The Esquire manual to Melbourne Fashion Week: a stylish survivor guide
Here's the ultimate guide to the best runways and places to eat, drink and play during Melbourne Fashion Week
MELBOURNE IS ABOUT TO PROVE WHY it’s considered Australia’s best-dressed city as Melbourne Fashion Week takes over the streets, rooftops and runways. And at the heart of this year’s various events is 1800 Tequila, the official spirit partner of MFW, bringing its signature blend of craftsmanship, creativity and great taste to the city’s most stylish week.
The intersection of fashion and spirits, particularly tequila, occurs in those finer details of process and precision. Every bottle of 1800 is distilled from 100 per cent blue Weber agave, aged and refined to capture the balance between heritage and innovation. A tension that arguably defines the modern design industry. Together, 1800 and MFW are raising a toast to the makers, visionaries and risk-takers who turn raw material into something extraordinary.
From exclusive runways to late-night bars, this is the Esquire guide to where to go, what to see and what to sip as Melbourne Fashion Week takes over. Because true style isn’t just worn – it’s poured.
Where to catch the sharpest menswear moments
If you want to see where Australian menswear is heading, make time for two standout runways.
Thursday, October 23 – The Little Bourke Street Runway
Between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, this free open-air runway offers a rare front-row experience for anyone with an eye for tailoring. Presented by Emporium, it’s a fast-paced showcase that brings together brands like MJ Bale, Calibre and Salomon alongside edgy artisanal brand Et Al, French label Sandro and Zadig & Voltaire. It’s fashion stripped of exclusivity, held at street-level, close enough to hear fabric move and pure Melbourne in spirit.
1800 Tequila Diamond Drop
Just after the Emporium runway wraps, the crowd flows naturally to The 1800 Tequila Diamond Drop, a one-night-only pop-up at the Lonsdale Street entrance, hosted by stylist and showman Elliot Garnaut. Doors officially open at 6:30pm and guests can enjoy the signature Runway Paloma, a fresh mix of 1800 Blanco, grapefruit and lime. But the night’s main drop isn’t one in the glass, although it is on the rocks so to speak. A single rock, because on the night one lucky guest will win a $15,000 diamond, alongside a series of prizes from Emporium and MFW. It’s first in, best dressed, and very on brand for a label defined by refinement and reward.
Friday, October 24 – Student Runway at Younghusband
The future of Australian fashion gets its moment here, with a line-up of emerging designers showing what’s next. On the mezzanine, a bespoke 1800 Tequila Bar serves Runway Palomas and Diamond Margaritas, while the roaming Tequila Trolley offers front-row service, a multi-sensory experience of creative excellence in the service if good taste.
Between runways, the city itself becomes the spectacle storefronts dressed in limited editions, galleries running capsule pop-ups, and laneways thick with off-schedule creativity. This is your map for the rest of the week: where to sit, sip and stay sharp.
Where to be seen in Melbourne’s food scene
Before you even consider hitting up one of Melbourne’s many cool-as-ice dining spots, take a moment to try some of the signature drinks on offer during the event.
Our personal pick is the Runway Paloma, a blend of 1800 Blanco with fresh lime and ruby grapefruit juice plus agave syrup. On the palate, it’s a delicious tartness that’s tempered perfectly by some spiced pineapple soda. A toast that conveys taste and style in one glass? We’re on board.
But should you choose to adventure into the city’s welcoming embrace . . .
Society
Address: 80 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Melbourne’s grandest dining room and the natural home of 1800 Milenio, newly added to the list and recently crowned World’s Best Tequila by the IWSC 2024. Smooth, complex and made for sipping, it mirrors Society’s own approach to excellence: meticulous, timeless, quietly confident. Order it neat in the Lounge before dinner or as a nightcap among the chandeliers and velvet.
Lillian Brasserie
Address: 80 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tucked beside Society, Lillian Brasserie is its looser, more conversational sibling – a Parisian-style brasserie designed for late arrivals and long stays. The wood-panelled room hums from lunch into the evening, filled with editors, stylists and locals who know that good lighting and better service are worth dressing for. The drinks list is deep, the crowd deliberately mixed, and the energy smart. Order steak frites, settle in for oysters, and let the night find its own tempo.
Maison Bâtard
Address: 23 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Four levels of pure ambition, Maison Bâtard is Chris Lucas’s ode to French dining with Melbourne swagger. Downstairs, the basement Le Club hums with after-dark energy; above, La Terrasse opens to the skyline. The restaurant itself is where culinary theatre happens – modern French with Australian clarity, served under mirrored ceilings and soft gold light. It’s open for dinner throughout the week, and from Thursday through Saturday, Le Club hosts live music until late. Come for the duck, stay for the scene.
Le Club
Address: Basement, 23 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
The French house of style turns nocturnal at Le Club and La Terrasse, where a new cocktail collaboration steals the spotlight. The Made to Measure, crafted with 1800 Cristalino in collaboration Oscar Leal of Sydney-based menswear brand BELANCE, pairs the finesse of tailoring with the precision of mixology, crystal-clear tequila, subtle smoke and the clean finish of citrus. It’s the drink of the week for anyone who understands that fit matters. Whether it’s your jacket or your cocktail.
Yakimono
Address: 80 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
All neon and fire, Yakimono hums with energy from noon until late. For Melbourne Fashion Week, the restaurant launches a bespoke cocktail built around 1800 Blanco, ruby grapefruit, hibiscus, mezcal, umeshu and lime. A sharp, layered drink that mirrors the venue’s fearless aesthetic. Perch at the bar, watch the flames rise, and toast the city’s best-dressed week with something equally bold.
Hotel Nacional
Address: 23-25 Hardware Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
A Cuban-inspired cocktail bar reimagined for Melbourne’s laneway tempo. The team here has created an 1800 x MFW special, a bright, aromatic blend of 1800 Silver, lime and smoked salt, designed for the pre-runway hour when anticipation peaks. It’s casual, stylish and effortlessly cool, the kind of place you stop by pre-runway for a check-in with friends… and perhaps head back to for an after-show aperitif.
DRINK RESPONSIBLY. GET THE FACTS: DRINKWISE.ORG.AU
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