Zambesi revealed their gorgeous 2010 collection among some sombre wintry theatrics at Auckland’s Sky City Theatre.
The empty stage was dressed with shadows and a single strip of light that was to become the runway for the evening, while art house images and tearing heavy metal introduced what was to be a very grungy winter collection.

The models, both men and women, were casually wrapped up in layers of grey, charcoal and the ever-present black. Hints of red and printed silks peeped through the tailored, textured androgynous styles that dominated the collection.

Taking a final line-up at the end of the show, their bundled ensembles and casual flat footwear made the models look like an army of glamorous vagabonds, ready to take on the elements and strut through the streets in the grungy effortless cool that Zambesi have become masters of.

With the stage setting considerable distance between the models and the audience, it made it hard to see the garments in any real detail, not helped by fuzzy projections of close-up shots of the models onto the screen behind. In some ways this lent to the entire feeling of coldness and dislocation that was seeping through the show, though I’ll look forward to getting a closer look at this typically dark yet desirable collection.