The Queen
Victoria
Building

The fashionista’s guide to Sydney

WORDS UTE JUNKER

The fashion spotlight lands on Sydney this month for its annual fashion extravaganza, the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, which runs from 30 April to 4 May. A manic week of high heels, hair tongs, model (mis)behaviour and catwalk capers, this is where Australia’s best designers strut their latest stuff. While the shows aren’t open to the general public, don’t despair if you’re not in the biz! Here’s our guide to doing Sydney in style.

Sydney Fashion Week	MAC Backstage
Graduate Store Andrea Cainero	Graduate Store Karla Spetic
Graduate Store Naomi Swalwell	Graduate Store Michael Lo Sordo
Graduate Store Melissa Polynkova

SEE FOR YOURSELF

It’s not just industry insiders who get a sneak peek of what’s coming up. Catch the best new looks from Australian designers at the Royal Easter
Lily Cole models for
Zimmermann Show (Sydney Showground, 15 Showground Road, Sydney Olympic Park, www.eastershow.com.au). An entry ticket gives you access to the Fashion and Style Pavilion, where you can ogle a host of parades featuring the country’s top designers, including Alannah Hill, Charlie Brown, Jayson Brunsdon, Leopold, Morrissey, and Tom, Dick & Harry. Parades take place every day on 5–18 April at noon, 1pm, 3pm and 4pm, with a 5pm show on weekends and public holidays. Of course, entry is a case of first in, best dressed!

GET THE LOOK

Sydney’s best shopping districts combine the latest designer-label looks with cheap and cheerful bargains. Here are our three picks for one-stop shopping.

The Strand

The Strand

George Street, Sydney The beautiful Strand arcade has been luring shoppers since 1892.

These days, it’s home to some of Australia’s best designers, with the likes of Wayne Cooper, Third Millennium and Zimmermann on show in the upper storeys.

The Strand is also the place to come for men’s shoes – try Josephs for brands like Sebago and Sioux – and don’t miss the brand-new Graduate Store, which stocks the work of young fashion hopefuls. At the arcade’s eastern exit on Pitt Street Mall, pick up inexpensive, fashion-forward pieces from Dotti, Witchery and Esprit.

Bettina Liano	Lisa Ho	Jayson Brunsdon
Bettina Liano	Josh Goot	Lisa Ho

Double Bay

The leafy, village-y atmosphere of Double Bay has made it a favourite with wealthy eastern suburbs types, so it’s no surprise it has some of Sydney’s most exclusive boutiques. If you’re in search of something really special, Guilfoyle Avenue and Cross Street are good places to start. Check out edgy New Zealand label Zambesi (8 Cross St., tel: +61 (2) 9363 1466) which uses vintage fabrics or try stylists’ favourite Christensen Copenhagen (2 Guilfoyle Ave., tel: +61 (2) 9382 9755) for labels from
Designer Jayson BrunsdonFrance, the UK and Scandinavia. Around the corner is the legendary Belinda (8 Transvaal Ave., tel: +61 (2) 9328 6288), run by Sydney style queen Belinda Seper. Bargain-hunters can head to the Double Bay Clothing Warehouse (465 New South Head Road, tel: +61 (2) 9362 4355), which stocks the latest fashion looks for men and women at reasonable prices.

Chatswood Chase

Victoria Avenue, Chatswood When it comes to shops per square metre, downtown Chatswood leaves most other parts of Sydney for dead. The stretch of Victoria Avenue leading to Chatswood Station is home to a bewildering variety of malls and retail outlets. If it’s fashion you’re after, however, head straight for Chatswood Chase mall.

MAC
backstage

With over 130 specialty stores, the Chase has something to suit every budget. High-end labels include overseas designers such as Karen Millen, Polo Ralph Lauren, and local favourites like Leona Edmiston, Morrissey and sleepwear specialist, Peter Alexander. The David Jones department store has strong men’s and women’s ranges and stocks a plethora of Australian designers, while K-Mart offers great inexpensive basics like underwear and T-shirts. Chain boutiques such as Tightrope, Witchery and Portmans are good places to fill in the gaps with afforable wardrobe essentials.

WINING, DINING, STYLING

Ever wondered what models actually eat?
If you want to find out, book a table for dinner at The Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay West. This is Fashion Week HQ and we predict the local restaurants will be packed out with design divas, muses and models. These restaurants are some of the best in town, too, serving up stellar cuisine with their stunning views. Afterwards, let your long hair down and do more fashionista spotting at these fabulous bars.

Delicious dinners:

Cruise, tel: +61 (2) 9251 1188 Long a favourite with serious foodies, this Mod-Oz restaurant recently underwent a complete revamp with superb results.

Quay, tel: +61 (2) 9251 5600 One of the best restaurants in Sydney just keeps getting better. Try the new set menus which offer five choices per course: two or three courses at lunch, four at dinner.

Wildfire, tel: +61 (2) 8273 1222 Everything at Wildfire is extravagant – the restaurant, the buzz and the menu, which features both superb fresh seafood and, it says, dishes from “Sydney’s most comprehensive bank of wood-fired ovens, rotisseries and the Brazilian-inspired churrasco grill”. Viva maximalism!

The best bar none:

Ember, tel: +61 (2) 9252 5977 After dinner at Wildfire, pop into its bar, Ember, to round off the evening with a drink or two. Stylish décor, delicious cocktails – and you can hear yourself think. Very nice indeed.

Cruise Bar, tel: +61 (2) 9251 1188 Formerly Posh Lounge by name, and still posh by nature, this place has some of the more expensive cocktails in town. Still, when you can soak up a view this magnificent while you’re sipping your drink, who’s complaining?

Just for shoe addicts:

Unleash your inner Imelda Marcos at the Queen Victoria Building on George Street, on 2–15 April, when it’s hosting an exhibition celebrating Two Centuries of Fabulous

Footwear. More than 60 pairs of lustworthy antique, vintage and modern designs will be on show. Keep an eye out for the gorgeous 18th-century bridal slippers and 1920s silver and gold lame numbers, along with classics from modern masters such as Versace and Bruno Magli.

IN WITH THE NEW

Anna Hewitt

We asked Anna Hewitt, leading fashion stylist and designer, “what’s the hottest look for winter?” Here’s the skinny.
My favourite is the “futuristic” look which mixes the space-age feel of the 60s with the sexier, glam looks of the 80s – metallic shift dresses, silver and gold embellishments, shiny silks and plastics.

Is this best for day or evening?
It’s easier to do for evening: choose fabrics like brocades, lamés, even beaded and sequinned pieces in metallic finishes. For day, accessorise a graphic black or white outfit with heavy metal bangles, or metallic leather accessories.

Who’s doing it best?
Josh Goot, Arnsdorf & Karaaslan, Tina Kalivas and Kirrily Johnston.

If I don’t like this look, what else can I try?
A new feminine romanticism is also strong for winter: soft palettes of muted pinks, taupes, greys and creams in old-world lace and softer silk chiffons, soft ruffles and pleats. Designers such as Lover, Toni Maticevski and Akira Kurosawa do it perfectly.

Any other key trends?
Skinny pants, the LBD (Little Black Dress), sports styling and super-short hemlines with opaque stockings for winter legs… all done with a cleaner, more graphic edge.