At Viktor & Rolf, the catwalk was painted as a tarmac-ed road complete with street lamps and Joan As Policewoman sang an acoustic version of 'Highway to Hell'.

The Dutch design duo's starting point though was rather more cosy and familiar: the grey V-neck sweater,  a wardrobe staple that is both comfortable and chic and – for these two conceptual minds, at least – full of possibilities.

Not that, for all the ideas enacted, the clothes weren't extremely wearable. Variations on a theme threw up handkerchief hemmed ponchos, sweater dresses, even a white column dress decorated with patch panels of textured cable knit strands.

These ropes of yarn were extracted and blown up in size to become decorations, running the length of stiff neoprene tunic tops, boxy jackets and vinyl-effect overcoats.

Just as the grey knit is borrowed from menswear so the cut of the pieces was too, and the surface adornment as well. Mocked-up patches of suiting toiles decorated coats, tops and dresses, phantom tailoring on a more relaxed and elegant silk or jersey base. There were graphic representations of pin-tucks, too, but for the most part pieces were strict and planate, trompe l'oeil rather than trussed up.

This was a collection of ease and everyday, razzed up in places with the fruits of Horst and Snoering's latest collaboration with Atelier Swarovski, crystals of which formed 3D herringbone detailing on the lapels of coats and fronts of sweaters, or were placed on the collar of a shirt to give a feminine – but not girlish – edge.

After last season's riff on school uniform, it seems Viktor & Rolf still have grey flannel on their mind. And why not, when so many of us have it in our wardrobes? It's as sensible as the grey sweater itself.