About

The Reckless Abandon Boutique is a "hidden gem" tucked away at the end of Blocksidge Arcade at 144 Adelaide Street Brisbane City. It retails designer womenswear in sizes 10 - 24.

Labels include JOHNNY WAS, Megan Salmon, COOP, COOPER, CURATE by Trelise Cooper, and Trelise Cooper COUTURE. (Stop by and ask me the difference!)

Reckless fashion is selected for its edginess, beauty, and its timeless style. It's also where you’ll find garments cool enough to wear through summer, while still offering arm cover to protect you from our hot Australian sun.

I set out to create a shop that's unassuming, comfortable, and friendly. A place where you can find clothing that is uniquely you. Come in for a visit, take a seat, have a drink, and let's chat.

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Hi there, I'm Cate. I studied fashion design and garment technology while working in department stores, MYER and David Jones. I also worked for iconic Australian fashion label, Metalicus after two terms as a sales stylist and plus size specialist for womenswear powerhouse, Taking Shape. 

I advocate slow fashion and have been environmentally conscious for most of my adult life. My pet peeves are superfluous waste, single use plastic, and planned obsolescence in design and manufacture. The Ocean gives birth to all life on earth and valiantly needs protecting. Every little bit we do makes a difference.

As a young person I indulged in design journals and architectural digests that my dad had lying around the house. My Oma was a gifted sewer and couldn't walk past a fabric shop without getting tactile with the textiles.. When my mother first told me that a lot of things started to make sense.

In the early 90s, I dabbled in graphic design, and interior 'decoration' (as it was known back then), but by the year 2000 I'd gained an unrelated Double Diploma in Business and Human Resource Management. I shared that campus with fashion students and found myself preferring to sit with them at lunchtime. Seeds began to germinate but they would be slow growing... In 2001, I started a Bachelor of Education, to be followed by Arts (Philosophy) before taking fashion seriously. I eventually received a Diploma in Fashion Design and Garment Technology in 2012.

 

'Cate's intrinsic knowledge of fashion and its elements are extensive, which shows in the overall aesthetic when browsing through her shop.' 

[C. Montgomery]

                                                          

'Cate is a friendly and chatty person who seems to know a little bit about everything and I found her very helpful. She knows the city well, and if she doesn't have what you're looking for she can tell you where to find it - she even gave us a couple of excellent café and restaurant recommendations the first time we visited.' 

[M & J. Bell]