Sophie Theallet wins the 2009 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund

by Sarah Cristobal (Subscribe to Sarah Cristobal's posts)
Posted Nov 17th 2009 at 7:53AM

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner Sophie Theallet with fellow nominee Natalie Chanin. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images

And the winner is... French-born designer (and Michelle Obama favorite) Sophie Theallet took home the coveted CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize last night in New York City. The accolade, which was presented by Lanvin's Alber Elbaz and actress Nicole Kidman, capped off a months long crusade in which ten finalists (including Natalie Chanin, today's judge for America's Most Stylish Blogger contest) presented their collections to a panel of industry insiders.

Aside from being recognized by her peers and colleagues, Theallet will also receive $200,000 to put toward her business and future collections. She will also have the tutelage of top designers and seasoned buyers at her finger tips. (Though one must not forget that Theallet is no Johnny-come-lately, she previously served as Azzedine Alaïa's assistant for ten years and worked with Jean Paul Gaultier before that.)

Jeweler Monique Péan and menswear designer Patrik Ervell rounded out the top three as they were named first and second runners up, respectively. Meet the full list of diverse nominees here and check out all of the evening's glamorous pics below.