The inside scoop on Malan Breton’s showing at Style Fashion Week
On February 11, Malan Breton debuted his Fall/Winter 2016 collection in a runway show at Gotham Hall as part of Style’s New York Fashion Week. The show was held in the hall’s grand ballroom event space, presented in an elegant atmosphere with the inlaid marble floors and pale masonry of the walls lit with chic pink, purple, and blue light effects. Against one of the short sides of the oval shaped room were two immense maroon curtains draped elegantly from the ceiling and extending to the walls to partition off the backstage area. The sleek white catwalk extended into the center of the room from the point where the two curtains parted.
It was this dramatic and grand space that set the initial tone for the show. After a moment, the lights dimmed, and a swirling display of spotlights began to glide across the sumptuous curtains. Music started to play and a model emerged wearing an immense white ball gown with red flower petal designs. She produced a microphone, and opened the show by rocking the house, singing a sexy song about winter that was composed specifically for the show. Right on the heels of the audience’s applause for her, the other models emerged and started to strut the first designs down the catwalk.
The show intermixed male and female models, showing an even mix of men’s and women’s clothing, but the women’s designs quickly came out on top as the crowd favorites. The men’s clothes followed themes of mostly pink or maroon in satin suits. There were also several sets of black and white heavily layered ensembles and one look that featured a trench coat length down jacket. Meanwhile, the colors and patterns for the women’s clothes were more diverse. Most designs featured a satin cloth stitched with a pink, green, and tan floral pattern. This beautiful pattern was made into gowns, tops, pants, bodysuits, jackets, and even a headdress. The designer also chose to play with solid colors, featuring a gorgeous full-length light gray gown with a mermaid bottom and a full-length deep red gown with open sleeves and a straight skirt. All designs were well received by the audience and Malan was met with much applause when he took the catwalk himself at the conclusion of the show.
Malan Breton’s luxury design brand, founded in 2005, is easily one of the most popular labels today. The designer is most famous for his signature fabrics, an attribute on full display in this collection, and for the way his impeccably tailored garments incorporate subtle elements of Asian design sensibilities. This is undoubtedly a way for Breton to reference his roots, having been born in Taipei, Taiwan. Over the years, Breton has dressed A-listers such as Ariana Grande, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Buble, and Daniel Craig. His clothes have been worn on red carpets at the Oscars, Grammys, Cannes, and the Met Gala.
Photo Credits: Fernando Leon via Getty Images