Corridor40

For Los Angeles-based designer Juan Carlos Obando, who presented his FW10 collection before a packed house at Milk Studios, FW10 is about strong, fuss-free femininity. Heavy in shifts, wraps, tie belts and neutral tones, his latest collection was an updated take on body-con dress; each piece was perfect-fit as a result of meticulous construction, not Spandex.

Curved seams were consistent, wrapping around skinny pants, bolstering shoulders of an updated suit jacket and outlining a few contrasting panels, though most articles were monochromatic. Providing added interest were Obando’s choice fabrics, with leather serving both as a waistband on elongated wool shorts (in fact, hemlines were universally modest) and as fitting sleeves on a motorcycle-esque jacket. A chocolate, leather-look shell that topped slim, low-slung trousers was a highlight, as were a repeated pair of sexy, high-waisted satin pants.

The single accessory was a standout, in the form of George Esquivel’s thigh-high creations that extended the look of Manolo Blahnik’s lace-up stilettos. The combination took two dressers a model’s entire hair-and-makeup session to strap on. Well worth it.

Aside from jackets, arms were left bare, with a few tops tending athletic and a black-and-white, crinkle-bandage bodice a main idea; seen as a separate as well, the style—when paired with flowing, layered, panel skirts—composed the handful of near-finale gowns, which proved hard to differentiate. Still, I’ll take one of each.

Images via style.com