suddenly, it isn't simply about what catches your eye, but what you'll still want to wear decades from now. Trying on delicate diamond bands and timeless gold pieces within the Tiffany Icons collection, I found myself thinking less about trends and more about the objects that become part of your life.
Executive Fashion Director Hannah Cooper was far more practical. With a calendar of international travel on the horizon, Rimowa became less of a wishlist stop and more of a necessary one. Watching Cooper inspect the construction of a suitcase with the same scrutiny she'd usually reserve for tailoring felt entirely on brand. For someone whose year is punctuated by airport lounges and fashion weeks, good luggage isn't an accessory – it's part of the uniform.
Meanwhile, Social Media Coordinator Samantha Corry disappeared into Emporio Armani with a mission familiar to anyone refining their wardrobe – finding elevated essentials that make getting dressed feel effortless. The pieces that don't demand attention but transform everything else you already own – impeccably cut trousers, an oversized blazer, knitwear destined to become part of the weekly rotation.
Somewhere between boutiques we stopped for coffee at Manon Tea Room, compared notes, detoured into beauty and inevitably circled back to the stores we'd already visited once before. Fashion editors are excellent enablers, and every purchase was met with immediate validation.
The floor itself encourages that kind of meandering. Wide walkways dissolve into intimate boutiques, each with its own distinct identity, while warm natural materials and soft lighting create a sense of ease that's surprisingly rare in retail. It never feels crowded, even when it's busy. Instead, you're invited to wander between fashion, jewellery and beauty without feeling like you're following a prescribed route.
The journey out is just as luxurious as the time spent within – with the ultimate, hassle-free valet service located directly on the level of the luxury precinct. If you'd prefer to remain hands-free when you shop, you can even ask for your shopping to be taken directly from the boutique to your car. Now that is the meaning of true luxury.
