Can you feel the anticipation? Hear the cash registers ringing? Foresee the sore heads and feet? LMFF is so close now you can almost feel the fabric and if you are not already stockpiling sleep, breaking in shoes and detoxing in preparation for the week of fabulousness around the corner, it’s not too late to start.

I recommend you stop drinking now, get at least 3 days of cleansing in and pop your vitamins every day. Long hours, lack of sleep and a bad diet during festival week is enough to have any fashionista dragging her feet into the Easter break. Preparation is the key to a healthy and happy festival! Enjoy the champagne and canapés in moderation, eat a decent breakfast every day and hydrate with lots of water throughout the week. Nothing worse than a worse for wear body after the festival – you’ll want to show off all your new threads in the best way you can coming into Autumn Winter 2010.

With hundreds of events to choose from in festival week, just how many can you make it to? As a volunteer, my choices are limited but at this stage I will definitely be at the Marketing Breakfast (Thursday), the Metamorphosis Student Showcase (Wednesday) and the Target Rocks Red Market (Saturday). Everything else is entirely dependent on what the volunteer schedule throws at me – thus far I am working Runway 2 (Tuesday) and Runways 5 and 6 (Thursday). There are many cultural events that extend beyond the week of the festival. Save these ones for later and get to the ticketed events during festival week, or risk missing out! Lot’s of shows are already sold out or close to so don’t wait til the night of; tardy fashionistas will end up wearing last seasons bargain bin finds.

It is essential you plan your show outfits in advance, last minute weather disasters, wardrobe malfunctions or dry cleaning store closures can wreak havoc on the ill prepared fashionista. Ensure you have at least one outfit planned for each event (not per day, per EVENT) and a minimum of 4 back up outfits. In real estate, location is the key. In fashion, it’s all about the outfit!! You can never be too prepared – choose shoes, bags and accessories, make sure everything works the way it’s meant to. Check that party feet, Panadol, Berrocca and bandaids are stocked up on. Flat shoes are not an option during fashion week.

Finally, the easiest way to tell a fashion virgin from the fashion elite? The ones who dive into the goody bag the moment they set their fake Prada on the floor in their Row D seat. Show some class and sophistication – don’t take fake and wait until you get home to ooh and ahh over the freebies. Have a great festival and keep checking Sarahs Style Emporium for updates, volunteer insider news and Vogue Fashion Editor Assistant highlights!

www.lmff.com.au