Not for the first time, fashion fans were saying thank God for Zambesi after the label's off-site show put the Fashion Week crowd into party mode. There was more than late Tuesday night drinks to celebrate, for with 31 years experience behind them, the Zambesi team know how to turn on a good show too.
In a giant shed at Rhubarb Lane's inner-city site, there was ample room for their favoured extended runway, trod by some of the best models in town and a few flown in, including Australian Vogue's Aboriginal cover girl Samantha Harris.
They were styled beautifully with the girls in multiple plaits woven into partly loose long hair. Battle lines were drawn, with faces carrying black or white stripes evoking the tribal warrior of the sports field.
A hexagonal design printed on to T-shirts and panelled onto a woollen dress was based on the facets of a soccer ball and this shape also led to the deconstructed collar and rounded bottom of the dress. Oversized sweats, striped knits and college-style woollen bomber jackets with leather sleeves picked up on the theme.
Other standout designs were men's dark pea coats, with buttonholes stitched in white cotton and a black lace woman's jacket with large shawl collar. The same lace was also used in a pinafore and a man's tie.
