Take in the sights. Draw in a big, gusty exhale, and let your eyes stretch back as far as they can see. This is the Eastern Suburbs: and it is big and beautiful and blue. The grass is greener on this side of town, or so the saying goes, for any perimeter whose streets are flecked with tree-lined streets, heritage homes, and a penchant for anything quiet luxury. Tastefully and ironically so, of course.

For our March Life issue, we consult the tastemakers of luxury themselves, Louis Vuitton. Enlisting Edward Mulvihill to capture and Hannah Cooper on styling duty, a retrospective of city and suburb converge with quiet confidence.

What makes the Eastern Suburbs all the more alluring is its proximity to the big smoke: in this collection, the concrete and high-rises comprise a fraction of its backdrop. Our talent could be in Darlinghurst, Woollahra, Potts Point, or anything in between. Here it's all about the bays: Rose, Rushcutters, Double – you name it. In some of the images, the background is closely framed by the model, an afterthought, but a present one. In others, it is the drawing point that commands your attention. Lean close and count water, exposed brick, gridded railings painted slate-grey.

There's a polish to the frames of each picture where site and model meet. Each frame, some off-kilter, others dead-centre has a blustering quality. The colours are sharpened to match the high-contrast light, beaming off the cheekbones of model Annaliese Lloyd in Louis Vuitton. And the clothes: housewives meets First Lady. Shearling coats with buttons as round as gumdrops are paired with calf-length skirts. The looks are autumnal, but the winter is a Sydney one: with a cloudless open sky. The two dresses both taper into a V for Vuitton around the neckline – our mind snags on whether this is deliberate or not.

Perhaps this is a playful remonstration: avert your eyes. You shouldn't be looking at an unassuming woman's clavicle. The expressions worn by the model are solemn, but with a lightness around the eyes. She must know something we don't. And when she isn't looking, she's searching for a subject far-oft out of frame, or an imaginary scuff on her shoe. Every fixture seems to be eclectic, but within belief.

And what are the Eastern Suburbs, if not a disorienting mosaic of the high-camp and the gauche?

 

Left: LOUIS VUITTON jacket. Right: LOUIS VUITTON jacket; model’s own jewellery worn throughout.

 

 

Left: LOUIS VUITTON jacket, pants and bag. Right: LOUIS VUITTON jumper and skirt.

 

LOUIS VUITTON dress and shoes.

 

To experience the Life issue in its entirety, the March edition of RUSSH is available on newsstands from 29 February and through our shop online. Read more about the inspiration behind the issue in Jess Blanch's editor's letter. Wanting to purchase the Life issue in person? Find a stockist near you.

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Cover image credits: LOUIS VUITTON jacket, pants and shoes.