Margaret Zhang’s Guide to Sydney

Margaret Zhang’s Guide to Sydney



What
an average person may take weeks to complete Margaret Zhang
achieves in a single day – from 6AM until midnight she may style a
shoot for Vogue, guest buy for MATCHESFASHION.COM, manage her partnership with Nokia,
consult fashion brands and write for her fashion blog
ShinebyThree.com. She obviously does this while looking impeccable,
exercising frequently and always having a handle on the 500 emails
she receives daily. Under her various titles – consultant,
photographer, writer, stylist – she travels all over the world
securing new projects on a daily basis. When she isn’t on the road
she’s in Sydney
where she’s also pursuing a bachelor’s degree in law and commerce
at the University of Sydney Law School. We caught up with her and
got her insider guide to the Australian city.



Your favourite hotel to wake up in?

The Old Clare Hotel has so much character – I love
how they’ve repurposed what were once boardrooms into bedrooms.

The best morning workout?

A
6AM circuit
or HIIT session with my trainer Dan Wootton. He’s
such a legend!

Your favourite brunch in the city?

Shuk in North Bondiis delicious – their shakshuka is off the
charts.

Where would you go to walk off brunch?

Down to
Bondi
from Shuk, and then do the Bondi-to-Bronte coastal
walk.

The best café to study in?

Ampersand Café & Bookstore on Oxford Street in Paddington –
the rooms upstairs have really high ceilings and they do a great
soy chai latte.

Where would you choose for a long lunch with friends?

John Smith Café – it’s conveniently right around the corner from
my office.



Where do you go to clear your head?

Coogee Beach at sunrise.

What is Sydney’s most exciting boutique?

Parlour X just opened a beautiful new store on Oxford Street in
a converted church. Eva Galambos offers a fantastic selection of
local and international labels.

Sydney style in three words?

High-low mix.

The best bookshop in the city?

Kinokuniya in the Galeries Victoria – they have the best range
of international publications.

Where would you go to by a cocktail outfit?

Dion Lee’s store in the Strand Arcade.

For something quirky?

All the tiny vintage stores in Newtown.

For a dose of culture?

I’d go for steamed dumplings in the hole-in-the-wall Chinese
Noodle House in Chinatown. You’re literally squished elbow-to-elbow
with the next-door tables and there are super bizarre Dutch
tapestries and plastic grapes hanging from the ceiling, but it’s
such great comfort food.

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