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Ask people to picture Sydney and 99 out of 100 of them will think of the sea – whether it be the sparkliest and most stunning of harbors or its equally iconic, rolling coastal waves. And they're right — Sydney is all about its greatest asset: the waterfront. But if you talk to a certain breed of locals, those in the fashion sector, you'll find that beyond the glitz and glamour of a jet-setting lifestyle their most prized possessions aren't so style-related at all.
Visit the city and the sea is ever-present; if not visually, then in its attitude and fashion. In the warmer months (which, in this town of very long summers, are at least nine out of 12), beach fashion stretches well in-land from the sand with togs (that's Australian for swimsuits), thongs (Australian for flip-flops) and board shorts often being worn as ready-to-wear. Thankfully, budgie smugglers (Australian for tight, small, men’s swimsuits – picture them and you know why) don’t seem to have, as yet, reached beyond strictly a beach (or beach commute) look. We digress.
But there's more to be found there than beach-leisure (just go with us on that one; it'll catch on, you wait and see). It’s not surprising that, when asked, every local I spoke to at #MBFWA for the resort 2019 shows was quick to say that the beach would be the thing they'd miss the most if separated from home. From designer Dion Lee to It girl Isabella Manfredi, fashion acts not only as a form of self-expression, as it does at the other corners of the globe, but a craft that symbolizes an integral part of Australian culture.
Click through the slideshow ahead to get to know some of Sydney's most fashionable faces, what they'd miss the most about leaving the Southern hemisphere for good, and their recommendation on a must-see venue in town. Sure, being arbiters of style and all, they may know clothes, but they know Australia even better.
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