Sophie Theallet won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award last night.
The ceremony featured a keynote address from Alber Elbaz, who co-hosted with Nicole Kidman and told the crowd, “Success is like a bottle of perfume. Smell it, don’t sniff it and don’t drink it.”
Patrik Ervell and jewelry designer Monique Pean both took home $50,000 as runners-up, while Sophie received a $200,000 check and a year’s worth of mentoring.
The Brooklyn based, Alaia-trained designer made headlines when she showed her SS09 collection on all-black models (post-Summer of Italian Vogue) and then again when Michelle Obama wore one of her dresses last spring.
She told the audience, “I’m French, so I’m going to try to do my best…Thank you for making my American dreams come true.”