Fashion Weekend Sydney

If boutique prices have you running scared, Sydney Fashion Weekend is probably the retail fix you need. "Fashion Weekend is all about the designer sales," explains event director Vikki Lewis. "We've got 120 designers ranging from established favourites like Camilla and Marc and Peep Toe to the emerging up-and-comers, all selling their collections at up to 70 per cent off retail price."

Having started in 2008, Fashion Weekend has grown from a relatively modest designer sale into a mammoth four-day shopping, beauty and pampering festival. "The designer sale is open all the way through," explains Lewis. "Toni & Guy will be offering $10 hairstyling, NP Set are doing mini makeovers and there's a champagne bar adjoining."

For inspiration, look to the catwalk. "We have a full production runway that seats 450 people and we run hourly group shows," says Lewis. "Girls tend to spend the whole day shopping, drinking and getting pampered." She does issue a word of warning, though: "With 15,000 women over four days all scrabbling to get a designer piece for a fraction of the price, it's for hardcore shoppers only!"