camilla and marc

If you have a thing for bags and shoes, have we got a treat for you! We've painstakingly gone through our runway round-ups from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia with a fine tooth comb to pick out the very best new season shoes and bags from the Spring/Summer offerings. Many local designers out-sourced their accessories to chain store brands this year, which is great news if you want to make these runway wheels yours!

Tony Bianco provided those killer lace-up boots for Alex Perry, as well the 'Cambridge' wheels for Camilla and Marc, the 'Dice' and 'Libby' heels at Ellery, the 'Lolita' pumps at Toni Maticevski, the 'Ashley' platforms at Rebecca Vallance and the ankle-strapped heels for Bec & Bridge. ASOS was all over the catwalks too, supplying Christopher Esber with his 'Hostage' heels, Talulah with their flirty tie-up sandals and We Are Handsome with their metallic 'Hackney' stilettos. And those fantastical Romance Was Born creations? They came courtesy of Shoes of Prey. It's time to let your fingers do the walking. . . 

Leila Yavari knows fashion. As the fashion director for luxe e-tailer Stylebop she is charged with the envy-inducing task of attending fashion shows around the world and deciding on the key trends, and must-have pieces, to hit the (online) shelves. Munich-based Leila was in Sydney for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia, so we politely asked to pick her brains. She happily obliged, sharing her top five absolute favourite Aussie shows, and the three key trends that she thinks are well worth investing in. Ready to get schooled? 

We were on the ground covering Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia and the first show up was Camilla and Marc. Napoleon Perdis was on makeup and said that the inspiration came directly from the Russian Matryoshka doll — also an inspiration for the designers. The nails, by Ciate, took on a mannequin effect with a seamless, skin-coloured nude, and the hair was simple and wearable. Click through to read what the hair and makeup artists had to say backstage before the show.

Surviving ten years in the local rag trade is no mean feat, as Camilla Freeman Topper and Marc Freeman well know, so today's first fashion week runway show at was something of a celebration for the home-grown label. As Camilla told us last week, their '13-'14 collection calls on the past as much as looks to the future; paying tribute both to their archival collections and to the Freeman family's stylish lineage — naming their mother and grandmother as joint muses. There were plenty of signature Camilla and Marc pieces on the runway; statement-making blazers, palazzo pants and asymmetrial party dresses are sure to keep loyal customers coming back, but the line's newly refined aesthetic will snare a fresh client base too. It was gown up, it was cohesive, it was true the brand's roots yet similarly fresh and new. Camilla and Marc just keep getting better with age. 

• Colours: Black, white, red, royal blue, orange and gold. 
• Trends: Tailoring, racer-necklines, gold brocade, netting, satin, front-split skirts, leather and crop tops.
• Key Looks: Sharply-cut trouser suits in white and black, figure-flattering party dresses spliced with netting trim, a brilliantly boxy white leather bomber jacket and languid drop-crotch trousers in leopad print satin. 
• Accessories: Wide belts with solid-metal fasteners worn on the waist or hipbone, ankle-strap platform pumps, Ryan Storer ear-cuffs and interesting neck and wrist pieces by Estelle Deve. 

We have been all over Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. Fashion editor Ali, health and beauty editor Alison, and publisher Marisa have been on the ground at Carriageworks (and all over Sydney, depending on show locations) reporting on the runway and backstage beauty as quickly as possible. We had our phones at the ready to snap all the behind-the-scenes details you may have missed, from hair and makeup prep to designer notes for how models should walk, and accessories that also deserve the spotlight.

Click through for your all-access pass to MBFWA and be sure to check out all our fashion and beauty coverage from the week!

Fashion week is always all about the latest and greatest hair and beauty trends that come down the runway — but what's happening to the side of the catwalk is just as interesting! Front row beauty never fails to impress us, and this year looks to be better than ever. Lara Bingle has wowed us with her glowing skin and nude, neutral makeup at Camilla and Marc (before switching over to the dark side for Romance Was Born), while Phoebe Tonkin took the sexy, mussed-up route with her cool, textured hair 'do. Candice Lake opted for porcelain skin and glossy lips, Carissa Walford debuted a darker new 'do and Sarah Murdoch and Megan Gale both let their cheekbones do all the talking. And today at Camilla's show? It was all about flowing hair, easy, fresh makeup palettes and letting natural beauty shine through. Click through to check out the latest pics from the front row!

For those of us who can't be sitting front row at this year's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, Instagram and Twitter are the next best thing. The shows may have only kicked off yesterday, but we've already seen so much! We've got behind-the-scenes hair, makeup, styling and preening pics, as well as plenty of celebrity action. Stars along the likes of Lara Bingle, Phoebe Tonkin, Jen Hawkins, Candice Lake and many more have hit Redfern to soak up the action, and they're documenting it all. Click through to check it out!