Sydney-fashion-week

7 Things I Learnt At Sydney Fashion Week

Ever wanted to know what it’s really like to go to a fashion show at Sydney Fashion week, also known as the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA)?

Back when Londoner In Sydney was a fashion blog, I used to go to a lot of fashion events in Sydney. I loved getting dressed up and hanging out with some of my British mates whilst we got stuck into the canapés and champers on a night out.

Having been lucky enough to visit Sydney Fashion Week, I thought I’d let you know what it’s actually like to go to fashion show.

High-Street-Shopping_0

How to Shop the UK high street in Australia here

So getting back to fashion week. Based in Sydney, the Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week Australia saw 6 whole days of Australian fashion ending with global international designer, Oscar De-la Renta closing the week.

So how does one get a ticket to MBFWA? You have to register online a few months before and pay a fee of around $100 before brands choose you to attend their shows. It’s that simple. This post is dedicated to what I learnt at my first fashion week in Australia.


1# It’s tiring

MBFWA

MBFWA Star Lounge 

It’s tiring is probably an understatement. There’s an awful lot of standing around unless you have the golden ticket – access to the VIP Star Lounge. Thankfully we did as this gave us access to seating, a free bar and canapes. Not a lot of good for me the non-drinking vegan but hey ho, being able to sit down when wearing heels for a long time was like gold dust. I didn’t see very much seating outside in the waiting area unfortunately and there really wasn’t a lot of food on offer either.

I also noticed not everyone is given a seat at the shows. If you weren’t priority then you had to stand or fight off another to get an empty seat. I heard people had tactics to get great seating even if they weren’t on the priority list. What people will do for a seat!!


2# The Paparazzi

mbfwa-2016-street-style-australia-0105

 I worked out that the majority of people who went to fashion week were there with one agenda which was to get papped. People turned up who didn’t even have access to any of the shows in hope to get papped by some of the world’s media. Most people hang around outside in the hope they will get noticed. It was daunting walking down the stairs to the entrance with a sea of photographers waiting to take the perfect shot but by the last day I was a bit more confident and surprisingly got photographed a couple of times.

MBFWA 1

Caught in the moment of being photographed!


3# It’s all about the street style

People are way more interested in what everyone else is wearing rather than the shows is the vibe I picked up on. Here’s some of my favourite looks from the week.

thumbnail_FullSizeRender

New York Style Guide’s Badara and Fatou Ndiaye really showed everyone what style is

thumbnail_FullSizeRender (1)

Parisian based Catherine Baba absolutely rocked the print clash  

thumbnail_FullSizeRender (2)

Labelled as Australia’s very own Iris Apful is Lesley Crawford. I really love this woman’s style and the mix of gold in this outfit. 


4# It’s not as pretentious as you think

thumbnail_IMG_8260

To be honest, I was slightly worried about how people were going to be at Fashion Week. I had the fear I was going to experience rude people all day long but apart from a few, most were actually quite nice. I was even complemented on some of my outfits by strangers which is actually quite big really when put into context. Photographers and PR’s were lovely and made you feel at ease which was really great.


5# Have fun

IMG_8011

The beautiful Dee from MamaStylista (left) and gorgeous Abbey from MeeruStyle (middle)

I’d recommend going with friends. I was really lucky to have two of my favourite girls with me and we had such a laugh together, it was the best fun I’ve had in ages! Remember, fashion is meant to be FUN and about individual style so go for it!

Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

Getting yourself a girl squad is the way forward at Fashion Week

Image by Connie Chan for OzSale


#6 The Designers…

Here are some of my favourite pieces from the week.

Processed with VSCO with a5 preset

I loved this over sized sun hat from Ginger & Smart 

5dc83646be0a1863a2a1ab4b3d02ced4

Absolutely stunning collection by the opening designer – Tony Maticevski 

CMEO-Collective-Runway-Pictures-Resort-2017-MBFWA

C/meo had the most beautiful gorgeous collection with stunning ruffles and slick tailoring


#7 And lastly…

What did I wear?

I got hold of a few pieces a month or so before but I actually put it altogether at the last minute. Not knowing what to wear, whether to keep it a traditional Australian monochrome or to go very high fashion, I decided to keep it smart with an edge. I got my hair done a few days before by Paul Anthony (see post here) and decided to mix it up with a pink undercut.

ellery-dress-for-mbfwa

Wearing Ellery dress (bought in sample sale) and old Zara coat and heels for Day 1

IMG_8084

I actually put this tailored look together for my second day on the day. Having not worn the skirt over pants trend  before, this is an outfit a bit out of my comfort zone but if there’s a time to push the boat out then Fashion Week is the time to do it! H&M flared shirt and scarf, Topshop skirt, Zara pants, Siren Shoes, Oscar Wylee Sunnies

MBFWA_2016

I left my favourite outfit to the last day. Wearing H&M Conscious Exlcusive Skirt and top. I’m a big fan of the Victorian trend and this skirt felt perfect for fashion week.

Image by Connie Chan 

MBFWA_2016 1

Image by Connie Chan