We call it cultural Sunday but what we mean is lunch in the city. It’s an excuse to get together and gossip over one-too-many martinis. By the end of lunch, we will all be insisting the city feels alive again.

It helps that the weather has turned from grey mornings to blue skies, from winter to spring. This weather calls for outfits that are light and bright, that hint at summer clothes. Like a loose denim pant by Polo Ralph Lauren and an oversized satin shirt by Sandro in the soft pastels or vivid hues of the new season.

Now the temperature is warmer and the sun is casting dappled light onto the pavement, we layer over bare midriffs and cuff our sleeves. Maybe we style the Sandro flame sneakers with a Mimco handbag in pale pink and walk into the city. Maybe, we’ll wander along the Yarra till we emerge at Fed Square, or through Carlton Gardens, past the Princess Theatre and down Little Bourke Street. Either way we’ll end up at Emporium.

The best cultural Sundays are never planned. They begin with texts sent in the morning over newspapers and black coffee at the kitchen table. It is undeniably sweet to wake up on a weekend with nothing to do but let the afternoon be shaped by simple questions - what do you feel like?

When reservations are easy to come by or aren’t needed at all – Calia at midday?

When plans come together – meet you at the florist on Swanston Street?

The optimism of springtime in Melbourne is palpable. As the air softens, the days get longer and winter coats can be put away in favour of summer jackets. The city is in the mood for long lunches, for afternoon wines, for exhibition openings, engagement parties and running into old friends.

Everyone from Australian Vogue to Broadsheet has noted this optimism reflected in Melbournian’s clothes. The city famous for its love of black is embracing the post-pandemic rise of dopamine dressing. Pops of bright colour, like deep magenta, neon yellow, cornflower blue and cherry red make the wearer feel good and reflect a desire for fun. It is the biggest fashion trend of 2022. It has swept cities from Los Angeles to Stockholm, from Tokyo to Melbourne.

Native floral prints and delicate pastels are the other mood of the season. They are perfect for Sundays that begin with browsing for new fiction at Readings and end with a late showing at the cinema. Afternoons that call for silky twinsets like the one in alice McCALL’s latest collection.

It is made of a soft viscose in a pale mauve print with hints of burnt orange and native flowers. The high-waisted pants and oversized shirt feel like nothing against the skin but as always, with Melbourne’s unpredictable weather, layering is key.

Here the twinset is paired with a lilac cable-knit vest by Melbourne designer Viktoria & Woods. It’s worn with an orange platform shoe that has an open toe and a sling back, designed by another local brand, búl. The shoes pair beautifully with a straw Oroton basket that could be straight out of a market in the South of France. Generous in size, the basket is made for running errands, from dry cleaning to the greengrocer, from Aesop to Uniqlo.

It might just be the perfect accessory for spring, except of course, for fresh flowers that are coming into bloom.