Summer in Australia is so magical to me, because it summons pictures of sandy bums, al fresco lunches, beach parties, barbecues with friends, New Year fireworks, pool slides and a sweltering Santa. Sartorially, it is always a time for me to do a major closet shuffle and realise that I have nothing to wear for all of these activities – hence a frantic search ensues for some new beachwear and on-trend party dresses. With this in mind, I marched into the newly renovated Macquarie Centre, which recently reopened, bringing some of the best lineups in beauty, fashion and culinary to Sydney’s North Shore and picked my favourite pieces from some of their new retailers: Alice McCall, Kookai, Seed Heritage, Seed Kids and Mecca Maxima – and suffice to say, I’m now ready to welcome the sun

Above: Summer means spending school holidays with the family. My daughter Coco creates a lot of mischievous fun (Tanja wears a top by Alice McCall and skirt by Kookai. Coco wears a top and skirt by Seed Kids)

Summer is all about colour. Pick brights and digital prints that make your sunkissed skin pop and choose classic shapes like a pencil skirt and cami for barbecues and drinks with friends. (Top and skirt from Kookai)

Every woman needs a beautiful evening gown for those special summer nights.( dress by Alice McCall )

To create an effortless day look, use Mecca Cosmetica's Skin Brightening Instant Skin Perfector Glow for a luminous base, then apply Mecca Cosmetica’s Multi Tasking SPF30 Luminising Hydrating Tint; or for a little more coverage, use a light foundation such as the Bare Minerals Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation. I love the cult classic Nars Light Reflecting Powder and the Taj Mahal Blush because they give my complexion a subtle summery glow. Complete the look with a longstaying, pigment-rich lipstick in bright orange like Nars’ Red Square Velvet Matte Lip Pencil or go for a fun pink such as the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Fiore.

Read the full story with more pictures now up on Vogue.com.au here !
photographed by Kasia Werstak