Sydney vs Melbourne fashionistas: Game On, mole.

This photo, captioned: "Off Chapel St, Melbourne" is from the internationally acclaimed blog The Sartorialist, which publishes stunningly photographed images of fashionable people on the street from all over the world.
Here as a guest for Fashion Week, The Sartorialist himself, Scott Schuman has been interviewed by Melb newspaper The Herald Sun about the fashion difference between Sydney and Melbourne women:

Asked to compare the two cities' styles, the sartorial snapper said
Sydney dressers were a step ahead of Melburnians when it came to giving
their outfits a distinctly Australian flavour. He said Melburnians were chic but needed to give their style an extra unexpected twist.

He spent last weekend in Melbourne before flying to Sydney for Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. "I think they are different but I think Sydney is just a slight step ahead in incorporating the Australianism," he said. "They are a bit more sexy . . . it reminds me kind of like Rio."

Schuman, who noticed Melbourne's penchant for the dark side, said all-black worked only if the garments were varied."If you are not going to wear colour you really have to mix texture and proportion," he said.

Here is a photo from The Sartorialist captioned: "George St, Sydney":

Do you agree with Scott Schumann? Who is more stylish? Sydney or Melbourne women? And what about Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin women? Why doesn't anyone ever rate them?

Article filed under: fashion , & published: Thursday, April 30th, 2009.

Amy says:

April 2, 2010 at 10:59 pm

I’m sorry, but those pics don’t represent Melb or Syd in any sense. Agreed Sydney has a brasher “style” but Melbournian (I prefer this spelling) girls are extremely fashionable and you get all kinds of styles not just the usual grungy-emo-alternative-vintage-black stereotype. Walk down Lygon, then Chapel, then Melbourne Central, then do St Kilda and Brunswick. You’ll see all the different styles. I swear tacky beach glam has invaded Chapel St recently.

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stylewars says:

May 17, 2009 at 7:32 pm

It’s all in the accessories.

Melbourne seems to have an aversion to heels, statement bags and any single item that screams femininity.

Sydney, on the other hand, not only embraces it but pairs it with a French manicure to boot. No pun intended.

Lauren says:

May 12, 2009 at 9:50 am

Having only visited Melbourne once when I was just a little girl, I can’t remember too much about the fashion. However if they can bring a store as fabulous as Assin from Melbourne, where it was established to Sydney, Melbourne must have something going for it.

tanya says:

May 4, 2009 at 12:46 am

im in the sydney camp purely because im a sydneysider so…
SYDNEY FOR STYLE CAPITAL OF AUS!

eve says:

May 3, 2009 at 10:30 pm

What I find interesting about the Sydney photo is that it was quite chilly here that day. What’s the bet if the girl were in Melbourne, she’d be wearing a few extra layers? I think it’s a Sydney thing to wear as little as possible and to hell with the weather! Sydney’s limitation is that it ONLY knows how to do sexy – and only summer-sexy at that; winter-sexy is out of our league (and I must disagree with those that say it doesn’t get cold here…it may not be NY cold, or Canberra cold but it’s a cold that requires coats and jumpers – I know, I catch public transport!)

Back to topic, maybe when we learn to wear more than one style of clothing, when we learn to dress for the weather, and our body shapes, and our personalities…and our lifestyles….AND our ages…then maybe we might have some claim to being a style-city. Melbourne, despite the Sartorialist’s comments, you win.

Shaezy says:

May 1, 2009 at 3:54 pm

I grew up in Melbourne and now have lived in Sydney for 6 years. I have to say (from my time in Sydney city) that I found the fashion to be just that – fashion, whereas the Melbourne outfits were style and tended not to follow “trend”. Having said that, i am hardly a fashionista. I live out in the ‘Riff (that’s Penrith to the uninitiated..) and quite enjoy my slump into cargos, uggies and plain old tshirts/rugby jerserys.

Don’t you know that bogan is the new black daaaahling?

Note: I have all my own teeth and I DO NOT have a mullet….

renee says:

May 1, 2009 at 2:23 pm

melbourne melbourne melbourne! i am terribly biased and love love love my city!! I think they’re winners hands down for creativity diversity and style. agree with all past comments about the The Sartorialist. he didn’t really say sydney was better, just better at conveying australianess. melbourne has a very european feel to me. I love the sydney feel too but i can’t help but be loyal to fabulous melbourne!

Laurine says:

May 1, 2009 at 12:01 pm

okay I’m a Melbourne girl and completely biased… I have no problem admitting it. I’ve always seen the Melb/Syd thing as like two sisters. Sydney is the blonde and Melbourne’s the brunette. So it comes down to personal taste in the end.

WHY OH WHY people go to Chapel Street I don’t know. It’s a terrible, common place to be.

and yes I’m a brunette. x

Alison says:

May 1, 2009 at 11:30 am

I love Melbourne, but really, the buildings are all grey stone, the sky is grey and the people wear black A LOT! A tad depressing….

Barb Fisher says:

May 1, 2009 at 11:03 am

I always think of Melbourne as more European in it’s fashion and culture – effortlessly stylish and pulled together, almost with an air of mystery. Sydney is more like New York – about the $$, the bling and the brand names.

I am also a Canberra girl. While true stylistas here are few and far between, they are hidden away in little pockets and spring up in surprising places!

Ani – love the comment about the girl in Perth. Ironically, it sounds like she’s just stepped out of the latest Country Road catalogue.

Amanda (bugmum) says:

May 1, 2009 at 10:29 am

Ani, the public service is a mite conservative when it comes to office dress, so I think we all do our best to be fashionable within those constraints…having said that, I’ve seen some absolutely stunning young things at my workplace.

On a slight tangent, a blogger friend of mine has made it her mission to break down the stereotype of our hometown as being boring as batshit. Check it out if you’re interested!

http://canberrasgotstyle.blogspot.com/

Lu says:

May 1, 2009 at 10:24 am

Sydney is more laid back because the climate makes it hard to layer up and dress up. Melboure like-wise, you need to keep warm and dress up which makes for a more intesting look.

Personally I’m not a fan of the scruffy beach chick look that is popular in Sydney, it looks cheap. So Melbourne wins hands down. And I live in Sydney.

Chris says:

May 1, 2009 at 10:19 am

Am I the only guy here? I’m no fashion guru and live between the two cities. Whilst I agree with Rene and don’t normally buy into the inter-state rivalry, for me this comes down to Sydney being a little brasher and ‘look at me’ (or ‘look at moi’) which can be seen from the Harbour, Opera House and Bridge, to Bondi, six-packs and Kings Cross. Sydney is more ‘obvious’ – and obviously beautiful – on first glance and perhaps Sydneysiders and their dress-sense strike visiting fashionistas like Schuman whereas Melbourne is understated and needs to be discovered (laneways etc.) over time. It’s inhabitants are possibly more experimental, primarily dressing for themselves rather than others. There is also bound to be more variety in Melbourne, given the more unpredictable weather (I know the ladies love getting their long boots out in the winter and that Europeans laugh at Sydneysiders for doing this when it’s 20 degrees and cloudy!).

Marie says:

May 1, 2009 at 9:53 am

Agree with natalie – I love Sydney, no other city in the world I’d rather live. BUT – Melbournians, in my opinion, run circles around Sydney-siders when it comes to style.

Melbournians are so daring, unique, unafraid when it comes to the way they dress or style themselves.

skye says:

May 1, 2009 at 9:46 am

I live on the Gold Coast, and there’s a whole other aesthetic going on here. Half the population is dressed in Billabong and the other half is doing the WAG bling, botox and fake boobs thing. There’s a sprinkling of fashion-y kids too, but only a smattering.

I’ve lived in Melbourne and Sydney and I do think those two photos are quite representative of the overarching differences between the two cities. Of course there are people like Melbourne girl in Sydney, and people like Sydney girl in Melbourne – but there is definitely more of that intellectual dressing in Melbourne and more of the sexy stuff in Sydney in general.

Cheryl says:

May 1, 2009 at 9:22 am

I live in Darwin (all on my lonesome among MamaMia commenters apparently) and I can see why Darwin is not seen as a style mecca. Without wanting to draw a gross generalisation most people in Darwin only really think about clothes during the horse racing and ball season. Other than that it’s hippy chic, singlet tops and thongs all the way. What I have noticed though is that there are a lot less obese people in Darwin than in Sydney where I used to live.

April 30, 2009 at 11:16 pm

“Those shoes are heinous affronts to humanity.”

hahah Lee, thank you! that made my night! ))

jiji says:

First of all, I think the comparison is unfair because when he was in Melbourne he was just wandering around looking for everyday people with style. On the other hand, in Sydney, it’s bloody fashion week! Obviously he’s going to find more outgoing fashion forward people there.

As for comparing/rating other states, Scott has only been to Melbourne and Sydney so he can only comment on the two cities alone.

GeorgiaSweet says:

April 30, 2009 at 11:00 pm

Oh, and as portraits Scott Sculmann’s work is just so beautiful. Right up there with the Magnum photographers. Love love love it.

sp in mlb says:

April 30, 2009 at 10:47 pm

Lived in Sydney and Mlb.
Anyone been to Chapel St at night in the middle of winter. Girls just don’t wear coats anymore – you would think it was Syndey in the middle of summer!
Was doing my shopping at Woolies Toorak last week (easy parking and an ANZ ATM) and saw a very worked over older woman in skinny white jeans, extremely high healed white boots and a walking stick. Its not all black down here. Nearly fell over laughing.

April 30, 2009 at 10:33 pm

I love how Scott Schumann records people. I love how he celebrates what people wear as an expression of their personalities.

While fashion is part of the blog, he rarely covers seasonal looks. I see his work more as portraits of people and how they present themselves to the world. Yes, there are a lot of sophisticatedly dressed fashion folk. But I have also seen tradesmen, an old lady in a head scarf, church goers in their Sunday bests, creative but penniless students, an Italian tailor in a suit he made himself. It is all so interesting and inspiring.

Schumann is also consistently diplomatic. In the 2+ years I have been reading The Sartorialist, I have never seen a rude or patronising post. So I suspect that the poor man has been cornered by one of those lame “How do you find Australia?” questions by an unimaginative journalist.

Possibly all he means is that he has seen more people express something original or personal in Sydney – via use of colour and shape – than in Melbourne in this instance.

I’ve got to say, though, it must be slim pickings wherever he is in Australia, relative to Italy, Paris, London or New York. There are just fewer people here who are into individuality and expression when it comes to getting dressed.

lee says:

April 30, 2009 at 10:31 pm

Sorry. Those shoes are heinous affronts to humanity. My vote is with Melbourne Woman. She atleast looks like she can walk more than three steps without toppling over, and like she’s not so desperate to appear on “the sartorialist” that she’s about to throw herself at the photographer.

Paula says:

April 30, 2009 at 9:47 pm

I think it depends where you are in each city … I have lived in Sydney, Melbourne – and Perth, Ani – and sections of all of them are drop-dead stylish and they all have areas that are full of, let’s say, questionable style.

MummaMon says:

April 30, 2009 at 9:22 pm

I’m a Canberran too! I think the climate is a bit kinder to people in Sydney and that helps them have a flexible and fashionable wardrobe. They have more fun with their clothes because of that. I go to Sydney 2 or 3 times a year to shop because of the variety and it’s fantastic fashion and shopping for all bodies and ages. Melbourne people have to cover their legs and wear a coat and while that can be fashionable, it’s a bit limited.

Beryl H-C says:

April 30, 2009 at 9:06 pm

As a die-hard Melbournite that has lived in Sydney and Melbourne, I would have to blame it all on the weather.

Melbournians would bust out fun, sexy and creative outfits if the weather allowed us too. Sydney is blessed with sunshine for most of the year…so considering that, Melbournians are doing pretty great!

Ani says:

April 30, 2009 at 8:57 pm

Forgot the charming line of a fashionista friend in Perth for the first time:

“Oh my god, its like everyone in the city is auditioning for Kath and Kim – the musical”

Heléna says:

April 30, 2009 at 8:54 pm

well based on those photos – definitely the Sydney shot!

April 30, 2009 at 8:53 pm

Sydney does seem to have much more of a fun, casual vibe. Whenever in Melbourne, I’m very concious of the need to dress up for EVERYTHING (or maybe I’m just a slob??)

Canberra is pretty dull fashion-wise – lots of tailored pants and business shirts (is that some kind of public servant uniform??).

I lived in Perth last year and… WOW… trackie city. I still remember one girl out of night in:

footie beanie
flannelette shirt
demin hotpants
pink stockings
high heeled sandals

and it was july!

Jaz says:

April 30, 2009 at 8:34 pm

What the?

I hope what I am about say doesnt offend anyone who may work in the fashion industry but I’ve got to say, alot of it is complete rubbish (I realise not everyone in the industry is like this)…

Its all subjective. Everyone has a different opinion and apparently if you dress a “certain” way for a “certain” season, your more stylish and therefore have more credibility to slag off how other’s dress.

Does it remind you of anything..? Say…high school?

That article just reminds me of high school.

Thats what I dont like about fashion. It has become more about vanity, position, following trends, being better than everyone else…

I dont even see the difference between how people in Sydney and Melbourne dress.

Maybe Canberra, Darwin etc etc are just not as shallow and vain as Sydney and Melbourne *tongue in cheek*.

PS- I live in Sydney.

lesley says:

April 30, 2009 at 7:13 pm

Couldn’t agree more emmerina…well said.

I love Sart’s blog and check it just about every day…but when I saw that he was in Melbourne and that he’d ventured to Chapel Street (I’m guessing that’s the only place he went) I almost logged off…
Brunswick Street, Gertrude Street, City laneways…anywhere but Chapel, where many of the stores are represented in the big Westfield shopping centres.
Nothing really original there.

Danya says:

April 30, 2009 at 7:11 pm

He only went to Chapel Street? Oh what a shame

emmerina says:

April 30, 2009 at 6:54 pm

Sart’s problem is that he was told/considered Chapel Street to be the haven of fashion in Melbourne. Maybe 10 years ago – these days it’s more likely to be fluoro, turned up collars on boys, and muffin tops on girls.

Maybe if he had hung around the city laneways for a bit he’d have had something more to choose from…

Arly says:

April 30, 2009 at 6:34 pm

I totally agree with Lesley. Neither photo is reflective of all women in either city. I’ve also lived in both cities and feel the difference is related moreso to the climates.

The other point to note from Schumann’s comments is he was visiting Sydney during Fashion Week! Hello! Lots of stunning, well-dressed fashion type mag girls on mass and around the city.

One thing Sydney girls do do way more than Melbourne is the high heels at any time of day and to any occasion, I even saw a lady walking her dog along the Tamarama coast with wedge heels last weekend.

I love both cities and the unique fashion touches they both bring!

Natalie says:

April 30, 2009 at 5:59 pm

I am a die hard Sydney liver and lover and this is def my preferred city.

However, everytime I’m in Melbourne I can’t help being bowled over by how fabulously dressed everyone is down there.

We’re much more haviana and combat pants casual up here and they seem stylishly layered (maybe it’s a climate thing!)

Katie says:

April 30, 2009 at 5:53 pm

ooh yay fellow Canberrans! One thing that surprised me about Canberra fashion is how in winter everyone dresses in large coats (how boring) for outside, but have to nearly strip for the ridiculously overheated offices.
That said- can’t really weigh in on the Sydney vs Melbourne debate

April 30, 2009 at 5:39 pm

Well, I’ve lived in both cities and I can never understand this sort of competitive debate.

The cities are different…and lets face it, I wouldn’t classify all Melbourne women and their style based on that one photo, nor would I consider the Sydney girl indicative of all Sydney women.

Is it possible the Melbourne pic looks a little drab because of the background colour..and maybe the Syd pic looks colourful because, lo and behold, it’s sunny and there’s the harbour bridge in the background?

I hate this Sydney-Melbourne rivalry stuff…viva la difference

Oh…I lived in Brisvegas too for a while…and that’s a whole different kettle of fish

Olivia says:

April 30, 2009 at 5:31 pm

As a Melbourne girl, I have to agree with L; after perusing the Satorialist site for, on and off, about a year now, I always thought of him as a Melbourne-kind-of-guy, all about the black-on-black-on-black, gorgeous coats, quirky-yet-classic styles…

Apparently not. I feel… snubbed.

April 30, 2009 at 5:20 pm

Goodness, there are a lot of us Canberra chicks on here…I joke that in Canberra it’s all about warmth, bugger the style.

Seriously, I rate Melbourne higher. I think they give things a quirky twist and are really good at doing “edgy”…that appeals to my personal style…which, really, is what is going to answer the question at heart for anyone.

Rene says:

April 30, 2009 at 5:16 pm

As much as I love fashion. Why is it we always put one state against another? Everyone is fashionable in their own way regardless of what state their from. Imagine if all looked the same…how boring.

sparselykate says:

April 30, 2009 at 5:08 pm

I also going to say, er, what about us Canberra girls?!!?

You know, I actually agree with that fashion dude. I’ve just spent a week in Sydney after a week in Melbourne not long ago and I agree that there seems to be a more Carrie Bradshaw vibe in Sydney. Or there was in China Town anyway

Ophelia says:

April 30, 2009 at 5:05 pm

Um, hello – what about Canberra and our uber-fashionable public servant style?!

Hard to tell. I think Melbourne is more international and classic in style, much more fashionably correct, I suppose. I agree with the writer that Sydney fashion is more eclectic and fun while being chic. Melbourne relies on the rest of the fashion world, but Sydney kind of just goes, “Yeah, I’ll take that and that, but I’m going to team this Italian-made $1000 skirt with an $8 from Paddy’s Markets.”

But Melbourne suffers the same cruel fate that Canberra does in that we get winter very early for much longer and much colder than anywhere else. Sydney can get away with more fun styles for longer in the summer.

L says:

April 30, 2009 at 4:58 pm

very surprising. i’ve always thought of The Satorialist as a very melbourne-kind of guy.

Krissi says:

April 30, 2009 at 4:52 pm

That Melbourne photo looks cold and boring, Sydney- fun. But then again that is the case in real life!

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