MORE THAN 70 SHOWS in seven days. That was New York Fashion Week 2018 earlier this month, where designers such as Malan Breton, Telfar Clemens, Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, Gabriela Hearst, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang and a host of others introduced their fall lines.
Take Breton, the onetime “Project Runway” contestant, for example. The Taiwanese-born designer, who lives and works in New York City, launched his namesake label in 2005 and does menswear, womenswear, outerwear, accessories and bridal wear.
Breton, 44, is known for his theatricality and artistic flavor. His new fall collection delivers depth, soul and literary references and draws its inspirations from Edwardian and Merlin tarot imagery, Chinese astrology and the mythological Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Conquest, War, Famine and Death).
“This collection,” he says, “has been a journey of self-realization, a point of gaining one’s hope back in humanity. Rebuilding one’s shell, one’s armor, one’s heart. Love lost, valor, and watching gluttony and greed change humanity for the worst.”
Malan’s latest designs stay true to his Asian roots, using opulent color, exotic Swarovski embellishments and antique techniques of weaving, embroidery and dyeing.
He uses chinoiserie-inspired fabrics — silk organza, silk tulle, silk brocade, re-imagined kimono fabrics and Chinese brocades that he toughens with shearling, leather, tweed, angora, feathers, glass beading and tourmaline. Also present are sustainable elements, like pieces of recycled bottles used as spangles.
His collection is not for the faint-hearted, but it’s ready for battle.
Several trends from NYFW 2018 are likely to show up in your neighborhood in the not-too-distant future. Among them:
- Leopard print coats.
- Romance created by frills, florals and lace.
- A nod to the 1980s with big shoulders, neon colors and over-the-top styling.
- Womenswear that conjures modern swans.
- Outfits with matching blanket scarves.
Consider yourself warned.
::
Forbes.com contributed to this article.
[STAY UP TO DATE ON TRENDS AND NEWS WITH THE FASHIONADO BLOG]
