Opening the doors to The House Of Malan Breton, step through into a nostalgic world of 1920s characters. Brush shoulders with their merlot tinted leather trenches in the smoking lounge, bask in the whiskey stained air in the speakeasy where sharp tailoring fills the room of oak games tables and see sweet secrets shared over periwinkle pleated pieces in the parlour.
Breton revolutionises the silhouettes of the past and awakens them with the tricks of his trade. He takes on his own twist to the traditional trench with a megawatt metallic finish in gunmetal, contrasted with the soft piping of faux fur. Taiwanese embroidery techniques are deeply sewn and rooted into the seams as well his soul. Gowns intensely hand-sequined in rich reds and bold burgundies. Leather adorned in Swarovski crystals and Japanese fresh water dying are a few of the masterful techniques used to create the luxuries of this collection.
The metaphor of the snake lingers through the collection as a symbol of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing. Malan on his inspiration….
“What if we could know the stories of the mad man, the other side of life as told by victims, what if we could know the pain, the suffering, the loss and abandon that bring the antagonists to madness. What if in this exploration of psyche we learn that the evil, the unkind were once pure. What if we knew their joys, and could save them before their last moments.
This season I try to tell a story of a Norma Desmond type character, before she loses her stability. Before she throws away her freedoms for unrequited love. Before the world knows her as a diva, a has been. A murderess.
What if After Death we see the hearts of those who society drove to madness, before their utter demise.
That is my vision this season for my AW19 collection.”
Malan Breton’s AW19 collection is a blissful reminder of better days – and the promise of the return of luxury.
Hair: by Charlotte Cave and team
Makeup: Headed Lisa Potter-Dixon for Benefit Cosmetics
Photographer: Lillie Hand
Stylist: Montgomery Frazier
Director: Luis Villabon
Footwear partner: Skechers UK