World Catwalk: Destination Sydney [PART 1]

So this is the weather I was expecting... (which came a day later!)

And this was the day World Catwalk happened - umbrellas at the ready!

I had almost given up on the idea of walking around Sydney, camera tucked away in my little baggie, and umbrella clutched close. I really was another raindrop-in-my-eye away from turning around and just marching right back down Pitt Street. Back to the cosy Marriott bed with all its varieties of pillow, fluffy duvet appeal and hot tea (with lots of sugar please).

After a 9 hour overnight flight from Bangkok, I really had to use all the power of my tired little mind to force myself onto the high street on the hunt for stylish Sydneyettes.

I performed my old trick of assuming things about a city. Assuming that, as it is a rainy day, no-one will have bothered their behinds to dress stylishly or perhaps even have bothered to venture out at all… I personally can think of many more exciting things to do than slosh my way round sodden streets on a Sunday morning… Really must stop thinking about those Marriott pillows – this is not healthy!

And once again, my assumptions were proved wrong by hoards of shoppers all piling in and out of the collection of shopping centres and department stores that busy one end of Pitt Street in central Sydney. These little retreats from the rain provided the perfect backdrop for my World Catwalk activity. And I’ve never had such an easy day of it!

Could I stick my neck out and say that Sydney is home to some of the world’s best street style? Well, according to The Trolley Dolly that is… and I’ve not yet set Mr Nikon (yes, I have named my camera) free in London, Paris or New York. But really, this was an individualist fashion-fest with some of the coolest girls I’ve seen.

You know, I didn’t get the feeling that these girls were wearing their clothes by way of grabbing attention/scoring points. The general vibe was more, “hey, I pulled this cool skirt out of my closet this morning, and I teamed it with the next thing that I happened to lay my hands on.”

Relaxed, cool, upbeat and friendly – Sydney girls.

Unleashing my inner geek, I took some notes whilst taking my snaps. Just a jumbled scribble of popular themes, micro-trends if you will, that popped up most commonly. So here’s my example of perfect handwriting. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I was tired... is that a good enough excuse for 'INDIVIDUAL' and 'INDIVIDUALIST'?

And so to the part I always take longest to get to (sorry folks) – the stylish people!

I’ve actually decided to split this story over a couple of blog posts as there are quite a few to show you all!

The first set of photographs come accompanied with a sincere apology… I was so concerned that my photographs weren’t turning out quite how I’d like them (new lens, bad lighting, wrong ISO), that I completely forgot to ask these lovely ladies their names. If you are one of the below stylish Sydney shoppers, PLEASE kindly accept my apologies and leave your name through the comment box below! Thanking you!

Oh, and one other little thing, these have been noted in chronological order – not in order of preference or anything else :)

Lady in black

This biker chic ensemble with a leopard twist really turned my head as I found the use of textures an interesting way to spice up the all black number. As mentioned in some of my recent posts, I love black, so this was an outfit after my own heart. I love the leather leggings – it seems a trend of a few years ago has come full circle as I saw quite a few of these as I meandered around the city.

Yours truly is also a fan of a leopard print scarf (owning at least three) so the oversized animal print was a favourite of mine and I also loved her white nails and cool slung-over the-shoulder bag. It all works perfectly!

 

Jewel shades and cool boots

I’m quite sure I caught fashionista number 2 just as she was about to enjoy lunch but I couldn’t help but interrupt her after noticing the cool scarf and clever clashing colours. Together with a pair of versatile little ankle boots, this is a practical but pretty combination for a winter day in Sydney (it ain’t summer Down Under dontcha know?). I saw many of these interesting scarf-y / snood-y numbers and some turned into rather clever headscarves, hoods and wraps. Sweet! 

Boho chic

I’m not a fan of the word boho. Really, I’m not. It makes me cringe slightly and think of Nicole Richie circa 2006. But when I was thinking of a way to best describe this style, I couldn’t quite find a better fitting description (my second option was ‘Electric eclectic’ in case you were wondering)…

I got the impression that this outfit was chosen in an intuitive way – not a what-I-can-match-with-my-shoes type planning, but more an attitude of ‘I feel like wearing…’ Nothing is matchy-matchy, which is what I love. It has so many ideas, so many textures, different patterns and fabrics. It allows you to like each piece individually, and then consequently, the outfit as a whole.

I love the suede panelling on the bag, the scarf that doesn’t go but somehow does, the flash of colour springing out from her shoes. And this lovely lady was very modest to top it off – fashionable and friendly… nice combination!

So that’s today’s collection.

Tomorrow you'll notice that I managed to fix my lighting, remembered to do proper introductions (i.e. names!!!) and something of a skirts and shorts theme… no jeans/leggings allowed! Check it out if you have a minute :)

Hope you’ve enjoyed my little collection of stylish Sydney girls – if you’re from Sydney, drop me a line, I’d love to hear what you think? And if you’d like to share your style via your blog, send me a wee link!

Love from Down Under Dolly x