The favourite question throughout Thursday was “did you see Dion Lee?” -  we didn’t, but we had shows by RAFW first-timers Yeojin Bae and Limedrop to look forward to as well as the much anticipated return of Josh Goot.  Fashion fatigue hit around lunchtime with the afternoon collections suffering from distracting styling and inexperienced models. Swimwear label Kooey kept it fun and colourful as did the Ready To Wear 3 group show. Melbourne’s Limedrop got us going again with pineapple cotton shirts, checks and a surly bengal cat in the finale. The crowds piled thick into Stolen Girlfriends Club with the hipsters lapping up the New Zealand boys’ collection of garden prints and denim with leather overlays.  Credit must go to Alistair Trung for transforming the OPT runway into a foggy wonderland for his moody collection punctuated by brights though the slow pace of the show had some twitching in their seats. We raced to catch the bus in the nick of time before arriving at a former car-dealership in East Sydney for Josh Goot. After navigating endless flights of stairs we were greeted by a cavenous industrial space adorned with fluroscent lights and a gleaming white catwalk. The candystripe pieces and billowy paint-splattered dresses signalled a welcome return for the label leaving us enthralled. Exhausted but elated we are determined to see this fashion week through!

Read the rest of this entry »

The sun finally peeked through the clouds today, cheering up the bleary faces and bringing with it the strongest day so far including Magdalena Velevska, Shakuhachi, Fernando Frisoni, Michael Lo Sordo, Dhini, Gary Bigeni and fittingly the first of the swimwear collections. There were sharper-than-a-knife pleats and pops of fluro at Magdalena Velevska setting the bar high for the rest of the day. With the sun blazing on the Opera House forecourt for Fernando Frisoni we were more than happy to mingle with the fash pack, though we got a little sunburnt and hated navigating those cobblestones in heels. The white, black and gold pieces however looked spectacular on the runway and were met by many nods of approval. Michael Lo Sordo delivered a standout collection with monochromatic separates, smoky print blazers and those pleats again leaving the crowd quietly rapturous. There were also soft butterfly prints at Dhini and colour-blocking perfection at the packed Gary Bigeni. Onwards to Day 4.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rugged up in coats and furs were we, the On the Streets of Sydney Team ready to keep you updated on day 2 of RAFW. But, in classic Sydney style, the weather changed, and what could have been a bleak and dismal day became a mildly tolerable one. Just as well, because we had Rachel Gilbert, Sara Philips, Miss Unkon, Carl Kapp, Amber and Thomas, Marnie Skillings, Kate Sylvester and more to go to. We kept in high spirits with blow-dry sessions at the Redken Tents and plenty of post-show dissection of looks (we loved the bike shorts at Sara Philips, we are desperate for the yellow maxi dress at Kate Sylvester, we would do anything for those fringed flares at Amber and Thomas). RAFW is definitely catching up to us. We’ve run around the city for off-site shows, snuck in a couple of classes at uni and time at work, we ran into superstars (and best friends) Gail Elliot and Yasmin Le Bon and got the chance to spend some quality blogging downtime with old friends like Zanita Whittington. And, hey, maybe we’re going a little crazy, but was that a snake on the runway at RTW Group 2? What an exciting day. We can’t wait to see what Day 3 throws up.

Read the rest of this entry »

Minimalism is having a bit of a moment, even here in maximalist, all or nothing Sydney. How else can you explain the spate of collections recently that feature the clean lines and cool simplicity of a minimalist palette, that mine the collections of everyone from Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein to Phoebe Philo at Celine for inspiration, and that fuse it all with a bit of Sydney sensuality. LIFEwithBIRD, the joint venture of Nicholas Van Messner and Bridget McCall, is all about capturing a little bit of that exciting energy that is the minimalist viewpoint.

Read the rest of this entry »

With her warm smile, down-to-earth personality and relaxed style, it’s easy to like Rachel Kara. Possessing a keen photographic eye, her genuine love of photography shines through on her blog Sweet Bird Of Youth. Started in January 2009 as a way to organise and share her image inspirations, Sweet Bird Of Youth has been gaining a steady following ever since. Currently juggling her time between photography work, studies and blogging for cult swimwear label We Are Handsome as well as her own blog, it’s clear Rachel’s future is bright. We met up on a lazy Sunday afternoon to talk about inspirations, style and why she’s that girl hiding in the corner waiting to take your photo.

Read the rest of this entry »

On weekends city folk flock to Balmain for the popular Saturday markets and to join the queues for Adriano Zumbo’s irresistible macaroons but the street shopping is worth the ferry trip alone. Stroll down Darling Street to find an eclectic mix of boutiques from high-end to specialist with ample cafés and bars along the way. Here are our favourites.

Read the rest of this entry »

You probably already know and love Newtown for its great cafés, vintage treasures and cheap Thai. Jam-packed with all manner of stores centered around busy King Street, the area is also perfect for a lazy day of shopping. From the quirky to designer, here are our picks north of Newtown station. If you’re stopping by on the weekend, check out the markets on the corner of Bedford and Australia Street before starting your trawl down King Street.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nadia Bailey adores all that is clean, dark and minimal, keeps a silver skull on her bedside table and is obsessed with towering black ankle boots but you may know her better as the girl behind The Animal Orchestra. Her blog draws a devoted following, blending personal style and inspirations with a sprinkling of interviews and industry advice.

Read the rest of this entry »