Alert – Rumours of extraordinary rift at the peak of Melbourne high society: One is an heiress, the other the glamorous wife of a nightclub king… and a single photo has the in-crowd buzzing

There’s never a dull moment in Melbourne’s high society.

But behind the scenes of the lavish Toorak dinner parties and long lunches at Maison Bâtard, there are whispers of a rift at the very top of the social ladder.

And this particular rumour started with a single photo.

Last month, the in-crowds of Melbourne and the Harbour City joined forces to celebrate the launch of Coburg-based fashion designer Effie Kats‘ new collection.

The two crews, often painted as rivals, happily mingled at the ritzy Buon Ricordo restaurant in Paddington. But images from the night hinted at discord among the Melbourne camp.

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Melbourne ‘It’ girls Rozalia Russian (left) and Sarah Lucas (right) appear to have fallen out

Rozalia and Sarah seemed to be avoiding one each other at the launch of Melbourne-based designer Effie Kats’ new collection in Sydney last month. (Pictured from left: Rozalia Russian, Jade Kisnorbo, Effie Kats, Nadia Bartel, Lana Wilkinson and Sarah Lucas)

Ballerina-turned-fashion-influencer Rozalia is married to Bar Bambi owner Nick Russian (pictured together at his 46th birthday party)

The gossip we’re hearing is that Rozalia Russian and Sarah Lucas may not see eye to eye, despite both being pillars of the same elite friendship group.

For the uninitiated, ex-ballerina Rozalia is one of ‘s most in-demand fashion influencers and the wife of high-profile nightclub owner, former Temptation Island contestant and one-time candidate for Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nick Russian.

Sarah needs no introduction.

Previously married to Steven Lew, the son of billionaire retail magnate Solomon Lew, she wed her second husband, restaurateur Chris Lucas, in Venice in 2023 in the same ballroom where George and Amal Clooney said ‘I do’.

Her teenage daughter Bella Lew is considered a rising star of high society.

In addition to marrying into money, Sarah hails from wealthy Toorak stock – her parents listed their mansion in the ritzy suburb for $8million in 2017. Following her 2011 divorce from Steven, the Lew family reached a settlement with Sarah that was never disclosed but long rumoured to have been an extraordinary windfall.

Rozalia and Sarah run in the same circles and share the same friends but, to our knowledge, have not been pictured next to one another in any recent photos.

This fact has not gone unnoticed among our Melbourne society spies.

A rare photo of all the key members of the Victorian capital’s in-crowd showed the two women positioned at opposite ends, as if deliberately avoiding each other. 

In 2023, Sarah reportedly fell out with Effie Kats over how paparazzi discovered the location of her Venice wedding to restaurateur Chris Lucas (pictured together on their wedding day)

Sarah’s teenage daughter Bella Lew (right) is considered a rising star of high society

Rozalia posed alongside lady-of-the-hour Effie, hair and makeup artist Jade Kisnorbo, WAG-turned-fashion designer Nadia Bartel and celebrity stylist Lana Wilkinson, while Sarah, dressed in her usual all black, posed at the other end.

While there’s no way of confirming exactly what went down between the two women, the fact they don’t follow each other on Instagram seemingly says it all.

If there is indeed a rift with Rozalia, it wouldn’t be the first time Sarah has had a brouhaha with a notable socialite.

In 2023, she reportedly fell out with Effie – whose clients include the likes of Dannii Minogue, Kelly Rowland and Carrie Bickmore – over how paparazzi discovered the location of Sarah’s Venice wedding.

While there’s no way of confirming exactly what went down between the two women, the fact they don’t follow each other on Instagram seemingly says it all (as shown here)

Months later, Sarah failed to attend Effie’s wedding to finance broker James Cerolini at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne.

She wasn’t at the fashionista’s bachelorette party either.

Sarah’s husband Chris is the mastermind behind some of Melbourne’s most upmarket and stylish restaurants, including Yakimono, Grill Americano and Chin Chin.

The Lucases were named one of Melbourne’s power couples in 2022 and Sarah is considered one of the city’s most stylish ‘It’ girls.