Behind the Buy: Inside Lestyle Boutique's 2025 Rome Buying Trip
Every season, long before a single garment reaches the racks at Lestyle Boutique on Little Collins Street, our buying team is already on the ground in Italy — walking through showrooms, assessing fabric and fit, and placing orders directly with the brands.
In late 2025, our Creative Director Steven and sales professional Anita travelled to Rome for our latest buying trip. This time, we filmed it.
This is your behind-the-scenes look at the showrooms, the relationships, and a few standout moments from the trip.
Lestyle Boutique: 20+ Years in Melbourne
Lestyle Boutique has been part of Melbourne's fashion landscape for more than two decades, operating from 136 Little Collins Street in the heart of the CBD. Over that time, the boutique has built long-standing, direct relationships with some of Italy's most respected luxury fashion houses.
Aside from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lestyle has sent a team to Italy every year — visiting showrooms in person, selecting each season's collection, and maintaining supplier relationships face to face.
In-person buying at this level is increasingly rare. For most retailers, wholesale portals and bulk ordering have replaced the showroom visit entirely. For Lestyle, the in-person trip remains the standard: someone from the team is physically in the room, looking at the actual garments, before anything is ordered for the Melbourne store.
Inside the Rome Showrooms: What We Visited in 2025
The 2025 Rome buying trip took Steven and Anita through a concentrated run of showrooms, including:
- Dsquared2 — multiple visits across the trip, reviewing new-season menswear and womenswear
- Fendi — ready-to-wear pieces and accessories
- Just Cavalli — a detailed walkthrough of the latest collection
- Moschino — a focused review of key pieces
- Philipp Plein — one of the most extensive stops, with multiple sessions across several days
- Versace — collection highlights selected for the Melbourne store
At each stop, the footage captures what most customers never see: working through rails of clothing, checking construction and fabric quality, trying pieces on, and making precise decisions about what will make the journey back to Melbourne.
A Chance Meeting with Dean Caten of Dsquared2
One of the highlights of the trip came during the Dsquared2 leg, when Steven crossed paths with Dean Caten — co-founder of Dsquared2 alongside his twin brother Dan. The two took a photo together.
It's a small moment, but one that reflects the kind of access that comes from two decades of showing up in person, season after season. These aren't transactional relationships — they're built over years of consistent presence and genuine partnership.
An Invitation to Philipp Plein's Private Party in Rome
The trip also included an invitation to a private party hosted by Philipp Plein in Rome, where Steven had the opportunity to meet the designer in person.
Invitations like this aren't extended to every wholesale buyer. They're typically reserved for partners the brand knows well — which speaks directly to the depth and longevity of Lestyle's relationship with the label.
Why In-Person Buying Still Matters for a Melbourne Designer Boutique
It would be far easier — and cheaper — to order stock through a wholesale portal without ever leaving Melbourne. So why does Lestyle still send a team to Rome every year?
Quality control at the source. Seeing and handling a garment in person, before it's ordered, is the only reliable way to assess fabric weight, construction quality, and true fit. No product image or spec sheet replicates that.
Direct relationships with the brands. Ordering in person means dealing directly with showroom teams — not a third-party distributor. That keeps the supply chain short, transparent, and responsive.
First access to new collections. Physical presence in the showroom often means earlier access to new-season pieces and a clearer picture of what's coming next — before it's widely available.
Two decades of trust. Relationships like those with Dsquared2 and Philipp Plein aren't built overnight. They're the result of showing up, year after year, for more than 20 years.
What This Means for Lestyle Customers
For anyone shopping at Lestyle Boutique on Little Collins Street, this trip is a look at what happens well before a garment ever reaches the shop floor.
Every piece in-store this season has been through a process like the one shown in our Behind the Buy video — selected in person, in Rome, by a team that has been doing this for over 20 years. That's not a marketing line. It's just how we've always worked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lestyle Boutique located?
Lestyle Boutique is located on 136 Little Collins Street in Melbourne's CBD, and has operated in Melbourne for more than 20 years.
Does Lestyle buy directly from designer showrooms?
Yes. Lestyle's team travels to Rome each year to visit brand showrooms in person and place orders directly — rather than buying through third-party wholesalers or online wholesale platforms.
Which designer brands does Lestyle stock?
Lestyle's 2025 Rome buying trip included visits to Dsquared2, Fendi, Just Cavalli, Moschino, Philipp Plein, Versace, and more brands. These brands are stocked at the Little Collins Street boutique in Melbourne.
Who runs the buying process at Lestyle?
The 2025 Rome trip was led by Lestyle's Creative Director, Steven, together with sales professional Anita.
Why does Lestyle travel to Rome for buying instead of ordering online?
In-person buying allows Lestyle to assess garment quality directly, maintain face-to-face relationships with brand showroom teams, and access new collections earlier. It's a practice the boutique has maintained for over 20 years.
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