Malan Breton Spring 2014

Project Runway has produced a slew of credible fashion designers. Still, only a handful have gone on to show consistently during New York Fashion Week. With the exception of Christian Siriano, Irina Shabayeva, Korto Momolu, Gretchen Jones, Malan Breton, and a few others, most contestants on Project Runway are faces we only see on reruns on Lifetime and the Style Network.  And while some very talented Project Runway alumnae start off strong with good press and notices, only Siriano and Malan Breton have managed to keep their feet in the proverbial New York Fashion Week pool season after season.

For spring 2014 Malan Breton looked to British pop groups that came to America in the 1960s as a reference point. “My inspiration for this collection was the British music scene that spread to America in the 60s” explained Malan Breton. “I drew a lot of inspiration from the silhouettes of that area and I really wanted to emphasize a woman’s curves in this collection. To add to the romance of the collection we added corsets and some very feminine elements.”

Breton’s color palette ranged from the soft pastels of carnation pink to eggshell white, beige, nude and electric blue. “As far as color was concerned I wanted to keep it softer for the women and bolder for the men,” detailed Breton. “When it comes to color, men are becoming the prize peacock. Interestingly, roles are being switched in the market right now.”

Though this was a beautiful collection, Malan Breton’s strong suit is his menswear. And though his choice and color and fabrication, especially the floral brocade suits, were daring for the male consumer, the beauty and tailoring of his men’s suits were undeniable. When it comes to his women’s looks, most leaned slightly toward wardrobe one would see in a modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It and maybe even The Merchant of Venice. Though the women’s looks were lush, romantic and beautiful, Breton needed to pay more attention to the styling and the adage, “less is more.”

Still, Malan Breton has found a way to continue to present his collection practically every season during New York Fashion and he has shown twice at Lincoln Center. I think his perseverance is paying off!!

—William S. Gooch