Fashion designer Juan Carlos Obando spent Valentine’s weekend showing his latest collection at Fashion Week in Bryant Park, New York. Juan Carlos, a former advertising and marketing guru, is regarded in the fashion world as one of the top up and coming designers.  Style.com, who appear to have their hands on the pulse of all the happenings in Bryant Park, have already reviewed his most recent show for his fall 2010 collection and noted that “Obando’s scissor skills were plainly on display and his tailoring indeed proved to be flawless.” His spring 2010 show last year also drew great reviews from Style.com as they explained, “Obando’s message…pondered the macro idea of new frontiers and the micro one of imparting the patina of history and natural forces to textiles.” They went on to say that, “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 up like a jean jacket with no consequence.”Juan Carlos Obando’s base of operations is one of LA’s truly urban and modern loft developments, The Westmoreland Lofts. Located on the border of Silver Lake and adjacent to Downtown and Hollywood, the lofts have a unique look and character to match the equally unique and extremely diverse tenant base. Along with Juan Carlos, the creative complex boasts make-up artists, photographers, screen printers, production companies, writers, hair salons, musicians, dance performers as well as marketing and advertising firms—to name a few. Needless to say this eclectic group interacts and network in a way unlike most office or apartment complexes. With the ability to both live and work in their spaces, the individuals and businesses thrive in an inspirational and creative community. As Juan Carlos once explained in an interview with Style.com, having a break every now and then from fashion forces him to “… take the blinders off and spend a little time in the world where, you know, fashion actually lives.” It is possible that the Westmoreland Lofts provide him with the perfect atmosphere to do just that.

HOW MANY BILLBOARDS? ART IN STEAD

The MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House announced its most ambitious project to date: How Many Billboards? Art In Stead. This large-scale urban exhibition debuts 23 new works by leading contemporary artists, presented simultaneously on billboards throughout Los Angeles for seven weeks from February 5 through March 26, 2010.

The exhibition will be accompanied by an overview exhibition and orientation station at the Schindler House, which opens on February 23, as well as a series of public programs and bus tours. Twenty-three artists working in the vein of California’s conceptual art movement have been commissioned to create a new work that critically responds to the medium of the billboard and interprets its role in the urban landscape. The exhibition looks at California’s conceptually-orientated art history and examines the relationships between outdoor media and architecture in the city, and also suggests in-depth consideration of participating artists’ broader contributions to contemporary art. Investigating art as an idea as well as art as a media for critical intervention, the exhibition highlights the interaction of Pop, conceptualism and architecture in Los Angeles since the late 1960s.

To get more info on this event, go to: www.howmanybillboards.org