Sarah Jane Clarke

Some of the world's most successful fashion and business entreprenours have descended upon Sydney. Lured not by the sparkling harbour nor the promise of cuddling a koala — these industry leaders will be sharpening their understanding of the key trends, innovations and collaborations in the world of luxury fashion at today's Bespoke summit, presented by the Australian Financial Review. Representatives from Mr Porter, J Brand and Saturdays Surf NYC will be speaking alongside a stellar line-up of local success stories; including Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton from sass & bide, Ana Maria Escobar from Oroton, Karen Walker from (funnily enough) Karen Walker and Nicky Zimmermann from Zimmermann. 

In an effort to supply our stylish international guests with a concise must-do list, we picked the brains of these homegrown heroes; asking for their favourite places to eat, shop, drink and dance in Sydney. Step inside to get a true fashion insider's guide to Sydney. 

Hosted at the Sydney Opera House, Bespoke will run from 10am until 6.30pm on Thursday the 16th of May. Tickets cost $795, and can be bought here. 

The sass & bide girls got famous off the back (or should we say the butt) of their denim — remember their infamous two-inch zip hipster jeans? Yup. Circa 2002 we owned at least three *cough, five* pairs. So who better to teach us in the mystic arts of finding the perfect pair of jeans than Sarah-Jane Clarke herself? SJC is one half of the S&B brand, and certainly knows her stuff. We quizzed her on everything from denim care tips, to this season's must-have pair. . .  styling ideas to her personal faves. Keen to learn from the master? Denim 101 awaits. . .  

The team from NET-A-PORTER threw a stylish soirée to honour and celebrate the Australian fashion industry in Sydney's Ananas Bar last night, with designers, editors and industry-insiders pausing from MBFWA to take advantage of the festivities. Designers such as Camilla Freeman-Topper, Anna Plunkett, Collette Dinnigan and Dion Lee rubbed shoulders with Phoebe Tonkin, Samara Weaving and the visiting international N-A-P team, which made for one very well-dressed crowd. Step inside our gallery to see who wore what. 

If there's one thing Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton know how to do, it's how to ramp up the cool factor. With their label, sass & bide, taking London Fashion Week by storm on Friday night (Olivia Palermo was just one of the fashion-plates in the front row), we were catapulted into a world of tough, industrial shapes and structured lines. But it was the sexy cut-outs and sheer inlays that really stepped things up — the collection was edgy and modern, with a bit of romance and sensuality thrown into the mix. With luxe leathers, heavy metal, pops of yellow and a moody palette of grey, black and ivory, it was a dark and dangerous walk down the runway — and we couldn't get enough of it. Click through now to check out the whole collection!

Myer and VCR joined forces yesterday in Melbourne to celebrate 50 years of fashions on the field, whetting our appetite for the 2012 Spring racing season in the process! Myer's Melbourne Racing ambassador Rebecca Judd looked ladylike in a Toni Maticevski number which she topped off with Phillip Rhodes headpiece, Jennifer Hawkins was glamorous thanks to Ellery and Melissa Jackson millinery, and Kris Smith was dapper in a Dom Bagnato suit. The gaudy florals and bold brights typically worn to the Spring carnival were absent, replaced instead with a sophisticated palette and classic silhouettes reflective of the grand tradition of the revered Fashions on the Field competition. Classy! Step inside to get a better look at all of the trackside style on show. . . Photos courtesy of Lucas Dawson.

Amongst the madness of the Myer Spring Summer 2013 Collection Launch we were lucky enough to grab (literally) sass & bide's designing duo Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton on the red carpet for a quick chat. We quizzed them on everything from their other favourite Australian designers (Ellery and Maticevski rated a mention), to the e-tailers they have bookmarked, to their favourite vintage shopping haunts. Because we heart their style as much as their designs we've included a celebratory fashion flashback, chronically the girls' collective style evolution. Step inside to see, and read, more from the industry's best-dressed bfs. . .

You heard it here first: bold lips are the new statement nail. Well, that's what we've decided here in the Sugar office, and can you blame us? There were two huge fashion events in Sydney this week — the Myer Spring/Summer 2013 Collection and the David Jones Spring/Summer 2013 Collection. Both were phenomenal, not least of all because of the stunning beauty looks that came parading down the catwalks and on the red carpets. Miranda Kerr, Jennifer Hawkins and the sass & bide designers showed us how the bold lip should be done, but that's not all — there are those beauty looks and more inside this gallery, so let's get going!

So you've scoped out the red carpet arrivals, taken notes on the topline trends for the coming Spring/Sumer 2012-'13 season and hopefully paid attention to the best runway beauty looks — now it's time for the fun part, the candids! It was a Sugar team spectacular last night at the Myer Spring Sumer 2013 collection launch with Pop, Bella and Fab on deck to soak up the fun-filled atmosphere. We bailed up The Voice's Darren Percival and Sarah de Bono, swapped vintage shopping tips with sass & bide's Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, hung out with "The Lauras" (Dundovic and Csortan) and complimented Jesinta Campbell on her killer party dress (courtesy of Manning Cartell, FYI). Step inside to see all the backstage, red carpet and front row candid snaps that you won't see anywhere else. . .

One of the best moments at any fashion show is the front row arrivals. It's such a treat to see our favourite celebrities all primped and preened, and looking their best. The beauty looks on show at last night's Myer Spring Summer 2013 Collections were very scrumptious, with the likes of Jennifer Hawkins, Jesinta Campbell and the amazing sass & bide girls, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, looking so bronzed we wanted to run away to a very stylish island with them. Click through to see the front row beauty looks up close and personal.