Season after season Malan Breton brings the goods with his always dependable collections, and his shows also always bring some excitement.
Over the years he has had dancers, live musicians and various other performers at his shows, and everyone from MTV’s Real World cast member and muscle model Scott Herman to the suddenly resurgent Maye Musk has worn his clothes and walked his shows. However what Malan also brings with him every time is a sense of family; more so than many other designers he is warm and approachable and answers back directly on social media, and at this point you see the same faces over and over again in the crowd, on the runway and backstage. There’s his assistant Alex Sweeney who’s seemingly everywhere, impeccable male models Peter Ward and Kevin Adrian, and genderfluid model Raine Dove who are all among Malan Breton Regulars, and most were on hand for his NYFW show at The Hammerstein Ballroom.
The space itself is rather vacous and at some of the shows there this week some of the details tended to get lost, but Malan’s clothes are in general big enough to stand out. As always he proudly wore his Taiwanese influences on his sleeve, with fabrics and patterns inspired by his most recent travels there. For the men this translated to rich silk suit jackets accented with handbags and briefcases; the women got flowing gowns, none more show stopping than the outfit worn by Real Housewife Nene Leeks for the finale.
Speaking of that finale, while the show itself was mostly more formal wear, there was a break in the middle where he sent out models in sportswear and swimwear looks. And for the big finish Leeks waited at the end of the runway while all the male models came out in nothing except Malan’s new underwear line; then Malan himself walked out to greet Leeks for the final walk. Along with his typically beautiful clothes, once again spectacle and excitement.
-Jason Jaskot
[slideshow]Photo Credit: Jason Jaskot