New York Fashion Week: Juan Carlos Obando tries soft tailoring

With a cheering section that included hometown fans Lisa Love, Katherine Ross and stylist Maryam Malakpour, alongside bigwigs from Barneys New York, the Los Angeles-based designer and CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Juan Carlos Obando showed one of his most poetic collections yet on Thursday.

Set to a calming soundtrack of waves crashing and birds chirping, Obando’s lineup for spring was all about simplicity and ease. An evolution from the party-ready blouses, liquid metallic maxi skirts and fringe suede boots he showed for fall, this collection was a meditation on silhouette and color, a gentle dance between masculinity and femininity, loose and tailored, casual and dressed up.

The look: Zen-like simplicity.

Key pieces: White cascading ruffle halter top and side-split skirt. White cap sleeve blouse and low-slung wrap skirt with silk threads hanging.

Khaki silk trench coat and rollup pants over black tank top. Black duster coat over white vest with decorative hanging threads, and black full-leg pants. Plunge front dress worn over bra top, both in the most extraordinary shade of purple.

The verdict: Obando has built a fan base on his vision of glam, fluidly draped evening wear. But this season, he broadened his range to include more day wear, showing softly tailored separates with a minimalist, tomboyish appeal that should pump up his cheering section even more.