I’ve never been particularly invested in the Sydney versus Melbourne style debate, as I’ve always thought the two cities have their own distinct charm.

But having just spent a whole week in cold, rainy Melbourne, I have decided that Sydney needs to lift its game.

Cold weather elicits a distinct style sensibility in Melbourne – out come the considered layers, the natty overcoats, the great boots, woolly hats and perfectly tied scarfs.

As the temperature plunges, Melburnians add their layers gradually, nonchalantly, each layer complementing the last.

Give Sydneysiders one day of below 15 degrees Celsius and they panic, wear the same outfit they were wearing in March and then just add a puffa jacket.

Melbourne and quality knitwear go together like espresso and focaccia. I was a Vogue fashion assistant in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and we all used to get so excited if we managed to score a work trip to Melbourne.

The first stop was always Georges, where we would pore over the piles of Ballantyne cashmere and John Smedley sweaters, hoping to hell they were on sale.

The next destination was a Saba store, for Joseph Saba’s signature knits in fashionable colours (and of course black).

Melbourne label Scanlan & Theodore has also carried on the tradition of distinctive, timeless knits – every woman I know owns at least one of the long line cardigans with the wide lapels and wrap belt or their thick, chunky-ribbed sweaters.

Fashion and taste are intrinsically linked to lifestyle, and as I wined and dined my way around numerous wonderful bars, cafés and restaurants in Melbourne, it was hard not to come to the conclusion that our World’s Most Liveable City has indeed worked it all out.

At 6pm on a weeknight, every bar in the city is heaving with people, despite torrential rain. Restaurants everywhere are packed and buzzing, doing three or four sittings for dinner.

Fast forward to Sydney, where a scattering of patrons is slouching towards a Hemmes-owned pub where they can look forward to paying half their pay cheque on a glass of wine, and having security check their ID even though they’re near retirement age.

Melbourne folk do all sorts of outré activities, such as sitting and having after-work drinks at an outside table in the CBD, or in cool, hole-in-the-wall bars in a lane off a lane off a lane.

Melbourne feels like you and a few friends could come up with a great idea for a bar, make it happen and hordes of cool people will come. Try that in Sydney, council won’t pass your permit, there’s no way your patrons can sit anywhere but in their designated indoor seats, and even if you did manage to open one, hordes of people will stay away.

It may explain our limited dress sense. We’d probably do better at beach bars, given our complete inability to conquer layering. But try getting one of those through council.