Melbourne has suburbs, and then it has lifestyles.

Caulfield: suburb. Seddon: suburb. Carlton: lifestyle.

Ask anyone who lives, has lived or works in 3053 and they can talk for ages about how it's different to almost anywhere else in town.

Guitar maker Sarah McKenna, 28, said she's witnessed the "professionalisation" of Carlton since moving in 11 years ago, when there were more creative types in residence. She thinks she and her partner are the only ones left on their street.

"People aren't being as experimental with the way they are dressing. It's quite classic. All you have to do is walk up Rathdowne Street on a Saturday. People quietly wear well-made branded clothing, rather than wearing emblazoned logos. There's not a lot of diamantes," she said.

Nor is there a lot of active wear on show compared to other suburbs, she said.

"People put effort into looking polished. Not rich, not tanned; just polished. They want their hair to look like they just got out of bed and didn't try. It's looking expensive without looking rich."

Carlton's style, links to Italy and melting pot of students, artisans and professionals has earned it top spot in a list of Melbourne's most fashion-conscious suburbs compiled by data analysts Defin'd, using statistics from the Nielsen Consumer Media View survey and the last Census.

The top 10 featured several suburbs with strong student populations, including the CBD, Southbank, Travancore and Clayton.

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Shelley Pratt, who works at Carlton boutique rpm Melbourne, said local fashions were drawn from all over the world.

"The street style here is quite fascinating to watch. They're not commercial; they have their own style and individuality," she said.

"They're definitely fashion conscious, they put a lot of effort into how they dress. There's definitely a more old-world style here ... just a different calibre of person. They appreciate good design." 

Stephen Lee, of Defin'd, said the data could help retailers to tailor their offering in more trend-conscious areas.

"The results weren't as expected. You would think suburbs such as Surry Hills in Sydney or Fitzroy in Melbourne would be up there. The findings challenge some of that."

Defin'd calculated the top 10 suburbs based on responses to the questions, "Do you like to keep up with the latest fashion trends?" and "Do you like to appear stylish?".

Mr Lee acknowledged that style can be very subjective.

"We put a commercial spin on it in saying these people want to keep up with the latest trends," he said.

Melbourne's most fashion-conscious suburbs*

1. Carlton

2. Melbourne CBD

3. Southbank

4. Travancore

5. Parkville

6. West Melbourne

7. North Melbourne

8. Clayton

9. Carlton North

10. Cremorne

* Based on data calculated by Defin'd using the Nielsen Consumer Media View survey and the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 Census