High Street Memories: Collette Dinnigan on William Street in Paddington

When Australian homewares and interior designer Collette Dinnigan opened her first fashion retail boutique at 33 William Street, Paddington in 1992, she was also residing upstairs. As a 20-something up-and-coming designer with a budding entrepreneurial spirit – she opened next door to her friend and jeweller Victoria Spring.  

“Having a retail store on William Street in the ’90s was the touch and feel era of shopping,” recalls Collette Dinnigan as she reminisces of the strip where it all began career wise.

She sold the building in 2018 for $1.655 million, realestate.com.au records show, but says she wishes she hung onto it.

“Stores like mine were all about the experience when you came in. We offered an alteration service, you could get made to order pieces and could try on a bridal dress too,” she says.  

“This was a time for bespoke and owner operated designers who were giving it a go, and people got right behind it,” says Dinnigan.  

The original Collette Dinnigan store in William Street, Paddington. Picture realestate.com.au

At the time her friends Victoria Spring (who also gave Dinnigan beads to sew in her own garments) and Industrie founder Nick Kelly helped her paint the store. 

“We were all very entrepreneurial spirits and loved an adventure,” she says.  

“Joining the high street was what you did if you wanted to open a business. You also couldn’t lay back; we were young and ambitious and worked really hard. We had cult followings and it was all about old school press – being in magazines like Follow Me and Studio. It all added to the energy of what was happening at the time.” 

She moved the store to 104 Queen Street Woollahra in 2010 and then moved out of Woollahra in 2014 as she downsized her retail and wholesale operations.  The original Collette Dinnigan building is now owned by interior designer Tamsin Johnson.      

Earliest memories

When I moved to William Street, Paddington I already knew my friend jewellery designer Victoria Spring who had a shop – together we made it a fashion destination in those early days.

It was the era when David Ho Antiques and Hamish Clarke Antiques who were successful traders on the strip. Valonz Hair was just up the road, and we all loved to go down the bottom of the hill on Hopeton Street at Bonaventura. It was an Italian coffee house and deli favourite, where we ate Italian panini and drank the best coffee.

There was also William St Chocolates too. A lot of other retailers started to come to the strip after us – like Venroy, Nudie Jeans and Jiva Clothing. Belinder Seper from The Corner Shop moved in on William Street after me, but she also ran a very successful shop from here. Now it’s full of clothing stores, florists and art shops.

I opened my shop before I first showed at Paris Fashion Week in 1995. William Street Paddington was mostly a residential street back in the day; there was a recession happening when I first opened here and I opted purposefully for the side street away from Oxford St.  It was different, lots of fun and customers could find a car park. We’d sit with a glass of wine at 6pm and discuss how the day’s sales went with the other retailers. It’s been the beginning of many retail success stories over the years. 

William Street Paddington is filled with shops in unique terrace buildings. Picture: realestate.com.au

A local character

There was a corner store milk bar owner Charlie who always had the gossip on William Street. He knew the lay of the land and was always be the barometer of what was happening. He was a character everybody knew. I also loved the atmosphere at The Paddington Inn – we’d drink there on a Friday night or eat at The London Hotel or dine at the Italian restaurant Cacciatore. It was very local; no such thing as crossing town, you had all you wanted on the strip. 

Favourite that’s no-longer

I loved Suzie Anderson’s Antiques. She has a store in the Southern Highlands, NSW now and others, but she ran her own antique store on William Street back in the day. I bought so many pieces from her shop. There is still a sense of antique stores around in Paddington, but it’s more glamorous because it’s more a destination shopping strip now. I also would duck down to Deeta Colvin’s office – she ran her own PR company called Colvin Comms and the end of our street – and I’d sometimes drop by on a Friday afternoon and drink champagne. That’s when an end of week Friday night drink was a big deal.    

The shop-fronts are painted in eye-popping colours. Picture: realestate.com.au

Favourite that’s stood the test of time

Alimentari still makes good Italian food and they’re in the former spot of Bonventura. It’s the place where I still go and get a coffee and top up on some anchovies, olives and cheese. It doesn’t seem to turn over staff quickly and it’s always nice to see familiar faces. This is still a destination for me.  

Best new kid on the block

A new florist is on the strip I like called Bess.  I used them for the last photoshoot we did. Lovely branches of magnolias and lots of great flowers here.