Expert Eye: Zambesi

After 30 years in the game, Zambesi can still deliver surprises. Photo / Getty Images

Finally, a show where there's an excited buzz afterwards. Finally, a show where the conceptual production values match the beautifully realised clothes. Day One of Fashion Week ended with Zambesi underlining how 30 years of experience adds up to a cohesive styling approach that can still deliver surprising twists.

To a filmed backdrop of a moody tree and skyscape, the models strode forth in signature suiting, chunky knits, and draped dresses.

A print with painterly stripes splashed irregularly across georgette tunic dresses and tops. Gold-patterned puce coloured silk used in a fluid dress and a man's shirt with tie-front. Palest grey and camel were key colours for men's and women's wear, alongside the expected black, charcoal and inky shades. Teal and chocolate combined in loosely woven knits and a bold lattice weave repeatedly figured in body-cloaking tunic tops.

Dayne Johnston's menswear hung together with assurance: slim cuts, cropped pants, sharp jackets, trenches and trim woollen coats. A jacket had the appearance of being double-breasted, but the buttons fastened on only one side. Another jacket had a raised shoulder, further defining its crisp silhouette. Vinyl figured in pants and sleeves.

Label co-founder Elisabeth Findlay fashioned a deliciously curvy woman's coat in soft grey. She used camel and caramel wools in layers, topped with a cocoon of a shrug. Her black knits, defined by diagonal cables, had a Japanese aesthetic, loosely wrapping the body.

Accompanied by a reading of Jack Kerouac's Last Hotel and ending with the soaring notes of a rough-hewn version of Kate Bush's Heathcliff, this was a show people will be talking about all week. But by then they'll be queuing up to get into Saturday's Zambesi Retrospective.