L.A. Fashion Week Fall '08: Octavio Carlin
Los Angeles designer Octavio Carlin went back to the dress form for his Fall 2008 runway show on March 10 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
“I went back to draping,” he said, describing his collection as “very glamorous” and for a confident woman. “I wanted her to feel special,” he said.
The designer mixed matte and shimmer in his collection of eveningwear and cocktail dresses in charmeuse and chiffon. Carlin used curvy seams to trace details on the bodice of his “Structure” gowns, while contrast-color piping and a lined hood gave flirty mini-dresses a sporty, youthful sensibility. He showed a trio of strapless silver dresses—one very structured version with a petal hem and another looser style that was belted at the waist. Structure and ease were combined in a complicated mini-dress version that featured an open back with a pleated skirt.
Many of Carlin’s dresses were just as dramatic in retreat, with plunging backs, draped ruffles that ran down the spine and hemlines that spilled into a puddle of satin. Carlin’s “Snap” dress in black and plum was shown with an elaborately draped back. The designer said the skirt on the convertible gown could be reconfigured in a variety of ways.
Designing with the red carpet in mind, Carlin’s black “Arrival” coat had an asymmetrical closure that allows the dress—or a long expanse of leg—to peak through. “I wanted to bring the drama,” Carlin said.—Alison A. Nieder
