Every emerging designer remembers the first time that Vogue's Anna Wintour attends his or her fashion week show. Christian Cota got his inaugural visit Tuesday evening at the Metropolitan Pavilion as he presented his Fall 2010 collection.

The designer walked the editor through his looks, which were presented on a platform stage where models in ombre wigs stood (or tried to stand) perfectly still. Professional and amateur photographers created a little circle around the pair as they moved across one set of clothes to the next.

The bobbed wigs on the models were similar to Ms. Wintour's signature look, but the designer said that was a fluke. His inspiration for styling were soldiers and the angles their helmets make when worn, he said. "I wanted the girls to stand there, and all you would see are the angles," Mr. Cota said. "I wanted to have similarity on the top so the eye went traveling from one direction to the other."

The collection featured painterly prints created by Cota. "All the prints, I thought it was important for this season to have them all mix and match," he said. The same print was used at different scales, so that all the pieces in the collection clicked into place.

To keep the colors from overwhelming the pieces, the designer injected swaths of black on dresses and A-line skirts, to better highlight the colors. Among a few glittery pieces and some dark boxy jackets, it was the painted prints that caught the eye: A slim black sheath dress with blue painting strips tempted us with its timeless chic.