Brittany Higgins made a stylish appearance at the Marie Claire Women of the Year Awards at the MCA in Sydney on Tuesday evening.
Ms. Higgins slipped into a $1,000 self-portrait strapless beaded mini dress with scalloped trim, a fitted bodice and a flared skirt.
The dress is decorated with lace floral appliques and embellished with thousands of sequins and beads.
She paired the dress with a matching cape that appeared to be custom-made.
Brittany paired the strapless lace ensemble with $249 nude Edward Meller pumps, which are almost identical to the shoes once favored by Kate Middleton.
Brittany Higgins made a stylish appearance at the Marie Claire Women of the Year Awards at the MCA in Sydney on Tuesday evening
The Duchess of Cambridge is a big fan of LK Bennett’s £355 nude patent leather ‘Sledge’ pumps, and there was a time when she was rarely seen in other shoes.
Ms Middleton’s fascination with the respectable heels even sparked speculation that she has dozens of them in her wardrobe.
Ms Higgins opted for clear make-up with a touch of blush and plum lipstick as she wore her hair away from her face.
She completed the ensemble with a baby pink handbag from an unknown brand and simple drop earrings.
Meanwhile, her fiancée Sharaz, 32, kept it classic, wearing a dark blue suit with brown dress shoes and a gray tie.
Ms Higgins mingled with guests outside the venue, enjoyed a glass of bubbly and chatted with other attendees.
Brittany paired the strapless lace ensemble with $249 nude Edward Meller pumps, which are almost identical to the shoes once favored by Kate Middleton
Brittany paired the strapless lace ensemble with $249 nude Edward Meller pumps, which are almost identical to the shoes once favored by Kate Middleton
As the night went on, she seemed to relax, but skipped the red carpet and opted not to be photographed by waiting cameras.
The couple’s appearance at the awards ceremony comes after Chron Australia exclusively reported that Ms Higgins and Sharaz were planning to build a new life in the south of France. The couple is looking for a gardener to look after a plot of land in a small village and a French tutor.
Ms Higgins received up to $3 million in taxpayer money in 2022 over claims her political career was in tatters after she publicly claimed she was raped by her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House in 2019.
The Duchess of Cambridge is a big fan of LK Bennett’s £355 nude patent leather ‘Sledge’ pumps, and there was a time when she was rarely seen in other shoes
Ms. Higgins slipped into a $1,000 self-portrait strapless beaded mini dress with scalloped trim, a fitted bodice and a flared skirt
She completed the ensemble with a baby pink handbag and simple drop earrings
She completed the ensemble with a baby pink handbag from an unknown brand and simple drop earrings
Mr Lehrmann has always rejected the allegations.
The former employee remained tight-lipped about the payment, but flaunted various luxuries on Instagram last year, including short vacations to Paris, Geneva and London, the Maldives and a ski trip to the Snowy Mountains.
Now Chron Australia can reveal the couple, who have rented a newly built duplex in Palm Beach on the Gold Coast, could be ready to give up their lives and head to the sprawling land at Lunas, near Bordeaux in the south of France.
Brittany’s Self Portrait dress costs just under $1,000 on the Harrods website
Brittany’s heels are from Edward Meller and retail for $249, but are currently on sale at David Jones for $169
On October 2, Mr. Sharaz posted in a public Facebook group for English-speaking residents, hoping to connect with Francophones in the Dordogne region.
“Hello, I’m looking for someone to work in the garden for us over the next few months.” Maybe once or twice every two weeks. “We are in Lunas,” he wrote.
About a month later, on November 5, he asked members of the same group if anyone could help him improve his French.
‘Hello! I hope to start learning the language, and although my plan to use French subtitled films could work for a decade, I want to speed it up!’ he wrote.
“Does anyone know any good French teachers?”
Ms Higgins mingled with guests outside the venue, enjoyed a glass of bubbly and chatted with other attendees
Lunas is relatively remote, with about 650 residents, and is part of a collection of small villages known as the “Pays des Monts et des Sources,” which translates to “Land of Mountains and Springs.”
Stone terraced houses are tucked away in the hills on the edge of the Gravezon River and a four-bedroom will cost potential homeowners around 180,000 euros, which is around AU$300,000.
About a week after employing the services of a gardener in Lunas, Mr Sharaz – who left his media job in Brisbane in February – posted photos on Instagram of various attractions he had visited during a trip to Dubai.
The couple’s appearance at the awards ceremony comes after Chron Australia exclusively reported that Ms Higgins and Sharaz were planning to build a new life in the south of France. The couple is looking for a gardener to look after a plot of land in a small village – and a French tutor
In July, Ms. Higgins shared a series of photos via Instagram in which she posed in front of the Palais des Nations, the United Nations conference center in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Honored to intern at this year’s @unitednations Congress on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),” she captioned the post.
The images showed Ms Higgins standing outside the front gates of the international peace organization’s headquarters in Switzerland in a variety of outfits as she attended the three-week conference in May.
The couple also traveled to France around this time and shared archived highlights of the trip in September.
In mid-August, Mr Sharaz indicated he was busy in London.
“Working in London on weekdays,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a clapperboard emoji.
Alongside a train emoji, he wrote: “Discover Paris this weekend.”
The couple could try to give up their life in Australia for the small town of Lunas in the south of France
On Tuesday, Ms Higgins enjoyed a new luxury holiday after posting an Instagram story overlooking Sydney Harbor at the Four Seasons Hotel ahead of the Marie Claire Awards.
On her plate was a blueberry pastry and a personal, handwritten note from the hotel staff.
The note read: “Dear David and Brittany, I wish you a warm welcome to the Four Seasons Sydney.”
“I hope you enjoy your stay and please don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can help you with.”
Mr Lehrmann’s libel trial against Channel 10, Lisa Wilkinson and ABC began on Wednesday in the Federal Court in Sydney.
Mr. Lehrmann is suing the network and Wilkinson over a television interview on “The Project” in 2021 in which Ms. Higgins first raised her rape allegations against him, and against ABC over a similar program a year later.
Although he was not named in either program, he claims friends and former colleagues were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
Ms Higgin shared a series of snaps of herself outside the United Nations headquarters in Geneva (pictured)
Ms Higgins announced on Twitter earlier this year that she was prepared to give evidence in the trial.
Mr Lehrmann was charged in the ACT Supreme Court in October last year, but the hearing was abandoned when a member of the jury brought banned research material to court.
Shane Drumgold, the former ACT director of public prosecutions, dropped the sexual assault charge on December 2 because of concerns about Ms Higgins’ mental health.
The following day, and after a single day of mediation, she won her lawsuit against the Commonwealth, which included 40 years of lost wages, even though her claims were unproven.