Has Melbourne gone ga-ga for Zara?

Zara's opening this week in Melbourne has caused a flurry of ferocious fashionistas flocking to the new flagship site in the heart of Bourke Street Mall - but is the Spanish giant's fast fashion worth the fight?

Day #1 of business: Zara is warmly welcomed by Melbourne

European retailer Zara has this week hit heights of dizziness in the land fashion. The term 'globalisation' has been given a whole new meaning, with our city's most famous shopping strip seeing record numbers of women, men and children pounding the pavements in the last 72 hours, to experience the stylish giant herself.

Organisers went to extreme measures to ensure the zoo of Zara remained under control - trams travelling through the Mall were sectioned off with festival fences, and security stood at every inch of the store's radius, controlling crowds, counter clock in hands.

While the opening party went off with a celebrity filled bang, the party still continues in ridiculously high numbers.

I had no interest in elbowing my way past pushy parents with prams and stiletto-wearing sticks, but by day two I couldn't contain my curiosity, and found myself winding through the rope restricted black carpet.

While I am no stranger to the beauty and appeal of Zara's garments (almost every capital city visited during 2009's backpacking trip accounted for at least one day of shopping for clothes I couldn't afford,) the sheer volume of hormoes buzzing around the three story building was off-putting.

Shoppers push past to snatch some European style.

Black-clad staff members buzzed like bees to a hive, re-hanging blouses, sorting through tables of strewn jeans and organising accesory walls, while hungry shoppers crunched their credit cards all in the name of looking good.

There was no need to express selling skills here - customer service was au go-go, with register bells pining as navy paper bags were shoved with wares and perched proudly on arms.

As I made my way to the back of the store, the craziness increased, with a fitting room line so long, a wait on our healthcare's heart transplant list would be quicker... and I wasn't the only one thinking this - desperate girls got their fashion fixes in front of family, friends and mirrors, bypassing the privacy of the change rooms and stripping in the middle of the store.

Sure, Zara's presence in Australia is considerably history making - this is the first time such a large, highly adored leader in world wide fashion has opened it's doors on our shores...but with whispers that the store's current stock has been fast tracked from the reject racks of the chain's European outlets, as well as the company's spokespeople confirming that Australian designs will soon differ to that of the European market, I wonder, has the hype of Zara's arrival been a molehill turned into a mountain?

Australian consumers will no doubt be pleased to see a 'Made in Morocco' label as opposed to a 'Made in China' one, but the exotic appeal surely will wain when one glances down to see sticker slapped with an (increased) dollar price over the original printed tag.

Upon walking out of the crowd and back onto the street, across the road I noticed the flagship stores of retail giants Sportsgirl, Adidas, Diva and Jetty Surf were comparably quiet...

Highly hyped: Day #2 of business on Bourke Street Mall.

Zara's arrival in Melbourne and Sydney has certainly started with a strong stance, and I have no doubt will continue to thrive on the High Street, as well as online.

 However, I think the Spanish retailer's influence is, if anything, a sign of things to come for our troubled  and competitive retail economy. Consumer wise, choice is at an all time high, and I predict the future of our shopping centres and strips will soon allure other major, international retailers.

I may not have been pissing my pants to parade through the doors of Zara, but should UK retailer Topshop open a store or two? I'm so there, girlfriend.