For these Real Housewives of Sydney, ‘Every day is like getting ready for Oscars’

Unashamedly aspirational, this season’s The Real Housewives of Sydney is delicious, including the over the top fashion.

RHOS Cast memberTerry Biviano.

Gird your fake-tanned loins, The Real Housewives of Sydney are back and this time there is style and substance in our favourite guilty pleasure. The popular reality-TV franchise has had some work done of late. Sure, the makeovers are about as subtle as day three of a chemical peel, but drastic action was needed.

The format was veering into some pretty ugly territory with claims of unfair treatment by management from international alumnae such as NeNe Leakes and Bethenny Frankel and more glasses and fine china thrown on sets than you’d experience at a rowdy wedding.

Previous iterations of Australia’s attempt at the series were not a huge critical success. Scenes from each instead have gone on to find second lives as internet memes.

The cast of the Real Housewives of Sydney at the launch of the show.

In the first we had barrister Gina Liano – sister of fashion designer Bettina Liano – eviscerating her less than learned Melbourne co-stars. And the previous Sydney wives, from the 2017 version, including the wisecracking Lisa Oldfield, caused havoc even without prompts from producers.

After those hurricanes of hairspray and verbal venom, the show Down Under needed a refresh. It didn’t need a face lift, it required fresh faces. Most important, it needed women who were self-aware, whip-smart and dressed as if every day were a fashion show.

The Real Housewives of Sydney is back with a belter of a cast led by “The Biv”, Terry Biviano, as the queen of Sydney’s social set, and featuring some of the best-dressed names we’ve never heard of.

“I think it’s bad manners to not Botox your forehead,” mother and fashion business owner Victoria Montano deadpans in her opening scenes before summing up her style: “I’ll wear mini skirts wherever I can.”

RHOS cast member: Sally Obermeder.

Fashion and fun, connections and a side dish of cringe are at the centre of this new series.

The drama may be fake but the investment these women make in fashion is real. And the humour is drier than a New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

There is no “stealth wealth”. This is not prestige television like Succession; this is Shiv if she got a spin-off. These Real Housewives’ looks are loud, proud and, if you’ve never seen what the gross domestic product of a small nation looks like, you’ll cop an eyeful when being taken into the walk-ins of Biviano, Montano – who is also the owner of Sport Luxe – and Kate Adams.

All three women join original cast members and former models Krissy Marsh and Nicole Gazal O’Neil, as well as newcomers Sally Obermeder, the former Seven presenter, and Byron Bay transplant Caroline Gaultier.

These are not women who worry themselves with trends. The only Zara they know is their peer on the social pyramid – Zara Tindall, King Charles’s niece.

Victoria Montano.

“I didn’t buy anything for the show, I’m just wearing things I bought months if not years ago,” Biviano tells The Australian.

“I love fashion moments, things that you just know will be special. Things I know my daughter will one day wear. However, I have noticed I wear way too much black.”

It’s a hue that couldn’t be further from what she projects. The former shoe designer and wife of NRL great Anthony “Minnie” Minichiello is the personification of bright, bold and bubbly.

Biviano was not even supposed to be in the show. Having appeared in WAG Nation in 2012, she says she just “casually” helped the production team find “the right girls”. Casual is not in her lexicon or style dictionary. “I don’t do casual, no,” Biviano says, refreshingly, making no apologies for never not being in 15cm heels. “Oh but don’t get me wrong, I love Kmart. My daughter (10-year-old Azura) says all the time: ‘Don’t worry, Mum, let’s just get it from Kmart.’ ”

RHOS cast member: Caroline Gaultier.

Their schtick is about style, and it’s refreshing to see a cast that actually has a signature look. The only bags these ladies possess are the Saddle pouches from Dior. The closest they come to carbs are via a Fendi Baguette.

This is not a show torn from the algorithm of Instagram or TikTok – it’s unashamedly aspirational.

Alex Perry, Mariam Seddiq, cat hair and, controversially, raccoon pelts are the standout trends viewers will notice pop up this season.

This new era is like a Barbie movie spin-off. Each woman is the queen of her own dream house.

One who doesn’t have a Ken – she is “Kenough” – is Adams.

The vet, who has previously appeared on Bondi Vet with Chris Brown, is a single and successful business owner.

She says money isn’t everything and she’s not afraid to enjoy her spoils with “her cats”, a personal driver, personal trainer and wardrobe stuffed with a lot of Barbie pink, suits by Balmain and new-season Bottega Veneta. Adams is outspoken and knows what she does and doesn’t like.

Kate Adams

Montano is also a standout for her no-nonsense approach to life as a wealthy member of Sydney’s elite eastern suburbs. When she’s not running, riding or heli-skiing, she sells outfits for other women to run, ride and ski in.

There are reports that some cast members hire stylists to help them out during filming. It’s the first the Australian cohort have heard.

“I will probably look back and think: ‘Kate, why the f..k did you not get help’, but stuff it – this is who I am, all I have is a glam squad, and we joke that every day is like getting ready for the Oscars,” Adams says.

Hardly a joke when Sydney’s Double Bay is your runway.

The Real Housewives of Sydney is streaming on Binge with new episodes released every Tuesday.