Juan Carlos Obando (Q4865)
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Juan Carlos Obando is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Juan Carlos Obando |
Juan Carlos Obando is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Taking a break from the show schedule is often perceived as a risky fashion decision. But for designers like Juan Carlos Obando, who went from presenting his collections on a runway in New York to by-appointment-only in Paris two years ago, it’s arguably the secret to his current success. The L.A.-based designer has quietly managed to triple his business in that time, away from the maddening crowd of Fashion Week. It’s certainly given him time to address the more real-world concerns in a wardrobe of modern eveningwear from the inside out—quite literally.Obando is launching a collection of what you might call eveningwear lingerie for Fall 2017, pieces that should solve the eternal question that women often face when dressing up for a night out: So what do I wear underneath this? That problem has certainly been exacerbated by the recent trend for boudoir-inspired dressing—not to mention the advent of the naked dress—and Obando is keenly aware of that. His latest collection takes a 360 approach to party dressing with chiffon camisoles to layer under any number of his body-skimming slips and blouses, red-carpet-ready panties, and cocktail-hour bodysuits. Sure, the idea of bodysuits is nothing new, yet Obando’s are far more elevated than anything most party girls will be used to. Woven from an ultra fine gauge silk and viscose, they make the VPL conundrum obsolete, while offering a level of comfort. Paired with the more dramatic bias-cut satin skirts in the lineup, the look has a sense of ease that feels right for now. It’s no wonder that fabulous party animals, including Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, are wearing the brand.Obando’s silk-scarf blouses have become a signature, and he’s committed to building out an entire wardrobe of interchangeable evening separates—most of the pieces are available in a full range of colors, including more directional items like his crinkly silk ruched pencil skirts and the gathered velvet blouses. And though his business is set to expand once again with the launch of his e-commerce site in May, Obando is fully committed to preserving home-grown production values—his entire collection will be made in the U.S.
5 March 2017
Juan Carlos Obandoheld an intimate presentation of his Fall 2016 collection in the same Saint Germain gallery where he showedhis last collection, but this time he brought the tropics. The space was filled with vases of blooms native to the Southern Hemisphere: Fiddle-leaf fig leaves leaned agreeably against the window; mandarins were piled on a table; South American birdcalls played as the soundtrack. It would have all been a little much if it wasn’t so entirely welcome an escape from the latest in a string of gray, drippy days in Paris.“I was thinking about these dinner dances in people’s homes in ’60s, ’70s South America,” said Obando, citing the importance of both major movement—seen here in the emerald green silk ruffles of a skirt, or the generous width of a flowing trouser—as well as an ensemble’s appeal when only viewed from the dinner table up. It was a romantic reflection on the glamour of actually dressing for dinner, for parties held at homes that were dressed up, too (hence the fruits and flowers). The clothes themselves were a furthering of Obando’s theme from last season—asymmetrical silk separates in cream and crimson with frills loosely looped over the bicep, plunging slit skirts, and gently wrapped waists. You can’t blame him for going back to the well—these pieces sold like gangbusters for Spring, Obando said, and he’s improved the already beautifully rendered wares, upping the make from two- to four-ply silk. But there is a difference, it is important to note, between a consistent message and a collection whose seasons are indistinguishable. A one-shouldered red gown cut on the bias was unexpectedly flattering and the epitome of the type of simple, chic evening dress that women are always searching for and can never quite find; it was an example of the type of forward motion that will keep customers coming back to see what’s next.
5 March 2016
Fashion shows, with all of their required hustle and flow, can actually prove to be something of an obstacle for smaller design houses, as the averageFashion Weekaffair has become more like a performance piece (or a gesture of how much money a given brand has the ability to shell out) and less about its actual purpose, which is, you know,to show the clothes. Environmental worries (seating charts! The music! The lights! The lack of heat! The oppressive heat! The location!) are the immediate concerns, and the details of a given collection often get lost in the shuffle. So when it came to his Spring 2016 show,Juan Carlos Obandowasn’t taking any chances. “I want you to turn this jacket inside out,” he said at one of many private appointments he is holding today in a small space near Saint-Germain, proffering a cropped waxed organza version with generous bell sleeves. “Look at what we’ve done!”The piece felt as smooth and as light as cotton, and yes, the details (stitches, seams, lines) were perfect. This perfection is a sticking point with Obando, who has leaned hard into the technical aspects of his manufacturing this season: He’s employed exclusive Italian mills; he’s hired more hands on deck to supervise the construction. “Count the stitches! I am so proud of these details,” he said, highlighting the bias-cut trim of a silk tank top, the corners at the edge of a scarf tie. “I never want to be a brand that looks or feels cheap. I hear enough from my friends about how clothes look one way on Instagram, and then entirely another in a store.” And as Obando has realized, the chasm between an Instagram “like” and an actual purchase lies in the physical here and now: How does it feel, how does it look, and, most important, is it worth it?Obando launched with Neiman Marcus and Net-a-Porter last season, and a plethora of trunk shows has made him increasingly aware of what women want: less gowns, more separates. Things that can be worn to work and then adjusted (either by adding a skirt or a heel) for evening engagements. Comfort, a sense of romance, a hint at a vibrant inner life. “It’s not about an impossible, inspirational woman—it’s about how the clothes make them feel,” he said, in what has become a bit of a refrain among designers this season.
These were elegant, easy looks based around decadently heavy silk separates (those Italian mills!), like a camisole with a tie-waist and furls of fabric below the shoulders (the addition of a skirt slit on the bias turns it red-carpet-ready), a slip dress that loops and ties around the wrists, striped fisherman’s pants (those perfect seams again!). Deceptively simple pieces were worked with subtle details: shirtdresses with scarf-tied necklines that trail behind you as you walk, a column skirt slit in the front and back to move like trousers, with the stitching (the yarn the same as those used in baseballs, the designer’s nod to a recent trip to Cuba) picked out. “It’s about courtship,” Obando said. “I’m obsessed with courtship—the whole thing, my designs, seeing them on a hanger in the store, trying it on, I am courting the women, trying to convince them to fall in love.” Judging by these clothes, he’s going to have a very full dance card come spring.
6 October 2015
Juan Carlos Obando bypassed New York fashion week this season, packing up his Fall collection for Paris. If the show marked a departure in geographic terms, the Los Angeles-based designer insisted that he kept as true to himself as ever. "It's like when you date someone, you shouldn't have to change who you are," he said, a funny analogy for the City of Love.Yet even if Paris played no part, the collection appeared particularly focused and finessed. JCO attributed this to the influence of Oscar Niemeyer on his consideration of form, combined with his pre-fashion years as a graphic designer. To bring the two ideas together meant developing custom fabrics so that a languid floor-length skirt benefited from silk infused with linen, and papery Lurex gave the alluring impression of metal mesh. Clean silhouettes were treated with structural touches—triangle cutouts circling the waist of a dress registered as a nod to Niemeyer's Palácio do Planalto. A white asymmetrical tunic swooped down the body like one of the late architect's space-age facades. The opaque panels beneath a transparent over-layer were a softer expression of the same theme. If the prints struck as highly kinetic, they were also deeply personal: Obando found them in an old portfolio, as if he had left a graphic gift for his future self to discover.About the metallic Brazilian dance-inspired footwear: Created once again in collaboration with Paul Andrew, the shoes were perfectly scaled to Obando's looks. Many of those looks, it's worth noting, seemed inflexible to mixing and matching into an existing wardrobe. But as a complete statement, they confirmed that Paris is, indeed, where this designer belongs.
9 March 2015
"This is actually the most personal collection I've done because it was all about Colombia, my home," Juan Carlos Obando said after his Spring show on the last day of NYFW. This season's personal inspiration gave the designer an emboldened sense of confidence. Instead of focusing on his signature red-carpet gowns and bold color combinations, JCO opened his latest lineup with comparatively casual separates, which came in a range of refreshing neutrals that evoked the salt mines and deserts of the country's La Guajira region. Working with a beautiful, ivory waxed silk, he paired ruffled halter tops with fluid midi skirts, and elevated muscle tees with cropped trousers featuring a comfortable elastic waistband and decorative streamers. From there, Obando transitioned into a handful of sensual, skin-toned kimonos that had boudoir appeal layered over tonal bikini tops.About halfway through, Obando began reintroducing his familiar vibrant hues. Dressy biker jackets and languid, sleeveless robes in soft lavender and pastel pink, respectively, gave way to punchy primary-colored numbers, as well as a gorgeous, bias-cut crepe gown in the deepest shade of merlot, which was topped with a matching menswear-ish vest. Things ended on an energetic note with a group of explosive, animal-printed pieces, including updated track pants and floor-sweeping maxi skirts. "The women I see out at night in Colombia have always influenced my aesthetic. They're a part of me, so I didn't have to do any research to know these girls would combine cheetah with royal blue," said Obando. The exotic finale series proved that Obando hasn't completely changed his spots. Still, it was those standout lighter looks that made the most impact here.
11 September 2014
Given the success of his CFDA/VogueFashion Fund x J.Crew capsule, what has Juan Carlos Obando done for Resort? Taken several steps away from mass-market appeal.Obando says he was "highlyimpacted" by the challenge of distilling his signature nocturnal opulence into a sporty, sellable essence—albeit in an unlikely way: "I am more fearless about doing decadence," he said, and the result is a collection that's both more sumptuous and rougher than anything the designer has done previously. "You can see [the luxury], but there are no crystals and there's no shine." Indeed, there's considerably less swish factor all around here. Obando has pared back his floor-length gowns in favor of evening sportswear pieces in buttery leather, hammered silks, and rich Japanese cotton. The decision to up the ante in terms of separates was born, like Obando's J.Crew fare, of Barcelona—this time, its after-hours scene. "This is full-on debauchery!" he recalled thinking on one trip. "They are so sweaty, but they look so good!" An undone elegance was evoked through crisp blouses (which came in a few flavors: menswear-inspired, Veruschka à la Saharan, and faintly swashbuckling) that dripped with long ties at the cuffs. The wide, obi-style belts and slouchy trousers he teamed them with made for compelling looks that should only serve to pad Obando's red-carpet Rolodex. Surely this is stuff many an urbane star and stylist will go for; a few pieces felt downright Swinton-esque.It's particularly interesting that Obando chose a pre-season collection to turn this dramatic a corner in the brand's aesthetic, but as the designer tells it, why stave off his future? "My past collections all have led me to this. I'm going here." Despite the fact that Obando has upped the opulence where materials and fabrication are concerned, his clothes felt more wearable than ever. The message here was a clear one: bigger, more beautiful, more badass.
24 June 2014
After spending years honing his message, Juan Carlos Obando finally found a formula that works, and he's standing by it. The designer's take on modern eveningwear typically involves sexy dresses cut from yards of rippling satin that feature high slits, plunging necklines, and all sorts of trailing streamers and sashes. Obando offered plenty of these signature styles in saturated jewel tones (a deep teal halter gown was particularly stunning), as well as a range of pretty blush hues.Pulling off one of these numbers requires titanium-strength confidence and a killer physique to match. In order to "own the night"—Obando's trademark phrase—you've got to be able to own the dress. That's easy enough for a diva like Kelly Rowland, who sat front-row at the show in a JCO Spring look. (She also wore the designer to an amfAR event the previous evening—that outfit has earned her more than 50,000 likes on Instagram already.) A slew of A-listers including Amy Adams and Julia Roberts have also donned JCO recently.Real women without red-carpet events to attend, however, are more likely to gravitate toward some of the relaxed, pajama-like separates here. Although several looks could've fared better without excessive styling flourishes such as chiffon veils draped over the shoulders and shaggy fringe boots, Obando ultimately succeeded in communicating his unique vision.
6 February 2014
Modern, unassuming eveningwear is the niche Juan Carlos Obando has been carefully carving out for himself over the past few years. Recently announced as a 2013 Fashion Fund Finalist (he was also nominated for the award in 2008), Obando said he feels like everything came full circle this season: "This is a major moment for me. Now my dream isn't just a fantasy anymore." For Spring, he updated signature silhouettes like glam pajama sets and halter gowns in a variety of graphic prints; polka dots and bold, intersecting stripes complemented the collection's "North African Night in Madrid" theme. A new range of bijoux, including brass semicircular earrings and banded choker necklaces, also contributed to the tribal vibe. JCO's customer doesn't like to go unnoticed at a party, and she'll gravitate toward some of the attention-getting standouts here, like a fuchsia silk tie-neck blouse paired with a rippling burgundy satin ball skirt, as well as a lipstick red long-sleeve gown with a keyhole neckline and alluring open back. Obando's sultry yet sophisticated looks enable women to own the night without being owned by their dress.
15 September 2013
Juan Carlos Obando described his muse this season as "the girl at a party who can be found out back smoking with the boys on the balcony." According to the designer, Fall was a turning point for his business, with sales reportedly quadrupling. He kept up that momentum here with a collection that articulated some developing JCO signatures, like tailored dress pants paired with dramatic, streaming tops that can be wrapped, styled, and cinched as desired. Obando is also known for his vibrant use of color and played to his strengths with pieces like a rippling ball skirt cut from—count 'em—eighteen yards of teal satin, which looked fresh with a comparatively simple top. Other highlights included Halston-esque halter gowns featuring sexy high slits and nonchalant pajama separates in a twinkling star print. Last season, Obando released a small capsule of jewelry that hit stores the same day as his presentation, and he repeated that again with on-trend brass rings worn on each finger, as well as cagelike collar necklaces and heavy door-knocker bracelets. Obando seems to have truly found his voice.
10 June 2013
On the last day of New York fashion week, Juan Carlos Obando staged a small show for about a dozen editors, buyers, and stylists in the parlor of a mansion on the Upper East Side. "There's nothing to hide behind—no actresses sitting in the front rows," he said afterward. For the past several seasons, the designer has been finding a voice and refining what he calls his unassuming approach to eveningwear. Obando achieved that for Fall with a concise collection that played up vibrant colors, which have become a calling card.Elegant peasant blouses and hand-pleated silk skirts with haphazard high slits came in a range of saturated hues including teal, emerald, coral, plum, and aubergine. Styled with braided rope belts and lace-up metallic Manolo Blahnik sandals, the clothes had a slightly bohemian flair. Meanwhile, the most innovative looks paired streaming chiffon tops with sharp trousers.The result was dressed-up yet nonchalant, and ultimately modern. Equally modern were the rose gold bracelets, collars, and pendant necklaces—all handwrought by Obando himself—that reportedly arrived in Barneys Co-op stores just after the show wrapped. "She won't buy a $2,000 dress, but she will buy a $300 cuff," he said. It's ideas like those that will continue to make Obando an increasing part of the conversation.
14 February 2013
Juan Carlos Obando was thinking outside the box when he came up with the concept for his Spring presentation, opting to show the new collection on mannequins with papier-mâché animal heads instead of models. (He shot Heidi Mount for the accompanying lookbook seen here.) The surreal sculptures articulated a sort of woodland fantasy that tied in with the clothes. The prints this season were based on sketches Obando did as a graphic designer ten years ago of zoomed-in fish scales and feathers. The patterns came on peplum jackets and hourglass-enhancing cocktail dresses cut from sporty, silicon-treated crepe. Obando carried over his sheer chiffon pants with built-in board shorts from Resort, which successfully advanced his modern approach to unassuming eveningwear. On the other hand, he also included dramatic gowns with puddling trains and over 32,000 Swarovski crystals. Red carpet ready? You bet.
4 September 2012
Before he began designing in 2008, Juan Carlos Obando was in charge of branding for big companies like Toyota as a creative director at the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency. Obando applied that skill set (he also photographed the lookbook himself) to refining his namesake label's message over the past several seasons. His new Resort lineup is his most concise to date. Focused on "an unassuming approach to eveningwear," Obando showed a flamingo pink chiffon blouse with cargo pockets paired with a long, silicon-treated silk skirt that had a trailing train. Worn with super-cool, studded menswear oxford shoes (a collaboration with friend George Esquivel), it was exactly the kind of outfit you'd want to dance in at a summer wedding. Floaty sheer pants attached to cool board shorts plus "pillow case" clutches struck a similar balance of unassuming elegance.
26 June 2012
Resort was a game changer for Juan Carlos Obando, whose shockingly bright silk dresses—much like the "Miami" pink one Viola Davis wore earlier this week at the Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon—nearly sold out at Barneys across the country. "It's nice to have your bread and butter find you," said Obando in reference to his successful electric color palette. The designer has capitalized on the moment and started selling Fall in L.A. before today's show in order to accommodate the ongoing awards season. This move seems to have worked out, as today's finale number has reportedly been tapped for the Oscars.Naturally, those blockbuster brights showed up on the runway, but they shared space with more experimental pieces. These were inspired by motocross daredevils in the arid Salton Sea area of California, who rage to the Chemical Brothers while riding out over the dunes, and "combine the natural with the artificial," according to Obando. The designer aimed to re-create that balance here with a brocade skirtsuit etched in neon lime on a sand-colored background, as well as brocade wrap skirts and biker jackets. On another synthetic note, Obando created faux pieces like a full-on "mink" coat that looked like real fur and will set you back a comparatively reasonable $1,200. Other looks ventured too far into the test kitchen, with melted industrial Swarovski paillettes and shredded tulle. But overall, this lineup was a step forward for Obando. He beamed, "I feel like I'm riding a wave right now." Surf's up, JC.
8 February 2012
A towering wall of fragrant roses and delicate orchids served as the backdrop for Juan Carlos Obando's Spring collection. "I wanted it to be a moment," the designer said, gesturing toward the live wall. Moment achieved. A few days before the show, Obando brought up another moment. Namely, Freida Pinto in a tucked and draped lawn-green dress from his Resort collection at aRise of the Planet of the Apespremiere this July. "It really flipped the business," he said of the exposure. "You don't understand the force until it happens to you." So, sticking with a good thing, Obando picked up where he'd left off with Resort, aiming for eveningwear that's "supermodern and with an ease."With Josephine Baker back as muse, there was a languid sexuality to the clothes—a sense of glamour with a little grit. Expertly draped and knotted-silk dresses were lightbulb-bright in fuchsia, purple, and what we'll call Pinto green. Several looks were accessorized with long, color-blocked scarves; a strappy sack dress in bands of blue, black, white, and brown was an arresting, full-size version.There are several ravishing frocks here for stylists to squabble over, but the full secrets of the gowns won't be revealed until they're tried on. A seemingly simple black and white number contained what Obando called a hip corset, in neoprene and silk, for lifting, tucking, and shaping the derriere. Seen on the model, the fabric looked like it just fell there—you had no idea what kind of assistance was being given. "I am here to make your butt look amazing," Obando said with a laugh, but he's serious.
13 September 2011
"Everyone else can own the day. I'll own the night," laughed Juan Carlos Obando at his Resort appointment. Sure enough, no sportswear here. This season, Obando was thinking of Josephine Baker for his collection of cocktail attire. Not the famous banana skirt that jazzed Miuccia Prada for Spring; rather, the way that Baker made sexy seem sophisticated—even when she was wearing nothing but the fruit from the bowl. Less and more faced off in this mostly-maxi collection. Obando pointed out that many of his dresses comprise a great amount of fabric—up to 18 yards, linings included. Standing still, they can look positively modest. But just wait till they move. ("Before, women wanted to sit down at parties," Obando said. "Now they want to dance.") Those same dresses are slit up to there and down to here, revealing acres of thigh, back, chest, and even arm. When they work, they play a very Baker-esque game of peekaboo. But—and here's what may turn out to be the rub—they're sure not for the shy.
7 June 2011
According to his show notes, it was a performance by the plaid shirt-wearing Brooklyn band the National that got Juan Carlos Obando thinking about concerts and musicians' gear. So how did he end up with foiled leather cutouts encaging the bodices of his dreamy gowns and strictly tailored separates? "Kiss!" the designer exclaimed backstage during his presentation. Indie rock led to glam rock, it seems, and Obando reinterpreted the jagged edges of Kiss' signature lightning bolt into an overlay cutout that appeared appliquéd on the hips of slim wool pencil skirts or wrapping up and around the bodices of romantic silk goddess gowns.The dresses, which were light as air in a lovely sea-foam green or clean, soft white, were beautiful unadorned, but the electric energy of the geometric designs gave a welcome jolt to cocktail hour. The appliqués were less successful on sharp, tailored suits; they read too strongly as symbols, as opposed to organic design elements, and the models looked a bit like superheroes. Better, for superchic-ness, was a black dress with one long, jeweled arm. Dense with beading, it started at the wrist and eventually, with a pencil-thin strap, wrapped around the neck. Besides being very sexy, it was indicative of the type of handwork that goes into almost all of Obando's pieces. Business, he reported backstage, is booming, and he wants to be in a position to offer his clients something they can't get anywhere else. Those Kiss-inspired cutouts, then, are probably up for discussion.
14 February 2011
"We have a niche in evening and cocktail," Juan Carlos Obando said backstage before his show. "But I wanted to make evening relevant tomyage. How do you look all decked out but still be 33 years old?" Well… neoprene armbands and shredded cutouts, apparently. "I like sex," Obando said with a boyish grin.Sex wasn't the only thing on his mind, though. Steeped in documentaries about deep space, Obando riffed on the intergalactic, working with a dreamy Milky Way palette of mottled violet, turquoise, silver, and black. Universally sexy bell-bottom pants—tight, tight, tight through the thighs—were topped with fitted peplum jackets and roughened up with exposed zippers and raw-edged cutouts. The cutouts made a big impression on dresses, too: They looked like the wearer had flown too close to the sun. More than 140 varieties of jet black crystal were splashed here and there (and a smattering of hardware, too, including washers picked up at Home Depot); while these were applied by hand, the finished effect was more high-tech than handicraft. Shoes and jewelry by fellow Angelenos George Esquivel and Alexandra Cassaniti, respectively, echoed the beautiful toughness at play.
10 September 2010
Juan Carlos Obando explored two seemingly opposing themes for Resort: one, the practical (what pieces, he asked himself, would work best on the sales floor?); the other, fantasy. "I call it 'Falling Fairies in the Wicked World,' " Obando said of his latest effort. "Or beautiful clothes gone bad."On the practical tip, plenty of versatile sportswear could be found in this tightly edited offering. As for Obando's more dramatic ideas? They're all in the details. The technique-minded designer turned his talents to washing and dyeing processes, turning out a beautifully finished silk and wool coat that had been boiled to resemble rumpled cotton. In another instance, the same fabric, used for a cropped jacket, was treated to look like well-worn leather. The pale blush hue of a ball gown skirt bled into a rich flamingo pink at the hem, looking as if it had been accidentally dragged across a vat of dye. In a wicked world, Obando has a flair for producing clothes that are polished without being pretentious.
10 June 2010
"I wanted to show that we could cut a dress," Juan Carlos Obando said after his deceptively simple Fall show. With a minimum of extras on the runway (save for George Esquivel's thigh-high, lace-up "boot extensions," which created a minor and sexy distraction), attention was trained on the garments themselves, and Obando's scissor skills were plainly on display. His tailoring indeed proved to be faultless.A high-collared wool jacket had a futuristic equestrian feel; paired with slim trousers in the same shade of sand, it made a supremely chic pantsuit. Flattering curved seams elevated simple sheaths, while worsted wool pants in two subtle tones of olive were especially becoming when seen from behind.A brown bomber jacket looked like leather but turned out to be waxed mud cloth. It was structured but delightfully worn-in and rumpled. A trio of hand-pleated gowns in black and pale, pale neutrals closed the show. They were technically sound, but after so many clean, streamlined silhouettes, they seemed like an unnecessary flourish rather than a conclusion.
13 February 2010
Particularly in New York, one learns to approach with trepidation a fashion show hinging on a highly conceived theme. This is why Juan Carlos Obando gave us pause as his models marched out to the peppy theme fromThe Magnificent Sevenlooking as if they'd just been tossed off a bucking bronco. Obando's message, however, wasn't camp in the least. Instead he pondered the macro idea of new frontiers and the micro one of imparting the patina of history and natural forces to textiles. The result of the latter, or actually of both, was tailored peplum jackets, sexy front-slit skirts, and coats cut in a mottled silk with a beautiful depth. Now seems like a good time to let editors and retailers know that the "dust" isn't part of the look, à la tacky denim, but merely smudged makeup. Barneys buyers, you may now breathe. Obando's new frontier is how to use his wicked old-world skills to make clothes that say something for today. His jackets certainly hit the nail on the head, with perfect hand-finishing inside and out—elegant enough for lunch uptown but so innovatively crafted that they can be crumpled like a jean jacket with no consequence. Needless to say, these were a great leap forward from last season's stiff and stuffy ladylike silks. Obando also advanced his signature twisty, pleated dresses, now in a rainbow of gorgeous muted jewel tones, with cutouts. The sole detraction here was Obando's penchant for repetition, but then again, better a clearly made point than the alternative.
10 September 2009
Juan Carlos Obando called his Fall collection "a tribute to women who love fashion." However, the designer wasn't just talking about any girl who loves an afternoon at Barneys. Specifically, Obando meant a woman, quite like his sometime muse Liz Goldwyn, who lives and dies for craftsmanship. At 25 looks, Fall was the CFDA/VogueFashion Fund finalist's biggest collection shown in New York. He opened strong with a trio of short dresses crafted with his intricate twisting, pleating, and draping technique. Angelic and all-white, they were almost smudged here and there with color: pink, purple, or gray. Obando further flexed his atelier expertise in looks done up in flat, razored chiffon ruffles and waving scalloped layers. But the ethereal was only half the story. He injected a sportswear aspect into the precious proceedings by cutting things down to smart jackets and tops, which were then paired with slim silk pants made from his recent discovery, silk wool. With that fabric, Obando entered experimental mode, doing stiff constructed dresses and boxy tops, plain in front and with a dramatic sculptural flourish in back. With the twisted knots of silver beads (surprisingly and ingeniously light) and a halo of curls, the effect suggested a wonderfully mad lunching lady. A few fit hiccups made those dresses and suits a work in progress, but the series of white jersey gowns that closed the show sailed by as breezy and beautiful as can be.
17 February 2009
They say that of all of the most famous Parisian couturiers, only Cristobal Balenciaga could actually make a garment from start to finish. Even today, it's the rare designer who can stand backstage, as Juan Carlos Obando did before his second New York outing, and state—with justifiable pride—"Every pattern, every stitch is my own."Obando can tell you the number of centimeters between the folds on one of his impeccably crafted gowns. He works with communities in Colombia to preserve quickly disappearing sewing techniques. His beautiful clothes are truly made with love—and sometimes with a magnifying glass. All of these are reasons why a presentation format might have better showcased Obando's artistry than a runway show, however dramatic and carefully orchestrated.Obando's focus was on pleating "in the craziest way possible, so it's like I'm painting with chiffon." He spent time at a small pleating company in Los Angeles honing his expertise, and applied this amazing technique to midriff-bearing bustier tops that were paired with the first pants Obando has ever attempted. These were made of Japanese linen and tied in front for a nonchalant look that evoked lazy tropical-island days. But a pant does not daywear make, and this first stab at the category was not as convincing as he'd hoped. For now, Obando's skill is best admired on his gorgeous gowns, and there were plenty of those to marvel at.
10 September 2008
Juan Carlos Obando, a Los Angeles-based Colombian who is an art director by day and designer by night, came east this season, bringing his eighth collection, intriguingly titled "Liz Goldwyn vs. Frank Miller." "I wanted to show in the shadow of the Empire State Building," the designer said. "It was time for the main stage."Obando had painstakingly hand-sewn each of the 14 looks on view today himself. They included a sheared purple coat made from 120 yards of silk chiffon, as well as simple-looking yet ingeniously constructed goddess dresses, which are something of a specialty for the designer. As for his inspiration—the invite featured the L.A. fashion figure Goldwyn as if drawn by a graphic artist like Miller—Obando didn't take it too literally. "It's separate from the execution," he said. "The superhero is woman." If our powers of prediction are right, the designer is set for further adventures in Gotham.
1 February 2008