DARK AND MYSTERIOUS. THESE WORDS DESCRIBE MALAN BRETON’S SS18 COLLECTION BEST THAT WAS PRESENTED ON DAY 2 AT FASHION SCOUT LONDON.
This article was originally published on The Fashion Conversation.
Represented by both, male and female models, the audience got immediately drawn into Breton’s vision. Lustrous double-breasted leather coats and tight-fitting heather feather skirts made the signature garments. From this, it slowly transitioned into the muse of Breton’s designs, the Victorian goddess.
Thoughtful details and the use of silk and tulle seen through Rococo look-a-like dresses flounced down the catwalk. Sex and chaos resulted in beastly creatures, with models wearing nude-coloured rubber corsets mixed up with golden ruffled mermaid skirts. The wow-factor triggered by a black ankle-length Lolita tulle dress styled with a fetish rubber jacket. With the aid of the model’s slow-paced walk, the dress appeared awing and chaotically beautiful. Overall, silhouettes were tightly-fitted, and the outcome was sophisticated and heroic.
Figurines of Moulin Rouge and Blade Runner were his main inspiration. Worth to mention are the colours used throughout the collection, that varied between midnight blue, mustard yellow, beige, dark black and Tyrian purple. The colours reminded of a night in Paris, Burlesque and the atmosphere in a French club of the late 1900s’.
For the male gaze, Breton drew inspiration from the alchemists of the dark underworld. Butterfly symbols seen in midnight blue-black brocade Nehru jackets paid homage to the designer’s Taiwanese roots, while rolled up collars added a dark undertone to the outfit. Signature accessories were maxi black silk bow ties for women and loose fitting ties for men. Malan spoke of his collection as an extension of personality and his designs all about “darker sexier air, with a twist”.
From last season it was a progression away from the light and lovely to the dark and moody. Throughout the catwalk show looks remained strong and spoke for themselves, with each keeping a mysterious secret within the garments. To put it in Breton’s words, it was all about the sinners and “what it is that drove these characters to darkness”.
