With so many families separated this holiday season, the message of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” has never been more poignant than right now. Made famous first by Bing Crosby, the seasonal standard gets turned into a duet courtesy of multi-talented fashion designer Malan Breton and chart-topping singer Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin. In the video for the song – premiering here on HollywoodLife – we watch as Malan envisions a perfect holiday with his love, portrayed by Consuelo. Standing between him and this holiday are a lot of miles. Overcoming canceled flights, a lack of cabs, and both the MTA and Long Island Railroad, Malan finally makes it home to have the Christmas of his dreams. It’s a heartwarming visual, matched perfectly to the love Consuelo and Malan give to the original with their tender, reverent rendition.
“With so much change and struggle out there right now, we really wanted to do something traditional and inspired by that sort of old-fashioned holiday nostalgia,” Consuelo tells HollywoodLife. “We also felt it was important to make the video both comforting and relatable, so we focused on that universal desire to get back to our families and loved ones… something that people all over the world have been struggling with and striving for this year more than ever before.” Consuelo also said that Planes, Trains And Automobiles, the classic Steve Martin-John Candy comedy, inspired the music video. “Our director Rafael Feldman brought to life this beautiful story of hope and determination prevailing over adversity.”
This story “of hope and determination” was filmed at the renowned Vanderbilt Estate and Museum out on Long Island. “The vision for the video was one of hope, being away from those we love, and finding them in a timeless melody of the future,” Malan tells HollywoodLife “The director Rafael Feldman played angles, and locations like the strings of Alex Davies arrangement, mixed with the colors in my designs, to touch the hearts of those we hope this video will bring joy too. It was an honor to film with Consuelo and to be surrounded by her ancestral home. The Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium is a beautiful piece of history kept alive for all to experience.”
In the spirit of the season, Malan and Consuelo will be giving back to those in need during this Christmas. All proceeds from “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, one of the nation’s leading industry-based HIV/AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations.
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” hits all digital outlets and streaming services today (Dec. 3.)