Inside Camilla and Marc’s intimate pre-fashion week dinner with Byredo at the Barons
It was one of the first truly cold nights of the season, but inside the Barons, where Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman had gathered Sydney’s fashion media ahead of Australian Fashion Week, the atmosphere was warm and convivial as guests like Maddison Brown, Jessica Gomes, Victoria Lee and Pip Edwards filed in.
The grotto-style French bistro — all candlelit stone, dark banquette and crystal glassware — had been transformed into a private dining room where flacons of Byredo fragrance caught the light on tables (along with small cathedrals of stacked martini glasses) and branded chocolates and silver mirrors decorated place settings. The scene, with its well-heeled and slinkily dressed guests and dark glamour, had the feel of a Bret Easton Ellis novel — which, as it turned out, was the point. Camilla and Marc’s pre-fall 2026 collection was inspired by exactly the kind of 80s “Power Woman” who might have hosted long lunches in a similar brasserie. “Our Pre Fall collection was inspired by ideas of power, resilience and adaptability, explored through the lens of a hyper-real 80s corporate world,” says Camilla Freeman-Topper. All worthy qualities to reach for in troubled times — when climate anxiety, geopolitical instability and the threat of AI to creative industries have made the ground, in fashion at least, feel perpetually uncertain. An intimate dinner before the full machinery of fashion week offered a chance for the industry to catch its breath.
Image credit: Kitty Callaghan and Sam Armstrong, Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman at the Barons
This notion of human adaptability was present in other ways throughout the collection. “There are references to nomadic dressing throughout the collection as well, particularly in the way we transition through different environments. Draping, wrapping and enveloping silhouettes became a way to express softness and strength simultaneously. We wanted the collection to feel both protective and sensual at the same time.”
Abbey Lee captured this spirit in the recent Camilla and Marc campaign, playing Susie Batton, a high-powered corporate lawyer in downtown Los Angeles under interrogation by private investigators for a crime she may be implicated in. The brutalist piece of cinema gives insight into the new ways the design duo are exploring what it means to be a woman — let alone a Camilla and Marc woman — in 2026. “Abbey has this incredible ability to embody strength in a very understated and instinctive way, which feels deeply aligned with the Camilla and Marc woman,” says Freeman-Topper. “She doesn’t hold back, she is self-assured, she knows who she is and she does not waver from that — she has a presence that is exactly how we saw the character of Susie Batton. She doesn’t overplay anything, which made the performance feel incredibly powerful and believable.”
Image credit: Kitty Callaghan and Sam Armstrong
At the far end of the room, models sat impassive like figures in a tableau. Makeup director for Byredo, Sean Brady, captured the collection’s thesis in the beauty look for the evening, building what he described as a “blown out corporate 80s eye” — an intoxicating haze of sheer violet shadow and a grungy, blurred lip — using the brand’s yet-to-be-released Vesuvio eyeshadow palette. Brady described Byredo as an “adaptable and emotionally driven” brand. “It has the ability to move fluidly between different worlds while still maintaining its distinct point of view.”
Brady noted that a key trend in beauty right now is a return to maximalism, tempered with polish. “We’re seeing a strong return to statement beauty, but with a modern refinement. Metallic textures are having a major moment, whether it’s through high-shine eyes, reflective finishes or subtle chrome accents that catch the light. Vinyl lips are also making a comeback, bringing that lacquered, almost patent-like finish that feels bold and glamorous without looking overly retro.
Image credit: Kitty Callaghan and Sam Armstrong
“One of the key techniques used backstage was softening and diffusing traditionally bold elements to make them feel more contemporary. I personally don’t love a harsh lip line, especially with deeper or statement lip colours — instead of creating a sharply defined shape, we used a bullet brush to blur and feather the edges. It instantly modernises the look and gives it that effortless, worn-in quality rather than feeling overly precise or rigid.
“When creating a smoked-out eye, layering setting powder over the shadow and then buffing it through the edges creates a beautifully blown-out finish. It softens everything in a way that feels reminiscent of late 80s and early 90s beauty — slightly rebellious, effortless and lived-in — while still remaining elevated and wearable for today.”
Image credit: Kitty Callighan and Sam Armstrong Backstage with Sean Brady for Byredo
Byredo was present beyond the vanity case. The Night Veils extrait de parfum collection — fragrances of higher concentration than a traditional eau de parfum, built around flowers that release their most intense scent after dark — scented the room through candles and a dedicated fragrance experience in the restrooms, so that guests moved through different layers of it across the evening. It was a considered choice. “From a fragrance point of view,” Freeman-Topper says, “Byredo is the ultimate in evoking feelings from fragrance, within the context of a minimalist and modern approach. Their approach was refined yet emotional, which mirrors the essence of the collection perfectly.”
Image credit: Kitty Callighan and Sam Armstrong, Models wearing Camilla and Marc pre-fall 26
The ten-look presentation came first — silhouettes staged against a softly draped backdrop, the collection’s thesis rendered in cloth. Then dinner. Fenugreek sourdough arrived, then hay-smoked trout with Gentleman’s Relish, then roast chicken, then strawberries and cream. A Mikkapedia soundtrack wove 80s references through the room with a light touch that felt more atmospheric than nostalgic. By the time gift bags were collected — jewellery from the latest collection, a delicately wrapped meringue, a cherished family recipe from the late Pamela Freeman, alongside Byredo and Redken product — the noise of the outside world felt, for one evening at least, dimmed.
For Freeman-Topper, the evening was as much about reconnection as collection. “Connection has always been such an important part of our brand,” she says, “so it felt incredibly meaningful to bring our community together again in a more personal way. There’s something very special about experiencing a collection in person and creating a sense of intimacy and conversation around it. For us, the evening was equally about celebrating our community.”
