There is always excitement in the air whenever a new fashion week kicks off. There is uncertainty about the success of the collections. There is avid interest in who will turn up and be seated in the front row. There is even a certain keenness to meet up with the other frequenters of such events. But for the designers themselves, there is total and utter fear — or so I was told by those I chatted to after the shows last night.

Joburg Fashion Week Spring Summer 2008 began in the surreal surroundings of Montecasino in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg last night. It was a night of gasps of pleasure, interspersed with a few frowns of confusion. There were some dazzling highlights that excited even some of the tired old hacks to praise. And, yes, there was a little disappointment when an exciting designer didn't live up to some the hype that had preceded them. But most of all, day one of this fashion week was celebration of femininity.

'Plethora of girlie dresses… '

I have no doubt that the ladies of South Africa will be in equal parts relieved and thrilled with the plethora of girlie dresses, skirts and blouses that we will be wearing this season.

It is a time to really enjoy being a woman and revel in the gorgeous florals, ruffles and bows that were on display in the eight designer collections that we saw last night.

With a base of black and white, colours either followed a nautical theme of blue, red and white, or a pretty muted palette of soft pinks, blues, turquoise and orange.

As mentioned, the big pattern story was around the floral prints, but there were also plenty of checks and stripes, swirls and sequins.

'Natural fabric for real women'

Much of the excitement of the day was in the use of fabrics. There was a great deal of silk in most of the collections, which is a great natural fabric for real women.

There was also much use of cotton jersey that is both comfortable and flattering. Swathes of taffeta were used for melodrama and the silk chiffon and georgette were used to really emphasise the femininity at the heart of the collections, with some kind of romance never far from the storyline.

The silhouettes were unsurprising with much volume in the skirts (great for disguising our womanly hips), strong shoulders and both mini and maxi dresses on show.

The rah-rah skirt is strong on the comeback trail, and the lantern skirt was a popular choice. I have got to say that neither of the latter are for us real ladies, but the youth among us can enjoy them while they last.

Hanging about a little past their sell-by dates are the high waists and dresses with layers of ruffles, but this too shall pass, while bang on trend was many a playsuit, kaftan and nipped-in jacket.

'An opportunity to claim your own voice'

Individuality was inherent in the detail of the collections, from the quirky embroidery patches on the Pink Art frocks to the tartan trim on the tulle underskirt at Heni, there is a real opportunity to claim your own voice should you wish to buy these designer pieces. And while there was a clear global reference point through all the shows, the basics of the South African aesthetic was present.

Not all of the collections were ready for the fashion hungry consumer to snap up. But there was a level of experimentation and exploration in some of the shows that certainly inspire us to look forward to what they bring next time.

Those that really stood out as modern classics include the wonderful Pucci-eque French Riviera stylings of Frans Kies, the great drama of the Heni collection, and the joyful fusion of art and fashion from Cape Town locals Pink Art. And that was just on day one.

For more information on Robyn and for photos from Joburg Fashion Week, go to: http://styleguidecapetown.blogspot.com