LEFT

Twist a curl of hair around your finger and tell your friends that you read The Style Press all you like; European style is a lot closer than you think. LEFT is a heart-palpitatingly classy store hiding on Gertrude Street. It's been there for some time now but few would know it stocks some of the world's most exquisite labels; from Comme des Garcons - Comme des Garcons to Yohji Yamamoto's Y's: a label with enough weighty folds and laid-back elegance to turn regular humans into walking pieces of art.

LEFT stocks French candles (from the oldest wax-producing manufacturer in the world) that are scented with the flavours of a battlefield: tobacco, gunpowder, grime and blood (actually, it's a total turn-on). Ask about M.A+'s leather while you're there. This designer's leather is buried in dirt and sand - for years - to achieve particular textures and washes in the hide. You really can't get any more European than some guy burying leather in a field in the name of fashion.