When our high society snitch passed on a ‘tier list’ of Sydney‘s most talked-about socialites, we knew straight away it was one for our Mail+ subscribers.
So after the Emerald City’s rankings proved wildly popular last week, we did a ring around Melbourne‘s most clued-up insiders and asked: who are the big names south of the border?
Below, we present our tongue-in-cheek tier list of the unofficial queens of Toorak, Brighton and South Yarra.
Some you’ll know from Daily Mail’s years of showbiz coverage, but others have the kind of wealth that keeps them below the radar, and it’s hard not to conclude that they make Sydney look like Australia’s second city when it comes to style.
The socialites are placed into three tiers – A, B and C – and, as with the previous list, we’ll leave it up to you to decide if their placements are fair.
Without further ado, here are the A-listers…
Top of the food chain is Sarah Lucas (formerly Lew, née Nowoweiski) and her daughter Bella Lew, whom she shares with ex-husband Steven Lew, the son of retail billionaire Solomon Lew
Sarah (centre) and Bella (right) are pictured at Sarah’s pre-wedding party in Venice in 2023
Interior designer Tamsin Johnson (pictured with her husband, celebrity tailor Patrick Johnson) is also a notable member of Melbourne’s ‘It’ crowd, despite having moved to Sydney
A-list
Top of the food chain is Sarah Lucas (formerly Lew, née Nowoweiski) and her glamorous daughter Bella Lew, whom she shares with her ex-husband Steven Lew, the son of billionaire retail magnate Solomon Lew.
Tamsin Johnson is also a notable member of Melbourne’s ‘It’ crowd despite having moved to Sydney. She runs her own interior design practice and is behind some of the Victorian capital’s finest homes.
‘Queen bee’ AFL WAG Rebecca Judd also makes the A-list, which is hardly surprising as she is so revered in the city’s social scene she has been given the nickname ‘God’.
Georgia and Bella Geminder, the glamorous granddaughters of billionaire ‘cardboard king’ Richard Pratt, also run in the same elite circles.
Their mother, Fiona, owns cardboard giant Visy and is worth a reported $3.4billion, while their father, Raphael, who is also on Forbes’ Rich List, has a 40 per cent share in the plastics manufacturer Pact.
Sacha De Winter, who married into the prominent blue-blood Baillieu family, has also cemented her place in the lofty heights of Melbourne’s social scene.
‘Queen bee’ WAG Rebecca Judd (pictured with husband Chris) also makes the A-list. She is so revered in the city’s social scene she has been given the nickname ‘God’
Georgia and Bella Geminder (both pictured), the glamorous granddaughters of billionaire ‘cardboard king’ Richard Pratt, also run in the same elite circles
Sacha De Winter (pictured with her husband Hamish Baillieu), has also cemented her place in the lofty heights of Melbourne’s social scene
Amanda Valmorbida’s (left) family made their fortune as wholesalers for the La Gina and Sirena tinned food brands in the 1970s, and by importing Lavazza coffee. Her husband Tim Holmes à Court’s (right) father is a cousin of Australia’s first billionaire Robert Holmes à Court
Kristen Fowler (pictured), who is married to Harry Fox, the grandson of billionaire trucking magnate Lindsay Fox, also holds a position on the top of the social ladder
Joining the A-list is Amanda Valmorbida, whose family made their fortune as wholesalers for the La Gina and Sirena tinned food brands in the 1970s, and by importing the ubiquitous Lavazza coffee.
Her husband Tim Holmes à Court’s father is a cousin of Australia’s first billionaire Robert Holmes à Court.
Kristen Fowler, who is married to Harry Fox, the grandson of billionaire trucking magnate Lindsay Fox, also holds a position on the top of the social ladder.
B-list
One of the main ‘It’ girls on the B-list is Rebecca Harding, who is engaged to TV, radio and podcast superstar Andy Lee.
Rozalia Russian, the model-influencer wife of hospitality king Nick Russian, who owns Bar Bambi on AC/DC Lane, also earns a place in the middle tier.
Former WAG-turned-fashion designer Nadia Bartel has moved up the ladder, having successfully rebuilt her reputation after that Kmart plate incident.
One of the main ‘It’ girls on the B-list is Rebecca Harding (left), who is engaged to TV, radio and podcast superstar Andy Lee (right)
Rozalia Russian, the model-influencer wife of hospitality king Nick Russian, who owns Bar Bambi on AC/DC Lane, also earned her place in the middle tier
Former WAG-turned-fashion designer Nadia Bartel has moved up the ladder, having successfully rebuilt her reputation after that Kmart plate incident
Journalist-turned-skincare entrepreneur Zoë Foster-Blake should be at the top, what with her estimated net worth of $36million, but her move to Sydney with husband Hamish Blake has impacted her position in the Melbourne scene.
Joining her on the B-list is Lisa Wipfli, the wife of Nova 96.9 breakfast host Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, who also splits her time between Melbourne and Sydney.
Radio presenter Lauren Phillips, who is engaged to private jet mogul Paul O’Brien, has been a C-list fixture for years – but by thrashing Kyle and Jackie O in the breakfast show ratings, she has climbed up a rung.
Designer Effie Kats is another prominent socialite whose clothes are regularly seen on the likes of Dannii Minogue, Kelly Rowland, Carrie Bickmore and DJ Havana Brown.
Lindy Klim moved back to Melbourne last October after splitting from her second husband, property developer Adam Ellis, and living in Indonesia for years. Being a legitimate Balinese princess guarantees her a spot in the B-list – and the only way is up.
Also in the middle tier are Emma Hawkins, the wife of Geelong great Tom Hawkins, and reality TV star and co-founder of the Liberty Belle Skin Centre Andrea Moss.
Other notable B-listers include Holly Lucas, the daughter of famed Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas; and Georgia Maddern, the niece of TV stalwart Rebecca Maddern and wife of Patch Garnaut of the Garnaut financial advisory family.
Journalist-turned-skincare entrepreneur Zoë Foster-Blake should be at the top, what with her estimated net worth of $36million, but her move to Sydney has impacted her ranking
Joining Zoë on the B-list is Lisa Wipfli (right), the wife of Nova 96.9 breakfast host Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli (left), who also splits her time between Melbourne and Sydney
Lauren Phillips (left) and Effie Kats (right) also made the B-list
Lindy Klim moved back to Melbourne last October after living in Indonesia for years. Being a legitimate Balinese princess guarantees her a spot in the B-list – and the only way is up
Rounding out this middle tier is Emma Hawkins, the wife of Geelong great Tom Hawkins, and reality TV star and co-founder of the Liberty Belle Skin Centre Andrea Moss
The C-list
While they aren’t quite at the pinnacle of Melbourne’s high society, these names are still ones to keep an eye on.
AFL star Josh Daicos’ fiancée Annalise Dalins works as a model and is signed to top agency Vivien’s – could she be the next ‘Queen bee WAG’?
Sarah Ellen has also been making a name for herself since leaving acting behind to focus on her influencing career, and now boasts almost 800,000 Instagram followers.
Also building a reputation in the beauty industry is Bridget Bond, the head of international brand development at cosmetics giant Mecca. Bridget is the sister-in-law of A-lister Holly Lucas.
Footy WAG Jessie Murphy (née Habermann), the wife of former Carlton skipper Marc Murphy, is also one to watch, having burst onto the scene when she wore a daringly low-cut dress at the 2016 Brownlow Medal.
Brendan Fevola’s stepdaughter Mia Fevola rounds out the list as a budding influencer and entrepreneur.
AFL star Josh Daicos’ fiancée Annalise Dalins works as a model and is signed to top agency Vivien’s – could she be the next ‘Queen bee WAG’?
Sarah Ellen has also been making a name for herself after leaving acting behind to focus on her influencing career, and now boasts almost 800,000 Instagram followers
Also building a reputation in the beauty industry is Bridget Bond, the head of international brand development at cosmetics giant Mecca
Footy WAG Jessie Murphy (née Habermann), the wife of former Carlton skipper Marc Murphy, is also one to watch, having burst onto the scene at the 2016 Brownlow Medal
Brendan Fevola’s stepdaughter Mia Fevola rounds out the list as a budding influencer and entrepreneur
